Coming to terms with an intellectual disability

[Anonymous]

Behavioral therapy. Go to KKI outpatient clinic in Colombia, md.

[Anonymous]

When was his IQ tested and by whom and in what circumstances?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting, I had always assumed his behavioral challenges were related to his IQ, but I guess that is not necessarily true. Hi behaviors are dysregulated/sensory seeking/impulsive to the extreme/unable to stop once he gets going.

Have you also been evaluated for ADHD? My DS has an IQ about the same as your kid's. There is no doubt that ADHD plays the bigger role in our lives. How did you do testing for IQ but not ADHD? Medication can fix so much.

He does have ADHD but the meds are only taking the edge off, honestly. That is why I attributed so much of his behavior to IQ. It could be that we need to adjust the meds. He is almost 6, so we haven't been trying meds for long.

Was he IQ-tested before he was on the meds? It could well be that the not-well-managed ADHD is depressing his IQ scores.

Yes and if the meds aren't working then you need to find new ones. There are a lot of options. Are you seeing a psychiatrist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting, I had always assumed his behavioral challenges were related to his IQ, but I guess that is not necessarily true. Hi behaviors are dysregulated/sensory seeking/impulsive to the extreme/unable to stop once he gets going.

Have you also been evaluated for ADHD? My DS has an IQ about the same as your kid's. There is no doubt that ADHD plays the bigger role in our lives. How did you do testing for IQ but not ADHD? Medication can fix so much.

He does have ADHD but the meds are only taking the edge off, honestly. That is why I attributed so much of his behavior to IQ. It could be that we need to adjust the meds. He is almost 6, so we haven't been trying meds for long.

Was he IQ-tested before he was on the meds? It could well be that the not-well-managed ADHD is depressing his IQ scores.

Yes and if the meds aren't working then you need to find new ones. There are a lot of options. Are you seeing a psychiatrist?

Also look at the IQ subscores. IF some scores are much higher than others, it's a good indication that there is interference from the ADHD or a learning disability.

[Anonymous]

Who did your eval? What did it say? It sounds like you still need help understanding your child (and I don't mean that as an insult...it sounds like the evaluation wasn't helpful in explaining things to you). An IQ of 78 is not going to cause "behavior challenges". It might cause some misunderstandings on the appropriate way to handle expectations and behavior, but that is not the same thing as a child having behavior problems.

My kid's IQ at 5 was 80. He was, and is, one of the sweetest and most well behaved children in his class. But he definitely has other issues (anxiety, language, gross and fine motor, social). FWIW, I think his IQ clocked in at 92 when he was retested at 7 1/2. He still has special needs. There was nothing magical about having his score go up into the average range, except he's less likely to qualify for services. Focus on what your child needs help with, not the IQ score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who did your eval? What did it say? It sounds like you still need help understanding your child (and I don't mean that as an insult...it sounds like the evaluation wasn't helpful in explaining things to you). An IQ of 78 is not going to cause "behavior challenges". It might cause some misunderstandings on the appropriate way to handle expectations and behavior, but that is not the same thing as a child having behavior problems.

My kid's IQ at 5 was 80. He was, and is, one of the sweetest and most well behaved children in his class. But he definitely has other issues (anxiety, language, gross and fine motor, social). FWIW, I think his IQ clocked in at 92 when he was retested at 7 1/2. He still has special needs. There was nothing magical about having his score go up into the average range, except he's less likely to qualify for services. Focus on what your child needs help with, not the IQ score.

I completely agree with all of this.

OP, did you do a full neuropsych or just an IQ test. If the former, you really missed the point of doing these kinds of assessments.

[Anonymous]

Adaptive skills are an essential component in determining an Intellectual Disability. How were your DS's adaptive functioning scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting, I had always assumed his behavioral challenges were related to his IQ, but I guess that is not necessarily true. Hi behaviors are dysregulated/sensory seeking/impulsive to the extreme/unable to stop once he gets going.

My kid has those exact same problems and her IQ is >115. (high average, I think they called it?)
That's classic ADHD stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting, I had always assumed his behavioral challenges were related to his IQ, but I guess that is not necessarily true. Hi behaviors are dysregulated/sensory seeking/impulsive to the extreme/unable to stop once he gets going.

My kid has those exact same problems and her IQ is >115. (high average, I think they called it?)
That's classic ADHD stuff.

Agree with this. We had the same experience (he is 6, IQ came back at 81 which was much lower than our expectations - not that we had any but we weren't expecting that). When we listened to the psychologist discuss his behaviors during the test I was honestly surprised she made a conclusion at all. She was saying how he started out doing many of the tests properly and stopped and started walking around, doing other things, etc., not because he didn't know but because he just no longer could focus. So we don't really know what he doesn't know. She never really got a good handle on how far he could go since he simply refused (or was not able) to engage. He had a HUGE disparity on the subtest scores, which she said was definitely ADHD related. Not saying he's a genius, but I have no doubt he is higher in the normal range than the test showed.

IQ for kids, especially one that young, is also fluid and can change, sometimes dramatically.

[Anonymous]

Sorry OP. It sounds like a difficult situation.

Just wanted to offer that you might want to start him on a hobby that he can work at over time and master. It might make a world of difference to his self esteem, especially as he gets older, to have something that's a source of pride and accomplishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting, I had always assumed his behavioral challenges were related to his IQ, but I guess that is not necessarily true. Hi behaviors are dysregulated/sensory seeking/impulsive to the extreme/unable to stop once he gets going.

My kid has those exact same problems and her IQ is >115. (high average, I think they called it?)
That's classic ADHD stuff.

Agree with this. We had the same experience (he is 6, IQ came back at 81 which was much lower than our expectations - not that we had any but we weren't expecting that). When we listened to the psychologist discuss his behaviors during the test I was honestly surprised she made a conclusion at all. She was saying how he started out doing many of the tests properly and stopped and started walking around, doing other things, etc., not because he didn't know but because he just no longer could focus. So we don't really know what he doesn't know. She never really got a good handle on how far he could go since he simply refused (or was not able) to engage. He had a HUGE disparity on the subtest scores, which she said was definitely ADHD related. Not saying he's a genius, but I have no doubt he is higher in the normal range than the test showed.

IQ for kids, especially one that young, is also fluid and can change, sometimes dramatically.

So, for this child, are you medicating for the ADHD? Because once he CAN sit and finish the tests, you'll see his "real" IQ. Of course, the trick is to get him regulated on meds, because that's such an art, and not a science. But imagine what he COULD do if you could finish a task, etc?

[Anonymous]

Our Title 1 school has quite a few kids with mild special needs from good middle class families. They feel welcome at the school because their parents are active in the PTA and donate, they don't feel inferior beside there are kids who come from challenging backgrounds and often have special needs on top of it. They don't feel too socially rejected because there is not too much after school socializing going on.
i would look into a title 1, focus school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting, I had always assumed his behavioral challenges were related to his IQ, but I guess that is not necessarily true. Hi behaviors are dysregulated/sensory seeking/impulsive to the extreme/unable to stop once he gets going.

My kid has those exact same problems and her IQ is >115. (high average, I think they called it?)
That's classic ADHD stuff.

Agree with this. We had the same experience (he is 6, IQ came back at 81 which was much lower than our expectations - not that we had any but we weren't expecting that). When we listened to the psychologist discuss his behaviors during the test I was honestly surprised she made a conclusion at all. She was saying how he started out doing many of the tests properly and stopped and started walking around, doing other things, etc., not because he didn't know but because he just no longer could focus. So we don't really know what he doesn't know. She never really got a good handle on how far he could go since he simply refused (or was not able) to engage. He had a HUGE disparity on the subtest scores, which she said was definitely ADHD related. Not saying he's a genius, but I have no doubt he is higher in the normal range than the test showed.

IQ for kids, especially one that young, is also fluid and can change, sometimes dramatically.

So, for this child, are you medicating for the ADHD? Because once he CAN sit and finish the tests, you'll see his "real" IQ. Of course, the trick is to get him regulated on meds, because that's such an art, and not a science. But imagine what he COULD do if you could finish a task, etc?

We are medicating and have seen a difference, although we are still fine tuning. He, so far, is not struggling or behind and is above grade level in certain areas which was another thing the psychologist noted as an indicator that the IQ that came out on the test was likely understated.

[Anonymous]

If you think about it OP, it only makes sense that if your child is having trouble attending to the test, he's going to underperform and you will not get a true read on his abilities. I would consider that number the absolute floor and work on the rest of his issues.

My friend whose child is brilliant but has ADHD has a heck of a time with his behavior. He just acts like a bratty jerk a lot of the time. He can be very sweet other times. Behaviors came hand in hand with ADHD, not "intellectual disabilities" -- which your son's IQ would not qualify for.

[Anonymous]

Please come back OP when you actually know what your diagnosis is.

ID is different than a "low" IQ. It's insulting to parents that actually deal with this, so ask questions of the person doing the assessment and actually get a grip on with what you're facing b/f you post.