Junior in HS with low IQ - what happens after HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the score is accurate? What are his strengths? Have you gotten involved with vocational rehabilitation-they also help with schooling.
I ask bc my daughter scored an 81 in 5th grade but I’m not sure how accurate it is. I think it’s probably closer to 90. She’s a talented piano player and swimmer, and she’s scores about grade level on all of her benchmarks. Headed to 7th now. She absolutely has adhd and some language deficits.

I see her starting at our local community college but I think that she could finish a 4 yr degree at a slower pace and with some help. She (and your kiddo) needs to look at jobs that play to their strengths-for her that is quick calculations, strong long term memory, and being resourceful. She has an interest in ASL and animals, so possibly interpreter or vet tech.

Pp, not to get us off topic, but I don’t think that 81 sounds right. My DD who is the same age scored an 88 and also has LD and ADHD and she is hitting benchmarks for everything except math where she is a year behind (with LOTS of tutoring). Sounds like your DD is well beyond her.

I'm about to get off topic and then get back on, if that is ok.

oh, we also do tutoring. idk where we would be without it. Don't get me wrong, she needs support but I've seen some scores that have me scratching my head (I'm an EC teacher in a southern state). For example, I had a student with an IQ of 75 that could not complete any assignments independently in my Occupational Course of Study classes and needed reminders to wipe his face when he had snot on it. I'm like, how is my child 6 points from this? Or a girl making honor roll in Gen Ed classes being served as IDMild on her IEP-she needed no support from me as her inclusion Algebra 1 teacher.

I'm not super concerned about the score, but I do think that I need to work with her on higher level adaptive behavior skills and thinking through things before making quick decisions. I wish there was a program/camp/class that could address that.

To the OP: Has your son done any career interest inventories that identify what career clusters he'd be interested in? As he gets close to graduating, it is super important to get him involved with Voc Rehab. They usually do their own IQ and educational testing to best match them up with services.

Schedule a meeting with someone from disability services at your local community college. They see students with all sorts of profiles and can guide you.

Has he taken the ASVAB or career and college readiness assessments? The ASVAB is not just for the Armed Forces: https://www.officialasvab.com/counselors-educators/asvab-career-exploration-program/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the score is accurate? What are his strengths? Have you gotten involved with vocational rehabilitation-they also help with schooling.
I ask bc my daughter scored an 81 in 5th grade but I’m not sure how accurate it is. I think it’s probably closer to 90. She’s a talented piano player and swimmer, and she’s scores about grade level on all of her benchmarks. Headed to 7th now. She absolutely has adhd and some language deficits.

I see her starting at our local community college but I think that she could finish a 4 yr degree at a slower pace and with some help. She (and your kiddo) needs to look at jobs that play to their strengths-for her that is quick calculations, strong long term memory, and being resourceful. She has an interest in ASL and animals, so possibly interpreter or vet tech.

.

Op here. This is a very valid question. The admissions director at his school did not think that his score was accurate based on his admission interview. She said to have him retested. I will say though he did the IQ test three years prior and also had a score below 80 so there has been consistency with his IQ score. I was in shock after receiving this news and actually posted on this site to find help and resources.

I am also thinking of going the community college road but to be honest I think he will struggle with that. I hate to set him up for failure but I feel he’s too young to have no pathway in life.

He does not have an IEP as he goes to a special needs private school so they are not required. However, I do think going forward he needs a neuropath report to see what resources he could receive. Am I correct in saying that’s the report he needs?

To all the posters, thank you so much. I am grateful for this special forum. I often feel so alone as my friends cannot relate.

I am not on the DMV area. I live out west. I grew up in the DMV area, my family still lives there. Thanks again.

Does the admissions director think his score should be higher or lower?
Community Colleges offer more than just 2 year degrees. They have continuing ed programs for students with disabilities that give them employment skills, certificate programs, diploma programs, as well as Associates.

You need at minimum a psychoeducational evaluation. Your local school system can do them, you need to make a request in writing to have a private school student tested for special education services. I suggest getting familiar with Wrightslaw.

[Anonymous]

He might hate academics after all the work he just put in and wants no part of it. I have a family member with similar score and couldn’t graduate high school without help.

This kid’s grandparents set aside quite a bit of money for him. He got married and lives a normal life except he wasn’t able to learn a trade it was too much. He takes jobs that are basic and changes them every once in awhile out of boredom. Hopefully he’ll find something he likes. With your son the best bet is to keep expectations reasonable. Everyone will be happier.

[Anonymous]

You might try your local affiliate with the Arc. They have a lot of employment and training programs and most likely know of more if your kid doesn’t qualify.

https://thearc.org/

[Anonymous]

My cousin sounds similar. After high school he got a job with a private security company for a few years. It was pretty low stress, like the companies that they contract out to for some stores or places that don’t have a lot of crime. Later he went back to school and took several years to get an associates degree from the local community college. He got a lot of support there. He ended up getting trained in a specific tech program and has been working in that since.

[Anonymous]

People, 85 is an average iq. The doom and gloom posts are pretty off base. I have no doubt that kids with 88 iq are doing great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the score is accurate? What are his strengths? Have you gotten involved with vocational rehabilitation-they also help with schooling.
I ask bc my daughter scored an 81 in 5th grade but I’m not sure how accurate it is. I think it’s probably closer to 90. She’s a talented piano player and swimmer, and she’s scores about grade level on all of her benchmarks. Headed to 7th now. She absolutely has adhd and some language deficits.

I see her starting at our local community college but I think that she could finish a 4 yr degree at a slower pace and with some help. She (and your kiddo) needs to look at jobs that play to their strengths-for her that is quick calculations, strong long term memory, and being resourceful. She has an interest in ASL and animals, so possibly interpreter or vet tech.

.

Op here. This is a very valid question. The admissions director at his school did not think that his score was accurate based on his admission interview. She said to have him retested. I will say though he did the IQ test three years prior and also had a score below 80 so there has been consistency with his IQ score. I was in shock after receiving this news and actually posted on this site to find help and resources.

I am also thinking of going the community college road but to be honest I think he will struggle with that. I hate to set him up for failure but I feel he’s too young to have no pathway in life.

He does not have an IEP as he goes to a special needs private school so they are not required. However, I do think going forward he needs a neuropath report to see what resources he could receive. Am I correct in saying that’s the report he needs?

To all the posters, thank you so much. I am grateful for this special forum. I often feel so alone as my friends cannot relate.

I am not on the DMV area. I live out west. I grew up in the DMV area, my family still lives there. Thanks again.

Does the admissions director think his score should be higher or lower?
Community Colleges offer more than just 2 year degrees. They have continuing ed programs for students with disabilities that give them employment skills, certificate programs, diploma programs, as well as Associates.

You need at minimum a psychoeducational evaluation. Your local school system can do them, you need to make a request in writing to have a private school student tested for special education services. I suggest getting familiar with Wrightslaw.

Thanks. Will look into your recommendations. The admission director thiught his iq score was higher than showed on his report, however I’m not so sure as he’s had three iq tests during his schooling and they’ve been consistent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the score is accurate? What are his strengths? Have you gotten involved with vocational rehabilitation-they also help with schooling.
I ask bc my daughter scored an 81 in 5th grade but I’m not sure how accurate it is. I think it’s probably closer to 90. She’s a talented piano player and swimmer, and she’s scores about grade level on all of her benchmarks. Headed to 7th now. She absolutely has adhd and some language deficits.

I see her starting at our local community college but I think that she could finish a 4 yr degree at a slower pace and with some help. She (and your kiddo) needs to look at jobs that play to their strengths-for her that is quick calculations, strong long term memory, and being resourceful. She has an interest in ASL and animals, so possibly interpreter or vet tech.

Pp, not to get us off topic, but I don’t think that 81 sounds right. My DD who is the same age scored an 88 and also has LD and ADHD and she is hitting benchmarks for everything except math where she is a year behind (with LOTS of tutoring). Sounds like your DD is well beyond her.

I'm about to get off topic and then get back on, if that is ok.

oh, we also do tutoring. idk where we would be without it. Don't get me wrong, she needs support but I've seen some scores that have me scratching my head (I'm an EC teacher in a southern state). For example, I had a student with an IQ of 75 that could not complete any assignments independently in my Occupational Course of Study classes and needed reminders to wipe his face when he had snot on it. I'm like, how is my child 6 points from this? Or a girl making honor roll in Gen Ed classes being served as IDMild on her IEP-she needed no support from me as her inclusion Algebra 1 teacher.

I'm not super concerned about the score, but I do think that I need to work with her on higher level adaptive behavior skills and thinking through things before making quick decisions. I wish there was a program/camp/class that could address that.

To the OP: Has your son done any career interest inventories that identify what career clusters he'd be interested in? As he gets close to graduating, it is super important to get him involved with Voc Rehab. They usually do their own IQ and educational testing to best match them up with services.

Schedule a meeting with someone from disability services at your local community college. They see students with all sorts of profiles and can guide you.

Has he taken the ASVAB or career and college readiness assessments? The ASVAB is not just for the Armed Forces: https://www.officialasvab.com/counselors-educators/asvab-career-exploration-program/

Wow, the kids you’re discussing here are other peoples’ children. You sound awful. I hope you don’t express your disdain for these kids whose iq scores you question in real life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Have you looked into vocational rehabilitation services? They should be able to help with this.

Reach out to your school special Ed specialist or your child’s case manager. They offer such resources for high schoolers in MCPS anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the score is accurate? What are his strengths? Have you gotten involved with vocational rehabilitation-they also help with schooling.
I ask bc my daughter scored an 81 in 5th grade but I’m not sure how accurate it is. I think it’s probably closer to 90. She’s a talented piano player and swimmer, and she’s scores about grade level on all of her benchmarks. Headed to 7th now. She absolutely has adhd and some language deficits.

I see her starting at our local community college but I think that she could finish a 4 yr degree at a slower pace and with some help. She (and your kiddo) needs to look at jobs that play to their strengths-for her that is quick calculations, strong long term memory, and being resourceful. She has an interest in ASL and animals, so possibly interpreter or vet tech.

.

Op here. This is a very valid question. The admissions director at his school did not think that his score was accurate based on his admission interview. She said to have him retested. I will say though he did the IQ test three years prior and also had a score below 80 so there has been consistency with his IQ score. I was in shock after receiving this news and actually posted on this site to find help and resources.

I am also thinking of going the community college road but to be honest I think he will struggle with that. I hate to set him up for failure but I feel he’s too young to have no pathway in life.

He does not have an IEP as he goes to a special needs private school so they are not required. However, I do think going forward he needs a neuropath report to see what resources he could receive. Am I correct in saying that’s the report he needs?

To all the posters, thank you so much. I am grateful for this special forum. I often feel so alone as my friends cannot relate.

I am not on the DMV area. I live out west. I grew up in the DMV area, my family still lives there. Thanks again.

Does the admissions director think his score should be higher or lower?
Community Colleges offer more than just 2 year degrees. They have continuing ed programs for students with disabilities that give them employment skills, certificate programs, diploma programs, as well as Associates.

You need at minimum a psychoeducational evaluation. Your local school system can do them, you need to make a request in writing to have a private school student tested for special education services. I suggest getting familiar with Wrightslaw.

Thanks. Will look into your recommendations. The admission director thiught his iq score was higher than showed on his report, however I’m not so sure as he’s had three iq tests during his schooling and they’ve been consistent.

If your teen has an IEP you can get them tested via MCPS also.

[Anonymous]

At the end of the day, the testing doesn't matter if you don't think they can succeed in a college setting. I would talk to the IEP people and teachers as well as your child and get a sense of what they are interested in pursuing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People, 85 is an average iq. The doom and gloom posts are pretty off base. I have no doubt that kids with 88 iq are doing great.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on his neuropsych and medical profile, OP. What does his neuropsych report detail, and what are the suggestions of his psychologist?

My son, who will attend college next month, cannot have an accurate full-scale IQ score calculated, because parts of his profile are extremely low, and other parts are extremely high, so the ensuing low-average score is meaningless. He has LDs, very low processing speed, but thanks to high verbal abilities, a ton of tutoring and school services and accommodations, he was able to do hoist himself to a high GPA and be admitted to university. An academic, highly structured, analytical sort of desk job is what he'd be good at - his motor and spatial issues preclude any type of manual job. He can't drive safely, for example, and he can barely follow Ikea instructions to put together simple furniture.

So what is your child good at? You need to explore his strengths, get him evaluated by experts, and find a trade school or (community) college that fits whatever it is. The goal for all our kids is financial independence. I'm not daring to hope for a social life or wife and kids. I just want my son to be functional enough to be independent when I'm gone.

In all fairness to your son, I'm a mechanical and electrical engineer--I can't follow half of their instructions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the score is accurate? What are his strengths? Have you gotten involved with vocational rehabilitation-they also help with schooling.
I ask bc my daughter scored an 81 in 5th grade but I’m not sure how accurate it is. I think it’s probably closer to 90. She’s a talented piano player and swimmer, and she’s scores about grade level on all of her benchmarks. Headed to 7th now. She absolutely has adhd and some language deficits.

I see her starting at our local community college but I think that she could finish a 4 yr degree at a slower pace and with some help. She (and your kiddo) needs to look at jobs that play to their strengths-for her that is quick calculations, strong long term memory, and being resourceful. She has an interest in ASL and animals, so possibly interpreter or vet tech.

Pp, not to get us off topic, but I don’t think that 81 sounds right. My DD who is the same age scored an 88 and also has LD and ADHD and she is hitting benchmarks for everything except math where she is a year behind (with LOTS of tutoring). Sounds like your DD is well beyond her.

I'm about to get off topic and then get back on, if that is ok.

oh, we also do tutoring. idk where we would be without it. Don't get me wrong, she needs support but I've seen some scores that have me scratching my head (I'm an EC teacher in a southern state). For example, I had a student with an IQ of 75 that could not complete any assignments independently in my Occupational Course of Study classes and needed reminders to wipe his face when he had snot on it. I'm like, how is my child 6 points from this? Or a girl making honor roll in Gen Ed classes being served as IDMild on her IEP-she needed no support from me as her inclusion Algebra 1 teacher.

I'm not super concerned about the score, but I do think that I need to work with her on higher level adaptive behavior skills and thinking through things before making quick decisions. I wish there was a program/camp/class that could address that.

To the OP: Has your son done any career interest inventories that identify what career clusters he'd be interested in? As he gets close to graduating, it is super important to get him involved with Voc Rehab. They usually do their own IQ and educational testing to best match them up with services.

Schedule a meeting with someone from disability services at your local community college. They see students with all sorts of profiles and can guide you.

Has he taken the ASVAB or career and college readiness assessments? The ASVAB is not just for the Armed Forces: https://www.officialasvab.com/counselors-educators/asvab-career-exploration-program/

Wow, the kids you’re discussing here are other peoples’ children. You sound awful. I hope you don’t express your disdain for these kids whose iq scores you question in real life.

I don't have any disdain for him, I'm just being matter of fact. We all liked him a lot-made him a visual to help with self care/manners and showed his parents how to use it at home so that he could generalize the skills. It's true, he couldn't complete any assignments independently-we modified the already modified curriculum for him. He needed reminders to wipe snot and crumbs off his face. He would also pass gas loudly in class and cough/sneeze without covering. We (asst and I) worked really hard to help him have some age appropriate self help skills. He needed help in all areas of adaptive behavior-his IQ score wasn't commensurate with his academic or adaptive behavior that would be expected of someone with a score of 75. With TONS of help he made it through the OCS program but he was likely inappropriately placed bc his IQ score was too high for the more specialized program. The other students I had with IQ scores in the 70's could do the modified curriculum with basic teacher support and didn't have any adaptive behavior deficits for self care.

Likewise the other student I had in my gen ed math classes qualified for services as ID-Mild but she didn't need any support academically other than extended time and testing in a separate room. How could these two kids possibly both have intellectual disabilities? My point being that IDK if it is evaluator bias, crappy tests, or some other factor but often the scores don't seem to reflect a child's true capability.

[Anonymous]

My boyfriend's son is doing well as a furniture delivery man. He gets great tips. Sometimes he is tipped $100 per delivery.

The owners of the furniture store really like his performance.

He wanted to be a tow truck driver but had problems breaking into that field.