Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Help - LAP-D Scores

Hi

I wonder if anyone could help me - when my son turned 4 he was tested by the local school psychologist with the LAP-D tests. He was tested in two areas - language and cognitive, with two tests in each of these areas. She reported that as she couldn't get a ceiling in anything she had decided to use the tests for children up to 72 months - but still couldn't get a ceiling. Thus she could only say he was in the 99th and 91st percentiles in cognitive and the 99th and 93rd percentiles for language.
Could anyone tell me what these scores actually mean - does this mean he is possibly gifted?

Any advice/information would really help - I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to think at the moment!

Thanks

M

Hi Moo,

Glad you found us!

When you say 'couldn't get a ceiling' do you mean that the test wasn't hard enough for your child, so that your child didn't make enough mistakes to stop the test before the tester 'ran out' of questions?

We usually call that 'hitting the ceiling.'

I'm not familiar with this specific test, but yes, there is a possibility your child is gifted. Does this fit your daily experience with your son?

Go visit a Kindergarden and first grade classroom when school starts up again, and see what the kids are interested and able to do - that will pull you out of your lost-ness.

Smiles,
grinity

Hi There Grinity and Dottie

Thank you both so much for your replies.

Grinity - I believe my son "hit the ceiling" - he answered all the questions until the psychologist ran out of questions. My son attends a fantastic private Montessori school throughout the year - the teachers there were the ones who suggested we get in touch with the school district as he was exhibiting mild sensory defensiveness and gifted behavior. (I believe sensory issues are common in about 35% of gifted children.) I think my "lostness" stems from the fact that everyone is saying he is gifted - (he has been observed so many times by many different agencies) - indeed the psychologist believes him to be globally gifted and I sort of hoped you guys would say he is not - does this sound awful? Is this normal? I simply want him to be a kid and dig holes. The school district are being wonderful to us - but are very keen to have him (they are expecting him in their pre-k class in September....) - but I am worried that he is going to be put under a microscope.

Dottie - The test was the Language Assessment Profile - I don't believe it was criterion referenced (but I have no idea what they actually asked/did with him - I didn't really want to know - I just drank my tea in the other room whilst he was happily doing his thing) - as I did get percentiles and T-Scores. But I may be wrong about this! As to other testing - we didn't want to pursue anything else with him.

Thank you both so much for replying - it is lovely to know that people are willing to listen/help.

Warm Regards

M

Well Moo,
When it comes to mothering, I think my son's preschool had wise words of advice:

You get what you get, and you don't get upset.

Actually, being upset can be a gift if you take the time to journal or vent to a good friend what your memories and experiences were with yourself or other gifted people you knew in your younger days.

Smiles,
Grinity

Of all the challenges a parent could face, having a gifted child really isn't that bad. All I have to do is look to some of the neighbors and their "real" challenges, and my concerns are quickly put into perspective. After all, I bet many would be willing to swap their particular "challenge" for ours, right?

My wife & I both were in the GATE classes throughout our schooling, so the concept wasn't totally foreign to us. BUT, the resources available today are drastically different (less!) than what we enjoyed all those years ago.

Even with our experience, though, I, too, have been hesitant to test because I didn't want to label him. He skipped K, starting 1st @ 4y thanks to the encouragement of his teachers (I was an absolute nervous wreck), and has advanced steadily... albeit at his own dizzying pace, but we've still avoided testing.

This past spring, though, he took some language test (Peabody?) at school that resulted in lots & lots of phone calls between teachers, support staff, and us. He was apparently off the charts...

We knew he was strong, but this blew us away. And also changed my thinking.

We are now waiting for an appointment with the district psych team, as they want to administer the WIAT & WISC before school starts up again.

As the school admin explained to me, the reason for testing at this end of the spectrum is the same as testing at the other end: We all need to know what we're working with... what he's capable of (or not) so that we are not making decisions for his life based on hunches or educated guesses.

I must admit that after that Peabody test, I am now officially curious to find out "what we've got under the hood." I hope that doesn't sound crass; I'm just being honest.

While I've not been an active participant at this site, I have been lurking, reading, absorbing... for months & months. It is truly an incredible resource.

Here's one of my favorite sites for "setting your bearings" regarding gifted kids...
A Nation Deceived

Read through some of the personal stories - from both parents & students - and see if this helps in your overall understanding.

My apologies for droning...

Ha... our son's preschool was obviously a little more "red-neckian." What he learned early on was, "Ya git what ya git and ya don't throw a fit!"