Should we take him to a psych to test for Dyspraxia or (inattentive) ADD? [//quote]
A few replies above mentioned children with a dip in processing speed where it means nothing and further testing wasn't pursued. On the one hand I agree - if your ds is happy and doing well in school and the testing he's had wasn't out of concern for any reason, it most likely means nothing significant and further testing isn't going to be useful. OTOH - I think that one of the worries about *not* going for further testing to determine *why* there is a significant difference in processing speed is that many times gifted children can *look* like everything is a-ok because their other strengths allow them to compensate so well. So on the one hand, you could ask - if he can compensate well, isn't that enough? And it might be - especially in the early school years, but then once the demand of workload increases in school it might be an issue. Or it might be an issue now and it's just now something anyone sees because your ds is HG. So for me, if I had even one tiny question about is it "something" I'd seek out further testing to determine the why behind the discrepancy in subtest scores.
Another question I had is were there other tests run at the time of the ability test? Any achievement testing? Any executive functioning/visual motor/fine motor etc? These are the types of tests a neuropsych will run, in addition to a detailed parent interview with developmental history and behavioral surveys completed by parents and teachers. This type of approach throws out a large net that looks at the whole child's functioning rather than specifically looking to rule out dysgraphia or ADHD, for instance.. which (jmo) gives a better chance of finding what's truly going on. I think that we often can get caught up in looking for what we understand - for instance, my ds had a teacher who was convinced he had ADHD in 2nd grade, because she knew several children with ADHD and he had similar symptoms. I had never heard of dysgraphia at that point in time, so it never would have occurred to me to take him to an OT for a fine motor eval. Yet that's what he had. If I'd only taken him to an ADHD specialist, he might or might not have come home with an ADHD diagnosis, but he certainly wouldn't have come home with us understanding he was dysgraphic. If we'd taken him to a DO for a vision screening because we thought he might be dysgraphic he would have come home with an "everything's fine" diagnosis because his dysgraphia is not visual in origin. If we'd taken him to an OT for a handwriting eval he *might* have come home with a dysgraphia diagnosis but we would have missed that it's due to dyspraxia, which actually does impact him although if you just met him and didn't know about that diagnosis you would not think by just looking at him he's any different than any other kid on the playground or in class.
What are some other causes of slow processing speed?
There are most likely quite a few, including possibly being distracted during the ability subtest, if that's the only indication of anything. That's where having a thorough eval can be really helpful.
Someone told me that it is bc they are simply thinking too many things over at once when gifted! That an answer isn't as simple as black and white so they literally have too much info going on?
This can absolutely happen with HG/+ kiddos - to be honest, I suspect that it can happen with kids who aren't even considered gifted. This is where understanding specifically *which* subtest was low and what the task required on the subtest is. For instance, what you describe is a child who is slow to respond to a question because they are mulling over many different possible answers. The "Coding" subtest on the WISC (one of the processing speed subtest) requires a child to draw a mark in a certain way within a time limit. There really aren't choices to be made that are something a child would think over - the test is measuring visual-motor coordination and speed.
What can I do to help him ? the huge difference is a worry.
Did you think there was an issue before he had this test? That's the first thing to do - determine if, from your perspective, he needs help with something. Then the next step is to determine why he has this low score. Get the extra data (achievement testing etc) if you don't have it. Look at his functioning at school and what happens with homework etc. Ask more questions of the Ed Psych if you can. Consider a neuropsych eval to get the follow-up testing if you don't have any idea why the processing speed subtest is low.
I want to do what is right for him.. but also know that telling the school to focus on his (dis) ability will simply make him MORE bored and disillusioned with school
If he has a disability that is impacting his ability to show what he knows at school, he's most likely going to eventually be frustrated and that in turn will also lead to being unhappy at school. What you need to do is understand what's really going on, so that he can get help and/or accommodations if he has a challenge *and* also be able to participate in programs at school that are at his level of intellectual ability.
The Ed Psych did little in her recommendations to help except tell us to give him cards with pictures to get him used to a routine in the morning ! which he doesn't need.. he is no different to any other child in terms of routine or getting out the door or following instructions... he simply takes longer to process academic info or questions... he is perfectly able in all other areas of attention and focus... he can sit and do a 100 piece puzzle till its finished etc ... spend ages looking up the theory of evolution of animals.. or watching a documentary...
It's possible you are getting routine suggestions from the Ed Psych that are not specific to your ds, or it's possible the Ed Psych might be seeing something that you're not simply because you live with your ds and you're used to him. I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry and I probably am not explaining that well! FWIW, I've often heard that the ability to focus on something of interest is actually common in children with ADHD, and I've seen it in the children I know with ADHD. Morning routines, getting out of the house etc - you haven't seen an issue but you've also said "no different than any child" - does that mean you are having to give him reminders etc? I have to do that with all my kids, dyspraxic or not - so on the surface ds may look just like a typical kid who needs a bit of support from a parent with typical kid getting-things-done. But it's not typical. And understanding that it's not is important. Things like what your Ed Psych suggested seemed silly to me when suggested but they made a world of difference to my ds (and they don't hurt with my nt kids either :)).
I am sorry this was such a long ramble - I hope some of it helped!
polarbear
Please help ! and thank you !
