Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Oodles and Doodles of paperwork!

Strange to quote myself but wanted to respond to my promise to talk to my BF about the test. It was a series of neurological tests and the information obtained along with the tests were linked to sensory issues.

Here is what I know.

My older son had ear infections from the time he was 8-9 months old. He was sick 22 times from 18 months to 24 months and then maybe another 15 times between 24 and 36 months. He had many ear infections during this period and I'm sure he had many more that were not caught. NO PROBLEM, the doctors said. It's no big deal. Right.

His younger brother (8 yo) has had exactly one ear infection in his entire life, at age 4.

My older son talked at 24 months, did not read at all well until he was 9, and has major problems with anything to do with language. The first time his IQ was tested, it was below average. After 5 years of intensive work, his GAI tested in the HG range though he misses the DYS cutoff by a few points. I honestly think he's PG with a very heavy overlay of LD. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia, ADD, APD, SPD, visual issues, and Asperger's.

The younger one talked at 10 mo, read at age 2, and is just very obviously very bright. He qualifies for DYS.

I honestly think that all of the illness had a huge effect on my older son.

Back when the older one was 8, I had the GDC take a look at his below average IQ results. They looked at his history, his family history of giftedness, and his scores, and told me that I wasn't crazy to think that he was actually gifted. They gave me some direction for seeking help.

So those forms are extremely important as they screen for 2e issues, something that most psychologists have *no clue* about.

This is fascinating to me! DS12, who seemed very bright when younger and who has a HG+ sister and a MG(+?) brother was diagnosed with his first ear infection when he was 16 months old. But, we immediately realized that he'd been having ear infections for months. He continued to have multiple ear infections for about 6 months until, just shy of us putting in tubes, he stopped getting them. Then, after a year of not having them, he started getting them frequently. Again, after long-term antibiotics and just shy of tubes, they stopped again. And then, about a year-and-a-half later he started getting them frequently again. He was placed on long-term antibiotics and then had a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotics, but he stopped getting the ear infections. At only two points was his hearing tested, and it tested normal (although it wasn't extensive testing). So, no tubes. When he was 5.5 he had a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy and then severely hemhorraged. After that he had two more ear infections and then they stopped. Funnily enough (not really!) no one seems to think any of this could lead to any of his learning characteristics. I guess I should look into this further.

And another story--

My father is PG. His younger brother was never considered as bright, and in fact had what we would identify today as dyslexia. And, you guessed it, the younger brother had numerous health problems as a young child--repeated ear infections (at a time when there were no antibiotics), tonsillitis with eventual tonsillectomy at the age of 4, that sort of thing--while my father was healthy as a horse.

You'd think the mainstream medical community would get a clue at some point.

Both of my kids have/had chronic ear infections. DD7.5 and PG should have had tubes, in retrospect. I lost count how many ear infections she had, but about 6+ per year from age 1-4. She was a late-talker and has attention and motivation problems. Who knows what kind of link there is between the two, but I have read enough about it to know that it happens frequently.

Little DS (almost 2) just saw ENT last week for a consultation for tubes due to 6 ear infections since December. We are pushing for tubes this time around. He is also a late-talker, but passed a hearing test last week with flying colours.

I find this thread very interesting.