Digest Number 693 Kathy diagnosis for son ...t Message: 22

July 30, 2005

Message: 22

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2005 21:16:49 -0700

From: " Kathy " <rrabbits@...>

Kathy wrote: Finally finished with official diagnosis for my youngest

All the specialists raved over his IQ and how smart he is and stressed how

very important it is that the school get their act together and get the

accommodations appropriately in place for him since he has so much

potential.

Kathy J.

Rory wrote:

Just a note Kathy - maybe irrelevant and off the point. High IQ can disguise

many underlying problems and a child with a high IQ can be very good at

pretending to be normal. One really needs to be very careful not to let the

disguising of stuff (problems) overlay what is really happening

underneath - as has happened to me throughout my life.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen made the point very clearly when he said that a

PhD student with Asperger's can be as severely affected as any autistic and

just as much in need of help, even though the particular kind of help may be

different. I think that probably the higher the IQ the more the problem.

Also, I think that probably the focus with someone with a high IQ might well

be on intellectual/creative stimulus etc., where in fact other kinds of help

are needed. So it seems to me that one has to be very aware of just what is

happening.

Educationists etc. focus on achievement, potential etc., and not on factors

like adjustment, personal happiness and so on. Nobody can really understand

when I say that I should have just been a zookeeper as everybody is always

concerned with achievement and realising potential, etc. When I was young I

used to sleep with my rabbits (in their hutch) and maybe that was the best

place for me. : - )

I had a giant white angora rabbit who used to bounce up an down when he got

angry and he used to chase the Alsatian dog who lived next door if he came

onto the property. Very funny as the Alsatian was also white. To see this

furious bit of white fluff bouncing up and down was hilarious. The dog was

totally nonplussed and used to dash off with his tail between his legs.

Rory

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