Low IQ or Mental Retardation

First, please ask to talk with whomever did the testing(?why it was done), and have them explain how the FS IQ is calculated(not just an average of V and P). Next know that MR is a FS IQ of 70 or below with adaptive functioning in the below normal range and a history of delayed development. FS IQ of 70-mid 80’s is the slow learner range not MR.

No, borderline is not the same as MR. MR is looking at iq scores, academic scores in the areas of reading and math, and adaptive behaviors. It also looks at developmental history. A child doesn’t just become MR over night.

Dear Anne-Marie,
In order for your son to be eligible for MR services his IQ must be 2 standard deviants below the mean, in other words below 70 (in addition to other adaptive behavior and achievement criteria). Your son does not have an intellectual disability based on what you have been told. It sounds like he has been experiencing some difficulty at school if he was referred for testing. I recommend that you find a good school resource with whom you can discuss your concerns. This person may be a parent mentor, school counselor, or school social worker depending on your son’s school.
As a mother you know your child better than anyone else. This qualifies you as a tremendous resource for your son’s educational program. Don’t be afraid to jump right in and get involved. A good teacher will appreciate your concerns and contributions. As a mother and a teacher my advice to you is to hang in there! You and your son will make it together![/quote]

it was a very depressing day for me today to find out my daughter of 13 is borderline. many tears fell and i dont know how i will convey this information to her, with dreams of going to UofF or Harvard. i dont know where to turn except for this one school called PACE that is all LD children with small classes. it is very expensive but i will make the sacrifices. i was told she must have an iq of 85 and she is at 77. i will beg and plead as much as i have to and pray for intervention. i dont know how to deal with this as an over achiever. i feel as though her future is now bleak and i wish i could be more positive, but feel that would be dillusional. any help? :cry:

Well I don’t know anything about your son, what his strengths and weaknesses are — but just a no. on a test tells nothing. What I have read is this: an IQ score measures what an IQ test measures. Meaning not much else. The performance tests are more or less puzzles, arrangement of pictures in order to “tell a story”, etc. I am thinking the tester dropped a the lowest score to get the score of 80.

Now what does this all mean in life? Not much. The IQ is a terrible marker for success in life or happiness or anything that much matters. Find out what he likes and is good at and really go from there. *If* thiis is accurate he should still be able to read (you will want to get away from any whole language nonsense and have use an explicit systematic phonic approach. but that goes for many kids. He’ll need a lot of time working with concepts in math using manipulatives— various blocks, objects, etc.

I’ve heard of kids in the 70 IQ range (your kid tests higher but the pt. stands) as the 6 hour retarded child (your child isn’t retarded but stay with me here). This means that they have trouble in school but not in the rest of life. Your child can still get a job, get married, raise a family, etc. etc. Maybe he won’t go to college. But many normal kids just party around anyway and waste mom and dad’s money. I hope I am not insensitive here! But just want you to know that if he is loved and accepted he can do well in life.

—des

Melynda,

Please understand that an IQ test is just a test and does not reflect all of your child’s abilities. Under no cirumstances would I tell a child this score.

Has she ever had an IQ test before? Has she been identified as LD previously? The reason I am asking is that an unremediated LD in reading will often result in an IQ score falling due to the fact the child does nto read and learn new vocabulary, etc. at the pace of his peers. This has been termed the “Matthew Effect”.

If she is LD, then you need to seek appropriate remediation immediately. What is her reading level? Has she been in special ed before now? Are all the IQ subtest scores about equal or are some high and some low? You may even want to list her scores so that you can get some interpretations.

One thing I certainly would do is inject some reality about college to the picture. Most of our kids, even the gifted ones, will simply not be going to Harvard. That is not a realistic goal for most kids. If she is LD, then she certainly may be able to pull up her scores and possibly start out at a community college and then transfer to a 4 year school later. Or she may really blossom with some remediation and be just fine to go straight to a 4 year school. Or, she may have other talents that lend themselves to some other career that requires technical school or specialized training.

I truly believe that if she were really borderline, you would have known this loooong before now. You probably shoudl start your own thread by posting a new topic so you’ll get reponses directed to you.

Janis

>>it was a very depressing day for me today to find out my daughter of 13 is borderline. many tears fell and i dont know how i will convey this information to her, with dreams of going to UofF or Harvard. i dont know where to turn except for this one school called PACE that is all LD children with small classes. it is very expensive but i will make the sacrifices. i was told she must have an iq of 85 and she is at 77. i will beg and plead as much as i have to and pray for intervention. i dont know how to deal with this as an over achiever. i feel as though her future is now bleak and i wish i could be more positive, but feel that would be dillusional. any help?<<

melynda,

You may instead want to pursue private remediation options. I don’t know anything about a school called PACE, but there is a program called PACE (Processing and Cognitive Enhancement) that is usually very helpful. The average gain in IQ points from this program — for children who pre-test with an IQ under 100 — is 20 points. This is because IQ tests can’t really measure only genetic potential. They also measure cognitive skills development, and cognitive skills can be trained. Website is http://www.processingskills.com . The company can refer you to PACE providers in your area.

Has your daughter ever had an occupational therapy evaluation? If not, I would get that evaluation in order to determine if she has any sensory integration problems. In my experience, sensory integration disorders often interfere with cognitive skills development.

Nancy

My question would be - why did you have the testing done?

In the light of the answer to that question, do the scores make sense to you?

Usually we do testing because we are looking for an explanation. If your son is struggling in school, those scores would offer some understanding of why he might be struggling in school. Words such as you’re using ‘retarded’ are often used too lightly and you can always have the testing repeated. Testing and its results at best can offer some explanation as to why there might be a problem but test results don’t solve problems.

I might suggest that you don’t put too much time, energy or thought into test results but soon try to move on with dealing with the issues that led you to do testing on your son in the first place.

Good luck.

Also, students that have difficulty following instructions and those that have receptive and expressive language difficulties do poorly in IQ tests. There are also so many factors that can affect ones scores in a test like mood, test location, rapport, what the child ate that morning etc…

I would suggest a meeting with the one that gave the test.

Don’t be depressed. When my daughter was having trouble in math in 4th grade she was tested for a learning disability. Her full scale IQ was 76 which ruled out any possibility of help in the LD classroom. Through determination on the part of my husband, myself and most importantly our daughter herself she managed to make it through school. She went on to a junior college and passed Beginning Algebra with a final grade of C.This she accomplished on her own through hard work and never gave up even in spite of the fact her beloved grandmother passed away during that same semester. Today she is 26 and going for a BA in business. How proud we are! So never give up hope. An IQ is just a subjective number. :wink:

Oh, Kaycee, what an encouraging post!!! That is so true about an IQ score. It does not necessarily reflect true potential in a child with processing disorders!

Janis

There has been alot of debate on IQ and if you can change etc on this board before - there are 2 different camps. But there have been many other parents that have been successful in increasing their childs IQ. If you have severe deficits in both auditory processing and visual processing this will greatly effect the child’s ability to score well on an IQ test. If you address those deficits, you can pull the IQ up.

If you feel that your child is ‘brighter’ than what the IQ test showed, chances are ‘they are brighter’.

One mom who use to post here frequently (Shirin) says that her IQ as a child was 80. She now has IQ of 150 and is a neurologist.

IQ tests are not always that accurate either - how well did the child interact with the tester, how were they feeling that day, were they on task, maybe the child just didnt’ give a hoot and didn’t really try.

Just wanted to add that I feel test scores do not encompass or give the
“3-D effect”of the child. My daughter tests very low WISC-III full scale 52.
But she is a people magnet, she loves people and makes them feel special just by remembering them and their families. She will always ask someone how their children, or husband or wife are. She knows their names, she knows who belongs to whom, she can carry on a conversation with them, yes, sometimes asking too many questions or too personal.

She loves life and is always happy, although I should say not always, as it breaks my heart that she was crying tonight because the girls in her class call her stupid. She has gone through more things in 10 years of life then they will ever know, and I believe given time and patience and love she can succeed in life. She may not make it to Ivy League college (we couldn’t afford it anyway), or have a high-powered job, but she will make people happy just by visiting with them and remembering them. :lol:

Are there other IQ tests out there (other than the WISC) that might be a better test for IQ? I know the WISC involves timed tests and speed, for example.

Does anyone know about the UNIT or the DIFFERENTIAL ABILITIES SCALE?