Sagemom,
Love your description. My son is age 16 and 2E with very slow processing. His doctor described his brain as a Ferrari with a Fiat Transmission. It's a beautiful machine but will only go as fast as the transmission allows.
Another metaphor the doctor use to describe my son:
You are the village elder. People all around you are going to get whipped up over this, that and the other. They will come to you for wisdom. You'll tell them to go away while you think long and hard about it for a while. You'll take your time thinking deeply, looking at it from various angles. Then, you'll come up with an amazing answer that no-one else has thought of. Maybe you should think about a career working in a "think" tank.
Funny thing was that in 9th grade, he took a science class called Aerodynamics and the Physics of Flight. His teacher (who didn't know about his challenges) told me that my son frequently came up with very unique solutions/answers that no-one else thought of.
I guess it gave us a chuckle and a way to cope with the late discovery of his 2E issues (end of 9th grade). He is a junior now.
My son has a very large spread in test results as well (low single digits to high nineties) - processing speed is particularly slow along with "graphomotor impairment" (which I believe is fine motor dysgraphia) and ADHD.
He gets very tired! It takes him a tremendous amount of mental energy to get through each school day.
I hope this helps someone!
I hope this adds a little levity. I've found it very comforting to know that there are others out there dealing with similar issues.
