Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment PRI>VCI Questions

I'm glad to finally post instead of searching for the answers through previous posts. Everyone seems to give great support here. Sorry for a long one in advance.

My ds11 has been in the center based gifted program since 3rd grade and is currently in 6th (middle). Each year has gotten harder for him to get the grades he expects. His frustration level (and moods) can be exhausting to deal with. He is not hyperactive at all but is very sensitive to sounds and actions around him. We were thinking inattentive His recent WISC-IV scores showed possibly mild ADHD but also indicate possible LD according to the eval. We have a consult with his PCP next week and may have to decide on medication or further testing. I posted his scores below and would love any feedback. I know the FSIQ is uncertain due to the discrepancies. The "low" VCI has us wondering if that is indicating a weakness holding him back. I qwould expect his vocab higher and I wonder how much his typical quiet, short answers affected the scoring. Although this is how he answers everything (written or oral), I know he understands much more than he expresses.
Thanks in advance!

VCI 102
Similarities 11
Vocabulary 12
Comprehension 9

PRI 131
Block Design 14
Picture Concepts 14
Matrix Reasoning 17

WM 116
Digit Span 14
Letter Number 12

PS 115
Coding 12
Symbol Search 13

FSIQ 121
CPT 54%

What are his work habits like? Does he get more, less or about the same amount of homework as other kids in his classes? When he is working, does he appear focused (again, compared to kids in his class?) Are him moods more of a problem in some circumstances compared with others? Do they dissapear entirely in certian situations? Does he hold it together in public and 'save it all up' for home?

Are you close enough to work with these folks?
Johns Hopkins University Diagnostic and Counseling Center
Psycho-educational Evaluations; Educational Consultations ... �The Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore, Maryland. ... Center for Talented Youth -- A world leader in gifted ...

cty.jhu.edu/gifted/dcc/index.html

I would guess that those scores are pretty rare, (Notice that most of what you see here is bottlenecks of WM and PS) and it would be good to have some experienced folks help sort them out. What were the achievement scores like?

Welcome - so glad you posted!
Love and More Love,
Grinity

I second the idea to look into CAPD. I also wonder if there was any other testing in the language processing realm, reading and writing? Also, did they look at any executive functioning issues?

Clearly he is very bright, but something seems to blocking him at school. There are so many different areas of cognition, that the WISC is really only a jumping off point to begin understanding his strengths and how he learns.

Thank you for the comments. We are just starting this process so we haven't looked into anything yet. We were recommended by his primary to get tested for ADHD and we will be going back to him with the results next week. I'm looking to learn as much in the meantime to make best informed decisions.

Grinity: We're in central VA so JHU may be a little far if we can handle it locally. DS was tested in 2nd (4 yrs ago) for placement in the gifted programs. I cant locate the test results but remember it was a combination of teacher recommendations and some testing. He was just over in Reading, well over in Math, and his overall was good for acceptance.

Dottie/Mich: I read more about CAPD after your post and will keep it as an option to discuss with the primary. Also going to ask about Stealth Dyslexia although generally writing and spelling are pretty good. He does make careless mistakes in math but seems to have more of an issue transposing words (directions) and process order than individual letters or numbers. He was an early talker/reader/writer but that may be due to being first and only child and grandchild for a few years. That head start may have caught up some. Oh and he definitely has a reserved personality especially with new people.

I'll gather some thoughts and post some more traits in the morning. Thanks!

A few of the things you mentioned can sometimes be present in people with Asperger's syndrome. Has anyone raised that possibility? AS can lead to difficulty with comprehension and can sometimes look like inattentiveness and/or shyness/quietness. Many people with AS also have sensory sensitivities.

I did some looking up of Asperger's and don't see much to describe DS's personality. Although shy at first he can "open up" after awhile. His teachers in 3rd and 5th have told us they were worried about him maikng it in his CBG program at first but by the second half of the year, he was as active as anyone. He has many friends including good ones he just met this year. He can be pretty social with them and around his family. He jokes around, is "great" at sarcasm (he gets mine and gives it back well). We have also been told how much he looks out for others.

For now, I would lean more towards an executive function issue, ADHD-inattentive and will also look into CAPD. I recognize most of those traits in DS. We read "Organizing The Disorganized Child" and it describes him perfectly.

Sounds like a great plan for a great kid.