Forum Index
»
Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities
High IQ, average processing speed
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
PP--we have a similar situation. Did you go through a psychiatrist or your pediatrician for the meds? Did you start with Adderall or did you try other meds? Thanks |
Anonymous
| Can I piggyback a question? What would it look like if you were average IQ but high processing speed? I feel this describes me. I know I am not a brilliant person; my IQ is above average at best. But I process really quickly - which means I do well on tests and can get bored easily if information is being relayed slowly. I have always felt like I was sort of cheating at school because I could get As just by being faster, not smarter. |
Anonymous
We definitely use a child psychiatrist. The meds are high powered, and I want someone prescribing them who really understands them, and whose primary job isn't diagnosing rashes and doing well child checks. Also, ADHD is very often co-morbid with other mental health issues, many of which don't become apparent until late teens or 20s. If, God forbid, something more serious pops up later, I want him to already have a relationship with a good provider who we trust. As for the Adderall, please don't flame, but sadly enough, they started there because of genetics-- it took 3 tries, but it's the med. that works well to control my ADHD. But there is also a genetic test at HarmonyRx that will tell you which class of drugs will work best. Also, interesting story on NPR tonight about ADHD-- they finally id'd the brain structure abnormalities that cause ADHD (which my FIL insists can be beaten out of DS): http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/11/23/457139705/a-peek-at-brain-connections-may-reveal-attention-deficits |
Anonymous
|
regarding kid with high IQ but average processing speed
have you explored auditory processing disorder. this may explain a number of problems that hae been misidentified it is a donative hearing disorder nothing to do with actually hearing though. It takes time to process what one hears and nothing to do with IQ ( book when the brin can't hear by terri bellis |
Anonymous
This describes my 10-year-old. Actually, working memory is average and processing speed is low. Very intellectual and curious outside of school, loves to read, but highly anxious (generalized anxiety) and unhappy in school. Eventually diagnosed with adhd as well as the anxiety and, after that, dysgraphia. All diagnoses are described as "severe." We were in an excellent, very supportive public school, accepted into gifted program with lots of support, but he was still genuinely miserable and incredibly frustrated. I looked at all the privates mentioned above as well as some non-special needs privates and some for gifted students. Besides cost, distance, none seemed ideal... I don't know that anything is, to be honest. Right now we are homeschooling and my child is very, very happy and back to his old self. Learning to type has been extremely important for him. |
Anonymous
Thanks! |
Anonymous
You do well until you have to deal with truly complex material. "Wrestling the bear" -- really thinking through complex concepts and applying them -- may be difficult for you. You shine at things like flash cards and memorization. Less so at seeing a concept develop over time. |
Anonymous
That sounds about right. I can handle reasonably complex concepts, but nothing compared to my truly brilliant friends. |
Anonymous
This is my daughter too. Ultimately we decided to homeschool because the anxiety was terrible and she was miserable. Much happier and learning at or above where her cohorts are. Writing is the hardest component for her. |
Anonymous
That's very interesting. I would urge caution about drawing conclusions if you haven't actually had your "processing speed" tested. Every psychologist I have talked to has said that that label is a poor misnomer for what is actually being tested, which is not quickness of thought, exactly. But with that said, I'm the PP with the kid with the 99th percentile verbal reasoning and 1st percentile "processing speed." I make my living as an appellate lawyer, so I have to think on my feet and do so reasonably well. But still, I have colleagues who amaze me with how quick they are with maybe 80% of the best answer. Like, instantaneous. I can't do that. On the other hand, I can get to 95% of the best answer faster than they can. And the very best among my colleagues is the one who gets to seriously 110% of the best answer, far slower than any of us. I've done Ok in life because very interesting insights bubble up to me from my subconscious, often on a slower schedule than others around me. But the only conclusion I can really draw is that two minds (or three, or four) are always better than one. Human brains are very different and can be extraordinarily powerful in very different ways. Every problem benefits from that. And that reality is inconsistent with the whole idea of "general" intelligence. |
Anonymous
Wrong. These can be "2e" "twice exceptional" children who can be struggling in the conventional classroom because they have a very high i.Q. but processing speeds two standard deviations below, which creates issues for both the teacher and the student. These kids can exhibit a lot of anxiety. Even public schools will give (yeah, you have to fight) IEPs and 504s for extraordinarily gifted kids who have other LDs that make it difficult for them to learn in the conventional classroom. |
Anonymous
|
This is a really helpful post. gives us lots of ideas on supports we can begin cobbling together over time. Thanks for sharing.
For your high IQ, low/mid processing speed child with either a diagnosis, or suspicion, of one of the "dys" - dysgraphia, dyslexia, or dyscalculia - were you able to get an IEP? DC is reading above grade level so PS is confused regarding our concern. To get the decoding help dc needs, believe we need an iep and not just a 504. we are doing what seems appropriate (advocate, did testing and got a report), but from anecdotal conversations I have had with other parents, the only kids who get IEPs with dyslexia at our PS have to be reading below grade level. Would be interested in the what fact pattern gets high IQ kids who read above grade level with a "dys" diagnosis an IEP instead of a 504. |
Anonymous
New to this board and conversation. Would you mind sharing which private? Starting to consider what options exist for similar 11-yr-old. |
Anonymous
They can be struggling, and it can be the sort of situation in which a child has a genuine learning disability. I am sympathetic to that sort of situation, of course. But I have to say, from the viewpoint of a Special Needs mom -- an average SN Mom -- this thread comes off as very elitist. How can I get testing accommodations for my very bright child who just doesn't test as absolutely perfectly as he/she should? And really, that's not a Special Need. That's your need. |
Anonymous
Sorry you're offended by special needs that differ from the one you're dealing with. But rest assures it comes with real struggles and comorbidities that are very serious (anxiety, depression, the s-word I won't even say because the thought of it in the context of my child freaks me out). |