I told my son's piano teacher that he had recently been diagnosed with motor dyspraxia and dysgraphia in addition to the previously diagnosed hypotonia and sensory integration issues. I also told her that our public school does not provide OT for 2E kids and I would have to pay for private OT and continue homeschooling him.
Then she said something I have heard before but I don't quite understand, "Disability Cancels Out Giftedness."
I don't understand this. Of course, it slows my son down a little in piano, but he makes what looks to me like good progress and he is in Level 3. I guess it might look like disability cancels out giftedness on paper if a 2E child with motor issues is tested with methods requiring good fine motor skills.
But it didn't cancel out his giftedness when he read at 2 1/2 without being taught. It didn't cancel out his giftedness when he figured out alternate ways of doing math problems requiring less handwriting on his own. I also know that you can be physically gifted but I have never really thought of physical abilities as part of a person's intelligence.
We have never had his IQ tested, but I wonder if these disabilities would cause his IQ score to be lower than it would be without the disabilities. I do think it might affect test scores on "fill in the bubble" timed tests, because it would take him longer than most children to color in the lines.
Can you accurately test a 2E child's real intelligence?
