Help! Do I Have to Agree to IQ Testing?

: Help! My daughter’s triennial testing is just around the corner. She
: qualifies for sped because her IQ is just barely low enough to be
: in the MR catagory. Everyone agrees (her sped teacher, her speech
: therapist, etc) that she is in the best environment, that she
: still needs the special day class she’s been in.: My concern is that if her IQ score rises only just a few points, she
: wouldn’t qualify. Can I refuse the IQ test on the grounds that IQ
: is not supposed to change over a person’s lifetime, so there is no
: point in retesting it? I live in California.Simply refuse to give written consent for the formal evaluation. The district can then decide if they want to go mediation over it.By the way I disagree that IQ can’t or doesn’t change over time. The latest brain research shows that the brain is “plastic” and can be re-programmed. Such is the premise of programs like FastForWord.

Thanks for your response. My concern is that her IQ is barely low enough to qualify. I’m afraid that with a retest, she may score a bit higher, particularly with all the intervention we’ve done in the past 3 years, and then be ineligible for her special day class. Good idea about not agreeing - that may be the easiest way to go!

I must say that i am against this because I firmly believe in lre, and if your daughter were to test higher that would be a reason to celibrate, and if she were to test higher then being put in the next level up on the continuium would raise the expectations and the level of education she could atain. None the less I respect your right as a parent to do what you feel best, so..

If you dont want your child retested at re-evaluation time, it is not enough to just not give conscent, on re-eval if the parent does not give concent the district is allowed to proceed. However if you formally refuse to allow them to test, thats in writing (by certified mail if you want to be safe about it) then the district would have to take you to due process and win before they could give your child the iQ test, at which time you would still legally be allowed to remove your child from public school rather then have her be tested.

I hope you will seriously consider the consequences of your actions on your childs future, if their is any chance that her IQ is higher then previously measured, being moved up on the continuium of services would open doors to higher levels of education for her, this desicion on your part could seriously alter the course of your daughters future.

I absolutely agree with Mia here. You could refused consent,but you could also help control what test are administered. BUT,still if the child is in special education,has an IEP,she has already met the intial criteria,she doesn’t have to requalify for special education. This would be an IEP team decision. Correct?

I hqad to privately test my daughter for 2 years with specialist who new how to truly read and finally get an average IQ score due to her significant language disorder. The services she receives are in resource and constantly challenge her because there is testing showing average IQ. Her LLD is so severe, she is 9 working on 1st grade level and it has taken since she was 4 yr old to get her this far. Now she is learning at a fantastic rate that not even I expected. Just because the IQ scores goes up does not mean you lose services. In fact instead of a self contained class, you m ay be able to get resource help and even get services. Are you afraid there will be no help for her if her IQ is raised to normal? Just trying to help, Sharon G.

I read with interest your comments regarding your daughter. My daughter’s psychologist stated that her IQ was not accessible because of her significant language and visual disabilities. She is in the 2nd grade and as of February was reading/comprehending at beginning 1st grade level. She has improved significantly in the past month. We have not had her retested. She does not qualify for services because she does not meet the criteria for LD, but she is in a private school for LD; e.g., her IQ scores are too low to show the discrepancy. What type of testing/retesting did your daughter go through to get where she is?

Thanks to all for your responses - it’s given me a lot to think about this past weekend.

My daughter received the full battery of tests that the district performs, including the Wechsler, the Woodcock-Johnson and a whole lot more.

After thinking about some of your comments, I’m thinking that the way to go would be to have her privately evaluated. If her IQ only rises 5 or so points, she would no longer qualify for sped (because her acheivement scores are quite low in many areas). Yet, she still clearly needs the special day class in which she is enrolled. If it rises enough to acheive the gap needed to define her as LD, or if it doesn’t rise at all, then I could bring those results to the school.

Again, thanks for your opinions - this board is fabulous!

This test was administered about 4 years ago, My daughter is now 9, in third grade and is working on a 1st grade level across the board. She also had visual disabilities which made it almost impossible to test for IQ(she could not draw until she was 5 yrs. old). However, I went through a deveolmental specialist who also specialized in autism. He was well equipped to overcome many barriers to find her IQ, as he felt the inconsistencies in her were too great to diagnose less than average IQ. I spent many hours putting together “parent observations” of her abilities and disabilities before I met with him. Her emotional “anxiety disorder” kept her out of all private LD schools, along with her significant LLD- Language Learning Disability. At the time I got much advice from this board and other sources to actually get her into the public LD program without them being able to test for IQ. I learned that legally they must except other criteria, other than testing. I wish I could remember all of the details but we,ve crossed many bridges since then. However, I do remember that one of the alternative criteria used was a drawing of hers( a person), which the school presented to their psychologist and pronouced her average IQ. Best Wishes, Sharon G.

Not necessarily true. Maybe it depends on the state. They took my child (3.60 grade average out og Special eduction without my consent. Now she is failing three classes and in danger of failing five. She had to requalify according to them. Check your state AND your willingness to continue the batle legally.