Re: Asperger's and IQ tests

[Guest guest]

Subject: ( ) Asperger's and IQ tests

I'm new to the group. My son, who is 8 years old, has just been

diagnosed with asperger's. He had an IQ evaluation and scored a 76 with

his true average possibly being an 85. On communication and memory, he

scored 115, which is above average. He has never taken such a test. The

administrator does not know about aperger's, so she consulted with a

doctor who does. I will take his deficits, which lie in math,

handwriting, and timed tasks, and work with him on improving them. I

homeschool and have taken a " better late than early " approach. When I

asked if his average could improve, I was told it possibly could go as

high as an 85 but not higher than that. IQ's don't change. When dealing

with children with asperger's, can this be true? I was also told that

college would be a challenge for him. I was about ready to cry at that

point. My husband refuses to believe that his IQ is that low. What do

the rest of you think. Are we in denial or is it possible an error has

been made? I'm not doubting his weaknessess. I just think my laid back

approach to his schooling might have skewed his results, since his

deficits were in areas we haven't worked on too much. These areas

brought his average down.

It depends if you believe this IQ is accurate - then he probably won't

change his score by much here to there. However, it could be that this is

not an accurate score if he has never been introduced to concepts presented

that most kids have.

I also must say that our kids can tend to have problems with testing in that

their deficits are so up and down. Uneven development is something that

they all usually deal with. And anytime you factor that in, you have to

wonder how accurate the testing is. a child can score very high in one area

but extremely low in another - then taking an average score of that doesn't

really tell us an accurate description of the child's intelligence. Schools

sometimes do not discuss these details at all. But if his sub test scores

are all over the place - high and low - then it is probably not such an

accurate number. You would have to find someone privately to go over the

testing if the school person was not very helpful.

Schools generally test every three years unless they need to do so more

often for a specific reason. You can always wait and see how the next round

of testing goes. On one of my ds's, he has had a lot of testing through the

years and sometimes he shows up very high and others, not. Same kid. I

tend to not give these tests that much credit because I've seen it happen

and it defies common sense at times. <g>

If you think you're too laid back with his schooling, then perhaps you can

find your state's education website and get the standards for the grade he

is in and follow those more closely. Then you could assure he is getting

the information his peers are getting.

As for college, how in the world can she make such a statement! Ugh! There

is a lot of learning going to happen between now and college. So do not

think this at all. You will find out as he grows and develops whether

college will be something for him or whether it will be hard or not. It's

silly to predict that now. Just know that there are challenges and always

will be to some degree. Then focus on what you can do now to help him

improve his skills.

Roxanna

[Guest guest]

,

I don't believe that IQs don't change. My own IQ jumped 25 points from

when I was tested when I was in third grade to when I was tested after

college. The tester after college thought it had something to do with

the stress in the family when I was little.

Liz

On Apr 20, 2006, at 6:21 PM, classicbooksmom wrote:

> I'm new to the group. My son, who is 8 years old, has just been

> diagnosed with asperger's. He had an IQ evaluation and scored a 76 with

> his true average possibly being an 85. On communication and memory, he

> scored 115, which is above average. He has never taken such a test. The

> administrator does not know about aperger's, so she consulted with a

> doctor who does. I will take his deficits, which lie in math,

> handwriting, and timed tasks, and work with him on improving them. I

> homeschool and have taken a " better late than early " approach. When I

> asked if his average could improve, I was told it possibly could go as

> high as an 85 but not higher than that. IQ's don't change. When dealing

> with children with asperger's, can this be true? I was also told that

> college would be a challenge for him. I was about ready to cry at that

> point. My husband refuses to believe that his IQ is that low. What do

> the rest of you think. Are we in denial or is it possible an error has

> been made? I'm not doubting his weaknessess. I just think my laid back

> approach to his schooling might have skewed his results, since his

> deficits were in areas we haven't worked on too much. These areas

> brought his average down.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

my son was just tested a month ago. his intelligence is very scattered (he

scored between 77 and 125). the diagnostician said that scattered

intelligence is completely normal for autism spectrum disorder and she

anticipates that andrew will top out closer to the 125, when all is said and

done. we have an excellent autism team for our isd and, as i said, they

claim that his score will improve. they are also very aware and know a lot

about aspergers and other asd's. i wouldn't spend much time worrying about

your son if i were you. i think he'll be fine and i'm sure his i.q. will

climb some if not a lot.

bernadette

On 4/20/06, classicbooksmom <jabmilehk@...> wrote:

>

> I'm new to the group. My son, who is 8 years old, has just been

> diagnosed with asperger's. He had an IQ evaluation and scored a 76 with

> his true average possibly being an 85. On communication and memory, he

> scored 115, which is above average. He has never taken such a test. The

> administrator does not know about aperger's, so she consulted with a

> doctor who does. I will take his deficits, which lie in math,

> handwriting, and timed tasks, and work with him on improving them. I

> homeschool and have taken a " better late than early " approach. When I

> asked if his average could improve, I was told it possibly could go as

> high as an 85 but not higher than that. IQ's don't change. When dealing

> with children with asperger's, can this be true? I was also told that

> college would be a challenge for him. I was about ready to cry at that

> point. My husband refuses to believe that his IQ is that low. What do

> the rest of you think. Are we in denial or is it possible an error has

> been made? I'm not doubting his weaknessess. I just think my laid back

> approach to his schooling might have skewed his results, since his

> deficits were in areas we haven't worked on too much. These areas

> brought his average down.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/21/2006 9:01:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

aspie_pride@... writes:

His pediatrician won't refer us for further testing, because " there's

nothing wrong with a 115 IQ " Except for the fact that on the one test that I

got to

see sub scores for, he had 2/12 test score a 1-Mentally Deficient and

everything else was " above average " - " superior " range.

When there is subtest scatter like that, clearly that would warrant further

evaluation.

From a slaw article:

Subtest Scatter

When subtest scores vary a great deal, this is called subtest scatter. If

significant scatter exists, this suggests that the child has areas of strength

and weakness that need to be explored.

How can you determine if significant subtest scatter is present? Most

subtests have a mean score of 10. Most children will score + or - 3 points away

from the mean of 10, i.e. most children will score between 7 and 13.

If the mean on a subtest is 10 (and most children score between 7 and 13),

then scores between 9 and 11 will represent minimal subtest scatter. Lets

assume that Child A is given a test that is composed of 10 subtests. The

child's

scores on the 10 subtests are as follows: on 4 subtests, the child scores 10,

on 3 subtests, the child scores 9, and on 3 subtests, the child scores 11.

In this case, the overall composite score is 10 and the scatter is very

minimal. This child scored in the average range in all 10 subtests.

In our next example, we will assume that Child B earns 4 subtest scores of

10, 3 scores of 4, and 3 scores of 16. The child did extremely well on 3

tests, very poorly on 3 tests, and average on 4 subtests. Again, the child's

composite score would be 10. Subtest scatter is the difference between the

highest

and lowest scores. In this case, subtest scatter would be 12 (16-4 = 12) Is

this an " average " child? Because the child's scores demonstrate very

significant subtest scatter, we need to know more about these weak and strong

areas.

In educational situations, it is essential that parents understand the

nature of the weak areas, what skills need to be learned to strengthen those

areas, and how the strong areas can be used to help remediate the child's weak

areas. The spread or variability between the subtest scores is called subtest

scatter.

How do these concepts (composite scores and subtest scatter) relate to the

information contained in your child's evaluations?

The results of educational tests given to children are often provided in

composite scores. On the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third

Edition

(WISC-III), three scores are usually provided --- a Verbal IQ (VIQ), a

Performance IQ (PIQ), and a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ). Each of these IQs are

composite

scores. Both the Verbal and Performance IQ scores are composites of five

different subtests, each of which measures a different area of ability. The

Full

Scale IQ is a composite of the Verbal and Performance scores --- which makes

it a composite of ten different subtests. IQs between 90 and 110 are

considered within the " average range. "

If we rely on composite IQ scores, we may easily be misled -- with serious

consequences. is the 14 year old youngster whose situation was outlined

earlier in this article. On the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III,

achieved a Full Scale IQ of 101. If the only number you had was her

Full Scale IQ score, you would probably assume that her IQ of 101 placed her

squarely in the " average range " of intellectual functioning. Is an

" average " child?

Remember: The Full Scale IQ score is actually a " composite " of the Verbal IQ

and Performance IQ scores. Checking further, you learn that 's Verbal

IQ is 114 and her Performance IQ is 86. IQ scores between 110 and 90 are

considered " average. " You see that there is a 28 point difference between

's

Verbal and Performance IQ scores. If you did not have these additional two IQ

scores, you might view as an " average " child but you would be

mistaken.

's Verbal IQ of 114 translates into a percentile rank of 82 (PR=82).

Her Performance IQ of 86 converts to a percentile rank of 18 (PR = 18). We see

that has a percentile rank fluctuation of 64 points (82-18=64) between

her verbal and performance abilities. We will look at more of 's test

scores shortly.

One of the commonly administered individual educational achievement tests is

the Woodcock- Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-R). The

Woodcock- consists of a number of mandatory and optional subtests. The

results obtained by the child on these different subtests are combined into

composite or cluster scores. If we rely on composite or cluster scores, without

examining the child's scores on the individual subtests, we can easily overlook

obvious deficiencies and significant strengths. Relying on composite or

'cluster' scores can lead to faulty educational decision-making, having tragic

consequences for children. To advocate effectively, parents must obtain all of

the subtest scores on the tests that have been administered on their child.

[Guest guest]

My HFA son's IQ is somewhere below 120 and above 110. My second

son's IQ is 136. My HFA son has the ability to 'get' deeper

concepts than my younger son. My younger son can memorize a lot -

has the times table in his head at age 5 - but can't really 'figure'

things out like my older son who asks questions over and over and

over. My older son also had simple computer games down pat at age 2

and reading at age 6. It was exactly the opposite for my younger

one - he was reading and writing small words at age 2 and was

content to just watch his brother on the computer until age 5.

>

> I'm new to the group. My son, who is 8 years old, has just been

> diagnosed with asperger's. He had an IQ evaluation and scored a 76

with

> his true average possibly being an 85. On communication and

memory, he

> scored 115, which is above average. He has never taken such a

test. The

> administrator does not know about aperger's, so she consulted with

a

> doctor who does. I will take his deficits, which lie in math,

> handwriting, and timed tasks, and work with him on improving them.

I

> homeschool and have taken a " better late than early " approach.

When I

> asked if his average could improve, I was told it possibly could

go as

> high as an 85 but not higher than that. IQ's don't change. When

dealing

> with children with asperger's, can this be true? I was also told

that

> college would be a challenge for him. I was about ready to cry at

that

> point. My husband refuses to believe that his IQ is that low. What

do

> the rest of you think. Are we in denial or is it possible an error

has

> been made? I'm not doubting his weaknessess. I just think my laid

back

> approach to his schooling might have skewed his results, since his

> deficits were in areas we haven't worked on too much. These areas

> brought his average down.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ok, is there an IQ test that is more accurate for AS/HFA children? My son (now

14) has always scored around 115, but every time, the evaluators comments state

that " he was impatient & distracted, " and " an extremely low estimation of his

true intelligence. "

But, the problem comes in when we ask for him to be placed in more challenging

clasess, or the gifted programs, the school maintains that his IQ doesn't

justify the palcement. Meanwhile, he's in remedial classes, because he refuses

to do the work (on concepts that he mastered years ago)

His pediatrician won't refer us for further testing, because " there's nothing

wrong with a 115 IQ " Except for the fact that on the one test that I got to see

sub scores for, he had 2/12 test score a 1-Mentally Deficient and everything

else was " above average " - " superior " range.

I guess I wouldn't mind sooo much if he hadn't started complaining about

classes & school being boring when he was in 1st grade already.

Any suggestions?

Hugs & Peace,

Sheri Briley

http://my2.tupperware.com/johnbriley

---------------------------------

Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.

[Guest guest]

Descriptive Classifications of Intelligence Quotients IQ Description

% of Population 130+ Very superior 2.2% 120-129 Superior 6.7% 110-119 High

average 16.1% 90-109 Average 50% 80-89 Low average 16.1% 70-79 Borderline

6.7% Below 70 Extremely low 2.2%

[Guest guest]

Hello,

What is a normal IQ test? or What is a good IQ score?

Sheri Briley <aspie_pride@...> wrote:

Ok, is there an IQ test that is more accurate for AS/HFA children? My son (now

14) has always scored around 115, but every time, the evaluators comments state

that " he was impatient & distracted, " and " an extremely low estimation of his

true intelligence. "

But, the problem comes in when we ask for him to be placed in more challenging

clasess, or the gifted programs, the school maintains that his IQ doesn't

justify the palcement. Meanwhile, he's in remedial classes, because he refuses

to do the work (on concepts that he mastered years ago)

His pediatrician won't refer us for further testing, because " there's nothing

wrong with a 115 IQ " Except for the fact that on the one test that I got to see

sub scores for, he had 2/12 test score a 1-Mentally Deficient and everything

else was " above average " - " superior " range.

I guess I wouldn't mind sooo much if he hadn't started complaining about

classes & school being boring when he was in 1st grade already.

Any suggestions?

Hugs & Peace,

Sheri Briley

http://my2.tupperware.com/johnbriley

---------------------------------

Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.

[Guest guest]

Thank you to those of you who reponded to my question on IQ tests for

children with aperger's.

My son was tested at the University of Utah by a doctor who does not

specialize in asperger's. She was recommended by the doctor who

diagnosed my son. The doctor who gave my son the IQ test did consult

with Judith who is one of two experts on aperger's here in Utah.

I agree that he has academic deficits. I just think they're there

because he hasn't been exposed to certain things that the average 3rd

grader is exposed to. I was told he was compared to the average 3rd

grader. My son may be emotionally behind others his age, but I can't

believe that his fate is to be academically behind. I agree with you,

Roxana, that whether or not my child will succeed in college cannot be

determined at 8 years of age. At this point, all I can do is work with

him on his math, handwriting, and abstract thinking skills. My husband

and I would like to have him tested 3 years from now, as was suggested

by the tester. Since she thinks his average IQ score could only go as

high as 85, we will have him tested somewhere else. The reason why he

tested 115 on communication and memory is because we focus on those

things. We play memory games with him and read to him a lot. He pretty

much taught himself how to read. His comprehension is great even though

his abstract thinking is not. By the way, I thought most 8 year olds

were just beginning to understand abstract thinking. Am I right or

wrong? Just interacting with our son on a day to day basis makes us

think that his IQ is higher than we are now led to believe.

[Guest guest]

My son always test at the borderline level in most of his tests. But he has

missed so much school from being in the hospital for med changes and they pdoc

that tested him thinks part of it had to do with his meds. Also he took part of

the test without me staying and he did really bad and they let him do the other

part of the test when I was able to sit with him and he did so much better.

This is were it was stated that he is too depended on me emotionally.

ppanda65@... wrote: Descriptive Classifications of Intelligence

Quotients IQ Description

% of Population 130+ Very superior 2.2% 120-129 Superior 6.7% 110-119 High

average 16.1% 90-109 Average 50% 80-89 Low average 16.1% 70-79 Borderline

6.7% Below 70 Extremely low 2.2%

[Guest guest]

Thanks for posting this. I bookmarked this information because I know a few

people that would be interested in seeing this.

ppanda65@... wrote: Descriptive Classifications of Intelligence

Quotients IQ Description

% of Population 130+ Very superior 2.2% 120-129 Superior 6.7% 110-119 High

average 16.1% 90-109 Average 50% 80-89 Low average 16.1% 70-79 Borderline

6.7% Below 70 Extremely low 2.2%

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I felt the same way with some testing my 3rd grade AS son had. On a life

skill test, he had to name some items that you use in the kitchen. I never told

him what they were, nor showed him or let him use them. I had no time, and

while cooking, I will do many things at the same time. (no idle time ). waiting

for water to boil, I do dishes, washing the vegetables, something is in the

oven, then setting the table. Folding clothes. etc. So, when he was asked, what

is this? (can opener) he didn't know. When I cook, the kids are in the family

room playing. even a rag, he didn't know the name of it. But, even though my

son wasn't exposed to these things, He is still very behind in life skills. He

has to be shown each thing step by step & how to use it. We are working with

this now and its taking longer than it should for him to catch on. I showed him

many times how to cut his food with a knife and he still doesn't press down on

the knife hard enough. other utensils

are hard for him to use too. I find these test good, it shows me the areas we

have to work with, also included in the test was " your community " . He

couldn't name a post office, police station, the fire dept he got because he

saw the pictures of the fire truck. he goes with me to the gas station alot.

and didn't know the name for it? now, while driving, I will play games with

naming something we see. They also asked questions that I can't see how any 3rd

grader will be able to answer. they explained that is how this test works.

some children can go way above their level.

classicbooksmom <jabmilehk@...> wrote:

Thank you to those of you who reponded to my question on IQ tests for

children with aperger's.

My son was tested at the University of Utah by a doctor who does not

specialize in asperger's. She was recommended by the doctor who

diagnosed my son. The doctor who gave my son the IQ test did consult

with Judith who is one of two experts on aperger's here in Utah.

I agree that he has academic deficits. I just think they're there

because he hasn't been exposed to certain things that the average 3rd

grader is exposed to. I was told he was compared to the average 3rd

grader. My son may be emotionally behind others his age, but I can't

believe that his fate is to be academically behind. I agree with you,

Roxana, that whether or not my child will succeed in college cannot be

determined at 8 years of age. At this point, all I can do is work with

him on his math, handwriting, and abstract thinking skills. My husband

and I would like to have him tested 3 years from now, as was suggested

by the tester. Since she thinks his average IQ score could only go as

high as 85, we will have him tested somewhere else. The reason why he

tested 115 on communication and memory is because we focus on those

things. We play memory games with him and read to him a lot. He pretty

much taught himself how to read. His comprehension is great even though

his abstract thinking is not. By the way, I thought most 8 year olds

were just beginning to understand abstract thinking. Am I right or

wrong? Just interacting with our son on a day to day basis makes us

think that his IQ is higher than we are now led to believe.

[Guest guest]

Our school uses IQ and performance to put kids into the enrichment

class, but they have a bridges program for those kids skilled in

isolated areas. For example, my son scored well on the math

component of standardized testing and participated in a 2 month

enrichment program.

I would advocate for your son and insist on testing. My son, like

yours, also goofed off during his IQ testing. If your son knew that

his score on the test would get him more challenging courses, would

he put forth more effort? Keep in mind that if your insurance has

any kind of mental health component to it, you can get a

psychologist to administer an IQ test and insist the school take it

into account.

>

> Ok, is there an IQ test that is more accurate for AS/HFA children?

My son (now 14) has always scored around 115, but every time, the

evaluators comments state that " he was impatient & distracted, "

and " an extremely low estimation of his true intelligence. "

> But, the problem comes in when we ask for him to be placed in

more challenging clasess, or the gifted programs, the school

maintains that his IQ doesn't justify the palcement. Meanwhile, he's

in remedial classes, because he refuses to do the work (on concepts

that he mastered years ago)

> His pediatrician won't refer us for further testing,

because " there's nothing wrong with a 115 IQ " Except for the fact

that on the one test that I got to see sub scores for, he had 2/12

test score a 1-Mentally Deficient and everything else was " above

average " - " superior " range.

> I guess I wouldn't mind sooo much if he hadn't started

complaining about classes & school being boring when he was in 1st

grade already.

> Any suggestions?

>

>

>

> Hugs & Peace,

>

> Sheri Briley

> http://my2.tupperware.com/johnbriley

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously

low rates.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I totally agree with you. I never had any testing done on my older son

until he was 12 years old. We got the results which told us he was in the

Superior functioning domain. How has that helped us? Quite frankly it hasn't.

He

went through a very difficult time in the middle school/puberty years.

Behaviorally he is doing much better now, but is not doing well academically in

the school environment. So we know he is very bright, but does not apply

himself and says he " can't " do homework. I haven't had any IQ testing done on

my

younger son but did just have some educational testing done by the school.

He tested way low in one area, but the tester said that he totally shut down

and refused to continue with the testing and they had to score the results

anyway. Pam

[Guest guest]

Our son tested so poorly on his IQ test that the school counsellor -

who had never spent time with him beyond the test or even read one of

his report cards - invited us in wanting to offer us special needs'

accommodation at another school! WHAT!?! We were floored as he not

only keeps up with the peers in his classroom academically, but

surpasses a lot of the marks in certain areas. He has had

intervention (Speech & Language) on and off since 18 months of age

and the pathologist always said, " He simply does not test well. It is

not a true read of his performance and probably never will be. "

Please try to take heart and believe that numbers are just that, not

necessarily an accurate indicator of a person's potential. Certainly

the distant future cannot be gleened from a single IQ test as

variables do change with areas of development usually scattered on

the charts. Treat the 'symptoms' and forget about all the rest.

- Velvet

> Thank you to those of you who reponded to my question on IQ tests

for

> children with aperger's.

>

> My son was tested at the University of Utah by a doctor who does

not

> specialize in asperger's. She was recommended by the doctor who

> diagnosed my son. The doctor who gave my son the IQ test did

consult

> with Judith who is one of two experts on aperger's here in

Utah.

> I agree that he has academic deficits. I just think they're there

> because he hasn't been exposed to certain things that the average

3rd

> grader is exposed to. I was told he was compared to the average 3rd

> grader. My son may be emotionally behind others his age, but I

can't

> believe that his fate is to be academically behind. I agree with

you,

> Roxana, that whether or not my child will succeed in college cannot

be

> determined at 8 years of age. At this point, all I can do is work

with

> him on his math, handwriting, and abstract thinking skills. My

husband

> and I would like to have him tested 3 years from now, as was

suggested

> by the tester. Since she thinks his average IQ score could only go

as

> high as 85, we will have him tested somewhere else. The reason why

he

> tested 115 on communication and memory is because we focus on those

> things. We play memory games with him and read to him a lot. He

pretty

> much taught himself how to read. His comprehension is great even

though

> his abstract thinking is not. By the way, I thought most 8 year

olds

> were just beginning to understand abstract thinking. Am I right or

> wrong? Just interacting with our son on a day to day basis makes us

> think that his IQ is higher than we are now led to believe.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

P.S. Our son, we later learned following the IQ test, has ADHD (the

inattentive type) so that also played havoc with his ability to

concentrate when being tested. There are many factors which can

negatively influence scores.

- Velvet

Descriptive Classifications of

Intelligence Quotients IQ Description

> % of Population 130+ Very superior 2.2% 120-129 Superior 6.7%

110-119 High

> average 16.1% 90-109 Average 50% 80-89 Low average 16.1% 70-79

Borderline

> 6.7% Below 70 Extremely low 2.2%

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My son did not test well either on Standardized Tests.. However I know he is

smarter than the scores all the doctors tell me. He tests 79 however I know

that he is much, much brighter than that. but he does not test well.

What does that score tell us anyway?

I have struggled with this for years, and I will tell you that I no longer

allow it to rule me. This score to make the professionals feel better. I

know that once my son is met and anyone who spends 10 minutes with him will

know how intelligent he really is. I am sure the same with almost all of

your children. All you have to do is speak with them and you will know. My

son could not walk up and down stairs, feed himself or dress himself until

he was 8 years old. But he could talk your ear off about so many different

things, and he knew so much! In 6 years of school he has only had 1 full

year of classroom education. Otherwise each year was interrupted with

hospitalizations, med changes and meltdowns. This child can not read but a

2nd grade level can not add or subtract, tell time or sign his name in

script, but he knows a lot about the world around him.

I would trust him to take apart my lawn mower and put it back together again

if it was broke. Fix the garage door when the opener does not work, and he

can program the VCR/DVD player better than the guy who wrote the book.

Is he low functioning? Is he slow?

No he is just my child who needs some special love and care.

Tests are just for the professionals! Do not let them rule your child's

future! Or the way you view your children.

_____

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Velvet

Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 11:19 AM

Subject: ( ) Re: Asperger's and IQ tests

Our son tested so poorly on his IQ test that the school counsellor -

who had never spent time with him beyond the test or even read one of

his report cards - invited us in wanting to offer us special needs'

accommodation at another school! WHAT!?! We were floored as he not

only keeps up with the peers in his classroom academically, but

surpasses a lot of the marks in certain areas. He has had

intervention (Speech & Language) on and off since 18 months of age

and the pathologist always said, " He simply does not test well. It is

not a true read of his performance and probably never will be. "

Please try to take heart and believe that numbers are just that, not

necessarily an accurate indicator of a person's potential. Certainly

the distant future cannot be gleened from a single IQ test as

variables do change with areas of development usually scattered on

the charts. Treat the 'symptoms' and forget about all the rest.

- Velvet

> Thank you to those of you who reponded to my question on IQ tests

for

> children with aperger's.

>

> My son was tested at the University of Utah by a doctor who does

not

> specialize in asperger's. She was recommended by the doctor who

> diagnosed my son. The doctor who gave my son the IQ test did

consult

> with Judith who is one of two experts on aperger's here in

Utah.

> I agree that he has academic deficits. I just think they're there

> because he hasn't been exposed to certain things that the average

3rd

> grader is exposed to. I was told he was compared to the average 3rd

> grader. My son may be emotionally behind others his age, but I

can't

> believe that his fate is to be academically behind. I agree with

you,

> Roxana, that whether or not my child will succeed in college cannot

be

> determined at 8 years of age. At this point, all I can do is work

with

> him on his math, handwriting, and abstract thinking skills. My

husband

> and I would like to have him tested 3 years from now, as was

suggested

> by the tester. Since she thinks his average IQ score could only go

as

> high as 85, we will have him tested somewhere else. The reason why

he

> tested 115 on communication and memory is because we focus on those

> things. We play memory games with him and read to him a lot. He

pretty

> much taught himself how to read. His comprehension is great even

though

> his abstract thinking is not. By the way, I thought most 8 year

olds

> were just beginning to understand abstract thinking. Am I right or

> wrong? Just interacting with our son on a day to day basis makes us

> think that his IQ is higher than we are now led to believe.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hey ,

Good for your son!!! My son can also take the vacuum cleaner apart LOL and

put it back together. He likes to put things together that have to be

assembled. He does it better than I can. and he enjoys doing it. It also keeps

him busy. I've taught myself to help him with his weak areas and " focus on his

strengths " . This is working very well for us. one of his weak areas is life

skills. I want to share with you what is helping him with his life skills and

he really, really enjoys it. He will volunteer in the soup kitchen. They love

the extra help and he enjoys doing it. he learned how to work a (small)

commercial dishwasher and when they get a new volunteer for the first time. He

gets excited to explain to an adult how to work it. At the soup kitchen he is

learning how to wash dishes and not perservate with the water cause there is

always more to wash. Set the tables, open a can. this was explained to him

first, so he won't get cut. He is still learning much

more. He is also learning what each utensil is called. He also gets his

social skills there too.

<etay58@...> wrote:

My son did not test well either on Standardized Tests.. However I know he is

smarter than the scores all the doctors tell me. He tests 79 however I know

that he is much, much brighter than that. but he does not test well.

What does that score tell us anyway?

I have struggled with this for years, and I will tell you that I no longer

allow it to rule me. This score to make the professionals feel better. I

know that once my son is met and anyone who spends 10 minutes with him will

know how intelligent he really is. I am sure the same with almost all of

your children. All you have to do is speak with them and you will know. My

son could not walk up and down stairs, feed himself or dress himself until

he was 8 years old. But he could talk your ear off about so many different

things, and he knew so much! In 6 years of school he has only had 1 full

year of classroom education. Otherwise each year was interrupted with

hospitalizations, med changes and meltdowns. This child can not read but a

2nd grade level can not add or subtract, tell time or sign his name in

script, but he knows a lot about the world around him.

I would trust him to take apart my lawn mower and put it back together again

if it was broke. Fix the garage door when the opener does not work, and he

can program the VCR/DVD player better than the guy who wrote the book.

Is he low functioning? Is he slow?

No he is just my child who needs some special love and care.

Tests are just for the professionals! Do not let them rule your child's

future! Or the way you view your children.

_____

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Velvet

Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 11:19 AM

Subject: ( ) Re: Asperger's and IQ tests

Our son tested so poorly on his IQ test that the school counsellor -

who had never spent time with him beyond the test or even read one of

his report cards - invited us in wanting to offer us special needs'

accommodation at another school! WHAT!?! We were floored as he not

only keeps up with the peers in his classroom academically, but

surpasses a lot of the marks in certain areas. He has had

intervention (Speech & Language) on and off since 18 months of age

and the pathologist always said, " He simply does not test well. It is

not a true read of his performance and probably never will be. "

Please try to take heart and believe that numbers are just that, not

necessarily an accurate indicator of a person's potential. Certainly

the distant future cannot be gleened from a single IQ test as

variables do change with areas of development usually scattered on

the charts. Treat the 'symptoms' and forget about all the rest.

- Velvet

> Thank you to those of you who reponded to my question on IQ tests

for

> children with aperger's.

>

> My son was tested at the University of Utah by a doctor who does

not

> specialize in asperger's. She was recommended by the doctor who

> diagnosed my son. The doctor who gave my son the IQ test did

consult

> with Judith who is one of two experts on aperger's here in

Utah.

> I agree that he has academic deficits. I just think they're there

> because he hasn't been exposed to certain things that the average

3rd

> grader is exposed to. I was told he was compared to the average 3rd

> grader. My son may be emotionally behind others his age, but I

can't

> believe that his fate is to be academically behind. I agree with

you,

> Roxana, that whether or not my child will succeed in college cannot

be

> determined at 8 years of age. At this point, all I can do is work

with

> him on his math, handwriting, and abstract thinking skills. My

husband

> and I would like to have him tested 3 years from now, as was

suggested

> by the tester. Since she thinks his average IQ score could only go

as

> high as 85, we will have him tested somewhere else. The reason why

he

> tested 115 on communication and memory is because we focus on those

> things. We play memory games with him and read to him a lot. He

pretty

> much taught himself how to read. His comprehension is great even

though

> his abstract thinking is not. By the way, I thought most 8 year

olds

> were just beginning to understand abstract thinking. Am I right or

> wrong? Just interacting with our son on a day to day basis makes us

> think that his IQ is higher than we are now led to believe.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>