Hi
I am new here but at the moment at a crossroads. As background my second and youngest child (4.5 yrs) has been assessed as HG on WPPSI (but psych feels likely more EG). She was a self-taught reader from two (very obsessed with books and would push me to read many books to her), first words around 8 months, speaking in sentences at 16 months, singing whole songs at 13 months etc. The dilemma is not this child but my older son who has never been tested. Whilst he verbally was similarly early (and possibly spoke in greater volumes) he never taught himself to read/ read early. He did memorise his books before or around 2 though and seemed to really enjoy books at least up to starting school. he started daycare at 20 months when carers immediately remarked that he would be having complete conversations with them and enjoyed regaling stories to the other children and making them laugh. Also highly curious during the preschool years - the questions were so profuse (and often difficult to answer) that they almost drove my husband over the edge. Obsession with death and anxiety issues over it came at just 3. Told me santa could not possibly make it around the world in one night at 3/4. His constant and creative experimenting and messiness in doing so almost drove me over the edge! His preschool teacher described him as exceptionally verbal, also highly intuitive and observant of detail. They thought he was possibly gifted or at least highly intelligent - they experienced his constant questions which took the class past the boundaries and to a different place(they have never mentioned this re my daughter). He has always been extremely social and also a great negotiator with us and highly manipulative.
Fast Forward to school. Does above average in grade one (first teacher thinks possibly gifted at outset) but identifies fine motor difficulties. Darcy starts reading but follows an average to above average timeline. Grade 2 also does well (never to the extent we expected though) - - writing is below average (fine motor again), maths excellent, reading assessed as high achievement (to my disbelief as I found he avoided it at home and seemed slow and stilted when reading aloud). This year (gr. 3) his reading just makes average (avoiding reading more), writing and english now below grade average. Maths is interesting - with work which does not involve reading he is near top of class, but with maths problems which involve a lot of reading he now falls to very average. The teacher says he is extremely social but also highly self-conscious when asked to perform in front of peers, highly imaginative, tends to concentrate on things that don't matter though, mind races ahead of writing (ideas are great but they don't translate). he also suffers from a high degree of anxiety, procrastinates and almost finds it impossible to make a decision even over the smallest things, emotionally appears highly sensitive (eg. in grade one cried for weeks on hearing his school had been burnt by an arsonist and was also very anxious about it).
Does anyone have any ideas/comments that may help? Has anyone experienced anyting similar - particularly such a discrepancy between siblings? Should I have him tested? I mentioned that he may have a reading issue/disability but they said he is performing at the average level so does not qualify for learning support. Thank you so much for listening and my apologies for such a long post. Tiz
