hi im new here,
my son is now 9 he has been going to a resource room since 1st grade he did repeat kindergarden, after repeating kindergarden his teacher said he was not progressing school and I had a meeting his teacher thought he was autistic but the iep team said they didnt think so, after lots of testing i was told his overall IQis 57, he is very quite he cant ride a bike had trouble learning to tie his shoes, has trouble with going to the bathroom on time and never looks people in the eyes to me i think he fits aspergers, but my question is can he still have a low iq and have aspergers syndrome, from what i have read there are not usually learning difficulties assosiated with as. i would really like to know what the problem is all i have ever been told is he has a low iq. i did request for him to be tested havent heard anything yet
any advise would be great
thank dl
Re: low iq
A low IQ rules out an asperger’s diagnosis, but he may meet criteria for another autistic spectrum diagnosis (as well as mental retardation). I suggest that you request in writing a comprehensive team evaluation from the district- to include speech/language, educational, occupational (to include sensory functioning too!) and physical therapy evaluation. In addition, while the intelligence testing was done, there MUST also be an assessment of adaptive behavior skills- as well as an assessment of social-emotional skills. A diagnosis of mental retardation cannot be made unless there is also a significant delay in adaptive behavior skills. Finally, a diagnosis of autism should be made by a specialist- you can ask for an independent evaluation for that- or look at whether your health insurance might help with the cost. Regardless of the diagnosis, the information provided from these assessments will be invaluable in helping you and teaching staff understand and help your son. Good luck!
Re: low iq
thank you both for iyour input,
i know along with iq tests the original iep did do a behavior assessment and social as well. i will have to look at that information again i dont know what i am looking for, iknow he has a reavaluation comming up this yearthis is his third year in resource room , one thing i do know his social area was higher than his performance again i will look , as far as autisim they did not think so but i wouldnt be suprised if he fit in within the autisim spectrum , he wants to socialize but he talks about only his intrests and other kids get bored real quick, as far as his iq scores i would like to see them retest this year he is doing so well compared to 1st grade he has come a long way this year, he is great as math and spelling is going well, as far as mentel retardation if that is the case it is very mild.again thank you very much
dl
Re: low iq another question
another thing i forgot to ask does low iq alone imply mental retardation, my son is listed as educable mentaly impaired at least that is what is said on the original iep report. thanks again i am so glad i heard about this website is is already so helpful!
dl
Re: low iq
If his true IQ is in the 50’s he wouldn’t be doing well in math and spelling. Achild with a true IQ that low wouldn’t be functioning much above the pre-school - 1st grade level. Many 1st graders test very low especially if they are shy and have language difficulties. This year at his review, insist on new testing in ALL areas, if need be to help you understand all the stuff there talking about get an advocate, and bring them, and don’t feel like you can’t ask questions.
It may seem the the team doesn’t want to be bothered, but most teams really
want to help, they just have alot of paperwork and get caught up in that, ask away, we really like parents who get involved and ask questions.
Re: low iq
thank you very much for your advise, i agree with you about the iq testing he is very shy and i do want him to be retested he has made so much progress this year, even his resource teacher is so proud of him. i have to say i am so blessed with his school iep team and resource teacher they like me seem to really be fighting for him. ithink the initial iep meeting they were trying to fugure him out he is very shy but socially he just dosent fit his iq scores and he is doing incredible in math his teacher timed him with about 100 problems on each side he completed math problems in 7 minutes . regardless of what happens or if he does get labled i will continue to push him and love him. so for me that is all that matters. it would help to know specific problems just so i know we are teaching in the way that works for him. sorry if im rambling
thanks dl
Re: low iq
No one can diagnose or classify your child as mentally retarded unless they also assess his adaptive functioning (daily living skills) and find similar low scores in this area as well. There is a law about this! Adaptive behavior is usually assessed by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, which should include an interview with you.
Re: low iq
Please read Noah’s post on the parenting board. His son had a very low IQ initially. After intervention his IQ went up dramatically. He is now possibly borderline gifted.
The things I have been reading lately have me convinced the science is not there to support the validity of IQ tests. It is the ultimate sacred cow in the educational world.
Re: low iq
linda h
thank you i will certanly read that post, i feel my sons iq is not his true iq his overall iq is supposed to be 57, as i said in a previous post he is really soaring it is like someone turned on this light he is doing basic math adition and subtraction and he is quite good at it i think if that was his true iq he wouldnt be doing that. dont get me wrong he still needs lots of work he really is not reading yet but he will be soon. thank you for all the advice i think this board is great
dl
There is (atleast) one standardized Asperger’s Syndrome assessment, Gilliam’s. You might consider requesting this assessment. I know you CAN have autism and be mentally retarded, indeed many “classic” autistic youngsters are considered to be mentally retarded, too. Write a letter.