Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment New...Any thoughts?

Hello. I am new to all of this. I want to apologize before hand, because this will be long.
At the age of 6, my son was referred to a psychologist because we suspected ADHD. He was diagnosed with ADHD. We expressed our concerns to the psychologist about a possible learning disorder because we recently learned he had an RTI. It was at this point he decided to do an IQ test.

WISC IV (done at the age of 6)

VCI 138 (99th%, very superior)
Comprehension 16
Similarities 15
Vocabulary 18

PRI 131 (98% superior)
Block Design 13
Picture Concepts (19)*
Matrix Reasoning 16

WMI (did not complete;score prorated on 1 of 2 subtests:est 110, 75th%)
Digit Span 12
Letter Number -

PSI (did not complete;score prorated on 1 of 2 subtests: est. 73, 4th%)
Coding 5
Symbol Search -

* "we had to stop testing for lack of time (there were still 7 items left and he had missed only 1 of the previous 4 items and the discontinue rule is 5 consecutive missed items"

It has taken close to two years to get the IQ results from the psychologist. My son is currently 8 and in the second grade.

The report from the psychologist focuses on the delayed fine motor planning and speed skills and possible accomodations.I recently made copies of the report for his teacher to look over. When we had our meeting, I asked what her thoughts were about the report. All she gave me was a blank stare. I explained the fine motor skills problem and she stated that he just needed to slow down when he wrote. As far as his IQ, I expressed concerns because he is only reading at grade level and the psychologist told me, based on his score, he should be reading well above grade level. She had no answer. I then went on to explain that in spelling and math he catches on quickly, normally the first time. Still no answer. I have the feeling she doesn't really care for him because she is always sending nit-picky notes home. She recently told me that he has such a wild imagination, and it wasn't in a positive way.

I guess I'm just looking for some thoughts on the situation. I don't fully understand the IQ test scores and maybe someone could shed some light?? I've heard of the GAI..would that be useful in this situation? This is a very small, rural district that doesn't acknowledge gifted students. Any ideas on how to approach the school or what I should be asking for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I feel so lost right now..I don't know what direction I should go with this. What upsets me the most, is that I feel the teacher has me doubting that my child is bright...I'm second guessing myself.

He is absolutely in the gifted range, and he absolutely has motor or processing issues, and, based on the other things you are saying, possibly dyslexia or dysgraphia as well, and it is totally inappropriate for the teacher to say that he just needs to try harder. The GAI is almost certainly a better indicator of his intellectual functioning than the FSIQ because of the very low processing speed score. You should request an IEP meeting if you haven't already. Get the psychologist's recommended accommodations for him in writing on a legally enforceable document (the IEP) now, and ask to get Occupational Therapy started as soon as you can. You might also want to ask to get his visual processing and visual-motor coordination evaluated, as this can cause reading problems as well as writing problems. A dyslexia evaluation would seem to be in order, too, if it hasn't been done. If you request these evaluations in writing, the district has to comply within 45 days.

You might also want to to check out http://www.wrightslaw.com

The sections on evaluation and testing, eligibility, writing effective IEPs, and Twice-exceptional students (gifted with learning disabilities) are probably the most important places for you to start with that site right now.

His IQ scores show that he is functioning intellectually at a level higher than all but one or two percent of his same-age peers, but his processing speed subtest score (which can also be an indicator of fine motor planning and visual-motor integration) is worse than 96% of his same age peers. This means he will have a really hard time showing what he knows and how well he thinks on his written work. If his teacher values speed and neatness over creativity (and it sounds as if she might), he is likely having a very hard time in this class, and may feel that he is not smart because he can't write well and the teacher doesn't like his ideas. An environment like this can lead children to avoid work or stop trying, which reinforces the teacher's view of the child as not very smart. Hopefully, the school psychologist at the IEP meeting will be able to set the teacher straight.


Best of luck.

Hi, I am brand new here and read this thread with interest as I am struggling to understand what is going on with my 8 yr old son who seems to have very similar issues.

I am lost as to where to turn and any and all advice is appreciated!

WISC score:
Verbal Comp 98th percentile (comp 13, vocab 16, similarities 16)
Perceptual Reasoning 97th percentile (block des. 13, picture cone 17, matrix reasoning 14)

Working memory 47th perc., digit span 7, letter number seq 13
Processing speed 16th perc., coding 5 symbol search 10

The psychologist had no explanation for these huge variations, other than "we all have our strengths and weaknesses". He scored ok but lower than expected based on his ability on the achievement tests (Woodcock Johnson)- and this is of great concern to me.

I recently had him tested with the SCAT test and he did not qualify for programs at John Hopkins (5 and 8 points off in math and verbal). My husband said he was VERY nervous. He has had NO previous testing experience as he is in 2nd grade at a montessori school where he has been since Pre-K.

I worry that there is an undiagnosed problem with coordination/ visual processing that is holding him back, or that the educational environment he is in is not right for him.

Any advice on where to go from here????

THANK YOU!!!

Terri

P.S. I should mention that he has been diagnosed with convergence insufficiency by an optometrist - is going to be evaluated further for that this week. I find it perplexing, since he was an early and gifted reader!

Sure!
Letter word id - 88th percentile
Passage comprehension - 71
Reading Fluency - 84
Broad reading - 85
Calculation - 68
Applied Problems - 81
Math fluency -17
Broad math -73
Spelling - 41
Writing samples - 37
Writing fluency - 31
Broad written language - 33
Story recall - 91
Delayed story recall - 65
Academic skills - 77
Academic fluency - 49
Academic applications - 70
Total achievement 72

Yes, the percentiles are correct. He loves to read science books. He is currently reading an intro to astronomy book (adult level) and understands most of it. His teacher feels there are no attention problems.

I had the evaluation done mainly to see how the school was working for him. I love the montessori philosophy and his teacher but I like data! Based on the evaluation, they felt ADHD was ruled out.

He LOVES school! But I do have the feeling that he tends to choose work he knows he can excel in (i.e. not challenging himself). He is not the most socially adept though, and does feel secure there....

He is going to see a developmental optometrist tomorrow and a developmental ophthalmologist on Thurs.

Do you think a consultation with CTY at John Hopkins might be helpful?

Yes, I believe CTY would see him and evaluate him. I just want to uncover and treat and possible learning disabilies, if they are there - of course so that he may reach his full potential.

The testing day was long (one half day and one full day). It is escaping me right now exactly when the achievement test was done though. They reported that at times he was anxious but that he cooperated well. He had a lunch break, but that's it. It was his very fist experience with any type of test of course.

Any other options to get to the bottom of this??

Thank you aculady...what helpful information!

I will sent off the request tomorrow.

Also, I just received the packet for an OT eval. When the office called, she asked if I had requested an eval through the school. I explained to her that when my son was in kindergarten, I verbally requested one. The answer the school gave me was in order to receive OT services, he would have to have another problem, like speech. She then told me to request, in writing, an OT eval. through the school.

In addition, when my son was 1st grade he had eye surgery for strabismus/wandering eye. After the surgery, his reading improved slightly. Lately, it has been wandering a little more. The Dr. says it is still in the normal range and they are closely monitoring it. Is anyone familiar with this?

One thing I'm concerned about is the fact that he still doesn't know his left from his right. He also doesn't have a concept of time. Could this be dyslexia? If so, where would I go to get an evaluation? I asked his PCP, and he referred me to someone that was unable to help. Will the school be evaluating for this?

Well, I'm off to write the school for an eval and fill out my paperwork for the OT eval...wish me luck!

One last thing, can someone figure the GAI? I tried based on the subtest scores and what I come up doesn't look right? Thanks!

Flossy:

Look here on page 5

http://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/Special%20Education%20Services/gifted/WISCIVTechReport4.pdf

Terri

P.S. Sorry for hijacking your message! It's just that my son's score distribution is so similar to yours.

We moved my son out of a Montessori for second grade, where he had been for 2 years. One thing to realize is that Montessoris are VERY different from a traditional school.
For example, his low scores on math and writing fluency- those are kind of timed tests, which the Montessori totally doesn't do or emphasize. You may just need to at home shore up some fundamental skills the Montessori doesn't give him- like doing math facts, math flashcards, timed tests, etc.
My son really had problems with that at first moving to the public school this year. I created some little timed tests for math at home (1-2 minutes only), and he gradually got better.
We found that Montessoris do not emphasize alot of writing skills, spelling, etc. You may just be seeing that this is the result of his Montessori education. I have my son do 10 spelling words with me each week.

You're right Dottie... I added incorrectly I guess. And I am supposed to be gifted too! haha.

Jacksmom - why did you leave montessori?