Coming to terms with an intellectual disability

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Oh come on. This is a board for people to ask questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Not OP, but this tone is not necessary. Many parents get upset when their kids' test results aren't what was expected and/or are new to the whole ADHD thing and trying to figure it all out. I get that it's not an intellectual disability, but a low IQ, as previous posters have attested to, can come with challenges that parents need to be aware of and ready to help with. Your post is not kind or helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Not OP, but this tone is not necessary. Many parents get upset when their kids' test results aren't what was expected and/or are new to the whole ADHD thing and trying to figure it all out. I get that it's not an intellectual disability, but a low IQ, as previous posters have attested to, can come with challenges that parents need to be aware of and ready to help with. Your post is not kind or helpful.

I was one of the first to respond and 78 is not actually a low IQ. I get that it's low for the DC area, but it's not a low IQ. And OP has been kind of squirrelly about the nature of the testing done, the age of the child, and the fallibility of the results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Not OP, but this tone is not necessary. Many parents get upset when their kids' test results aren't what was expected and/or are new to the whole ADHD thing and trying to figure it all out. I get that it's not an intellectual disability, but a low IQ, as previous posters have attested to, can come with challenges that parents need to be aware of and ready to help with. Your post is not kind or helpful.

I was one of the first to respond and 78 is not actually a low IQ. I get that it's low for the DC area, but it's not a low IQ. And OP has been kind of squirrelly about the nature of the testing done, the age of the child, and the fallibility of the results.

A 78 IQ is greater than one standard deviation below the average. Generally, an IQ test score of around 70 indicates a limitation in intellectual functioning and a mild intellectual disability is generally between 50 and 70. Given that IQ can be within a range and OP's kid is not far outside of this range, I'd say OP is right to be concerned and aware.

In the DC area and elsewhere, an IQ of 78 is, actually, a low normal IQ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Not OP, but this tone is not necessary. Many parents get upset when their kids' test results aren't what was expected and/or are new to the whole ADHD thing and trying to figure it all out. I get that it's not an intellectual disability, but a low IQ, as previous posters have attested to, can come with challenges that parents need to be aware of and ready to help with. Your post is not kind or helpful.

I was one of the first to respond and 78 is not actually a low IQ. I get that it's low for the DC area, but it's not a low IQ. And OP has been kind of squirrelly about the nature of the testing done, the age of the child, and the fallibility of the results.

A 78 IQ is greater than one standard deviation below the average. Generally, an IQ test score of around 70 indicates a limitation in intellectual functioning and a mild intellectual disability is generally between 50 and 70. Given that IQ can be within a range and OP's kid is not far outside of this range, I'd say OP is right to be concerned and aware.

In the DC area and elsewhere, an IQ of 78 is, actually, a low normal IQ.

As I and others have expressed, this is not a reliable result for a very young child with ADHD being tested by inexperienced clinicians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - The previous poster is right on in the extra support you will most likely need to provide DS, but they are reaping the rewards of a young adult with a hs diploma and skills to have a job beyond minimum wage. I will say that your attitude and outlook will impact DS whether you are aware or not so do get some counseling to help you work through the sense if loss, fear of the future etc.

Since you mention behaviors, I would ask if itbis due to lower expectations on behavior. The best thing you can do is to have thesame expectations on behavior, manners , home tasks etc. for all your children. Why -- because DS will have to make his way I the same world as his siblings.

Since we have three young adult daughters with a wide span of IQ and the youngest has a solid 55 IQ, I speak from experience. We always had the same behavior and social skills expectations for all three. While she was never on the diploma track, we found out her academic strengths and chose the program best suited to developing reading skills.

Today, she has held a part-time job for 12 years earning now $11.66/hr. three days a week during the college year. She has also learned volunteer skills in three different settings and volunteers weekly at the senior center one day. She takes piano lessons as a continuing "intellectual pursuit" as well as personal interest. She reads for pleasure on grade level 3/4, but she could also skim this post and understand it skipping some words.


Hsving said that I can also say there are daily living tasks she needs to master as I let them slide. There are also many skills beyond her cognitive range so she will always need some sort of direct support in her life. Hearing test results the first time is upsetting and can lead to low expectations, but find a way to move beyond. Enjoy DS dor who he is. Also encourage activities outside of school to build confidence and a peer group such as through scouting, a sport - but not necessarily super competitive, skills as through programs rather than "therapies" if not needed.

Yeah for your daughter. Those are some pretty great accomplishments!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Not OP, but this tone is not necessary. Many parents get upset when their kids' test results aren't what was expected and/or are new to the whole ADHD thing and trying to figure it all out. I get that it's not an intellectual disability, but a low IQ, as previous posters have attested to, can come with challenges that parents need to be aware of and ready to help with. Your post is not kind or helpful.

I was one of the first to respond and 78 is not actually a low IQ. I get that it's low for the DC area, but it's not a low IQ. And OP has been kind of squirrelly about the nature of the testing done, the age of the child, and the fallibility of the results.

A 78 IQ is greater than one standard deviation below the average. Generally, an IQ test score of around 70 indicates a limitation in intellectual functioning and a mild intellectual disability is generally between 50 and 70. Given that IQ can be within a range and OP's kid is not far outside of this range, I'd say OP is right to be concerned and aware.

In the DC area and elsewhere, an IQ of 78 is, actually, a low normal IQ.

As I and others have expressed, this is not a reliable result for a very young child with ADHD being tested by inexperienced clinicians.

Right, I got that. You said 78 is normal and not low. But it is low normal and could potentially be an indicator of potential issues down the road. It could not be, as you said and I never said it was something set in stone. Given your statement about the 78 IQ, it seemed like you needed some perspective, which I provided. You are also making assumptions about the quality of report/testing/diagnostics, etc. that you probably should not be.