Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional 2E Highly Verbal, Slow Processing Speed, ADD

In addition to the good sources below, I'd like to add that my son's SI issues didn't really 'click' for me until I read the articles on SI in 'Uniquely gifted: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of the Twice-Exceptional Student' Edited by Kiesa Kay.

Idahomom - I strongly reccomend you order this book on Amazon today, even though it was published way back in 2000. Also a highlighter with the sticky notes build in - LOL - there is a lot of material there!

Best Wishes,
Grinity

Neato - I think that for (Many) HG/PG kids at least, there isn't a difference between OE and SI issues. The difference is that SI issues have interventions aimed at relieving the issues, and the OE model focuses on the adults being understanding and not creating extra issues. Be for I learned about SI stuff, I unawarely did all the OE interventions because I remembered my own childhood, and had observed my family members. Then I learned about SI and DS11 got 6 month is treatment, which helped tremendously. I often am so glad that I 'bumped' into the SI literature before I found the OE literature, but I suspect that if I had read the OE literature I would have patted myself on the back for compensating so well, and just 'tried to live with' the issues.

I think of DS as having OE Issues that responded well to SI interventions. Right now he's on the school Lacrosse team - playing goalie. He gets to put on the heavy tight protective gear AND get hit by the those hard balls. Talk about Modulation - that addresses the over and the under SIs all at once!

Smiles,
Grinity

Thanks Grinity, Debbie told me where to start in looking for an eval and I will be making a few calls today.
Funny, I haven't literally spent more time advocating for DD5 than parenting, but it's getting pretty tiresome and it does tend to move me towards Home School.

Neato

OK maybe not more time, but perhaps more energy and heartache?

Good luck with the OT!
grin

i just read this post - though its old i thought i would add my 2 cents....your child sounds like mine who was finally diagnosed by a neuropychologist with mild asperger syndrome and some other neurological impairments - for instance, the hemispheres of his brain do not communicate together properly. He was brilliant and getting low grades at the same time. A huge factor is how they veiw themselves. Counseling for self esteem, me learning how to communicate with a an AS child, a constant advocate for him at his school, he needs to listen to music while he thinks up an idea - takes forever but then he produces an exceptional paper. if he has to dance with headphones in his ears to come up with the ideas i let him - he is now a STRAIGHT A second year college student. He works slow and methodical - he needed the extra time. Fight for him - he is a special unique child who cannot fit into the mold. and recheck the ADD diagnosis. They always think they have ADD....not saying he doesn;t - but the only testing tht really helped us was with the neuropsychologist and insurance covered most of hit.

OMG...I feel like I am typing your initial post and all of your responses bc my dd 10 is EXACTLY the same way. We have been through 3 different batteries of testing. the diagnoses are:
ADD
APD (auditory processing disorder)
SID (sensory integration disorder)
Her biggest problem in school is the slow processing speed. She is falling further and further behind, although she is an extremely intelligent child who loves to learn and works and tries very hard.
Therefore, the said she has now developed an emotional disorder based on her struggles.
I have tried and tried to get the school to help her and work with her and give her accommodations, but they still can't figure out how to best help her and expect her to be able to keep up in the classroom. I am at the point of trying homeschooling. I am at a loss as to how to help her be successful in school when we have tried all that I know to try.

You ask about whether this profile is shared by others. My son is highly verbal and has a processing speed in the 4th percentile. He is also has ADHD-in, fine motor difficulties and severe dyslexia.

Unfortunately for my son, the language based learning disabilities and poor executive functioning skills make it very hard for him to keep up with the pace and quantity of school work, despite his intelligence. He has attended a special ed school for kids with dyslexia for 5 years and will attend a science/technical school in HS that allows him to be outside and demonstrate his knowledge and leadership in alternative ways. Tests, papers and traditional schooling just don't work for him.

My son, too, is highly verbal, has a processing speed that is very low (2nd percentile on the WISC-IV),and has motor disabilities, problems with visual processing and visual-motor integration, and an autism spectrum diagnosis.

We homeschool so that we can accommodate his strengths and weaknesses in a way that works for him. We're working on getting him accommodations for standardized testing right now so that he can take the math and writing portions of the ACT and SAT with some chance of being able to demonstrate what he can actually do in these areas.

My son has tested consistently in the 10th percentile in auditory processing and 9th percentile in cognitive fluency since the 3rd grade. This was confirmed in both the 9th and 10th grade with additional testing. No one believes he has a disability with processing because he has an incredible fund of knowledge and scores highly on IQ tests that don't have timed auditory sections.
They tried to label him with ADD; however, being a physician, I knew that he did not fit the pattern. He can concentrate; however, he soon gets lost and therefore no longer pays attention. This is VERY different than having ADD. Have you ever tried to pay attention to a lecture that you cannot follow? By the time you figure out the first sentence said, the speaker has completed several more sentences. You can never catch up! Your mind will naturally wander.
After the second set of tests showed that my son had this severe learning disability, I applied and fought for a 504 plan. After suggesting that I was employing an education attorney, the 504 was granted. In the 504, my son gets a reduced work load. If the teacher assigns a worksheet, she must give him only a fraction of the questions to complete. If it is a research paper, he does not have to cite as many references or write as many pages. He also has extended time on tests and assignments. You have to be very careful because if they just give extended time, your child will just get further and further behind. The school has to dramatically reduce the work load or your child cannot keep up. The teachers are also required to give him full sets of class notes. Obviously if you cannot process auditory input quickly, there is no way you can take your own notes.
Because my son is bright and socially engaging, I have to constantly remind the teacher, counselor and special education department to stick with his 504. It is almost impossible to tell that he has a problem by just observing him.
We just applied for, and received, special accommodations on the SAT. All of his classmates took the regular SAT today. My son is taking it spread out over Monday and Tuesday of next week.
I still have to do a lot of encouragement at home but we now enjoy As and Bs on report cards and not Ds and Fs.
From research I did when I first figured out why my son was struggling, the combination of slow processing speeds and high IQs is most common among gifted boys.
The real trick will be figuring out my son's career path. Most jobs require at least a modicum of productivity per unit time. Fortunately he has an Irish tenor voice that flows like melted chocolate and he can deliver a punch line in a play with perfect timing so we are exploring the performing arts. There will still be challenges with processing speed.
Best of luck with your children! If in public school, work hard to get a 504 plan. Federal law requires all schools, including universities and professional schools, to give the accommodations once they are granted. In other words, the accommodations will follow your child through his or her academic career.
Hope some of this helps!