I need more ideas.
This child has had numerous IQ scores all in the low 60’s. Each year this child comes up and I just want to make sure I’m not overlooking things.
Fairly flat profile most scores of IQ in the 60’s. Totally fails all state tests and Standardized tests class tests and quizzes.
Child, a 5th grader, was initially placed as a kindergartner as Language Learning Disabled. After a couple years no longer qualified. The child was then placed in an LD program. Her standard scores were too high over her IQ and a discrepancy no longer exsisted. Still, she stayed in LD resource for ONLY one subject, math for a few years getting help from a very wonderful mom and dad.
Now this child is in my class. Again, my first year with her, she is SO LOW. She is failing general ed. She acts 3 years younger than peers. She is teased endlessly and bullied. I have even gone in the class to educate the class. Again, this year I Woodcocked her. Her standard scores for Reading and Written Language are in the 80’s to my surprise.
Still she gets 20 and 30’s on all her assignments. She is totally off and answers so far out of the class, the teacher feels bad to even call on her. No vision issues. No hearing issues.
I left the IEP mad because I wanted her to be placed in my program LD for all subjects. Her adaptive behavior is too high for the Mild Retarded class and with standard scores, I didn’t push for that “label.” at that time.
I again approached psycholigist frustrated with outcome. Couldn’t we justify it without discrapancy and prove it with data I said?. She mentioned….maybe we could put her in the LRE of MIMD and still come to LD. I mentioned this to the MIMD teacher. She knew this girl. Said she hangs out with her kids all the time. She wasn’t surprised at all that I was asking questions about her.
I get these MIMD kids in my LD class and also the ED kids. From what I understand, if the team decides, then we could make the LRE MIMD but not change eligibiltiy. I would never do this without the parents 100% on board. My fear is that when she still doesn’t progress too well with her poor memory, they will say it was due to being in the MIMD class. They might think it will hold her back.
So, any words of wisdom. She is drowning in general ed. I have her in my room when I co teach with the speech teacher. Today, she couldn’t figure out this direction, “touch all but one of these 6 tables.” She does not understand before and after, neither nor etc…
She did not qualify for speech, can you believe it?????????????? And her Peabody was high 80’s if I remember right. It doesn’t make sense. I was thinking NLd.
She is the only one I have who with all my multisensory math facts, can’t remember them for beans. This is using a good solid program etc… review, review, review, till I’m blue in the face. She can’t remember what I teach her, yet that Woodcock, one on one, in a quiet room with all the time in the world, she has something going on.
Her Visual Motor VMI had all the left side of the picture distorted.
I walk into her class and in a loud sing songy voice she says HI and most of the kids kind of look at her. She stands out like a sore thumb….She may end up being MIMD in junior high as I don’t think she will keep scoring with those high Standard scores and the gap will widen, but not till the next 3 year reeaval.
Help, I don’t know what to push for here. General ed she’s drowning, she’ll fit right in the MIMD room but I’m not convinced she’s MIMD as yet.
Need answers by next week when I call for another meeting.
Thanks for any ideas.
Re: Low IQ, high Woodcock Johnson scores
OH MY GOSH. I went to the website about WS. In my opinion, she fits this to a T. Guess who got the music award. Checked with the music teacher, this child LOVES music and is musically inclined. She tends to look like some of the photos.
I am NO doctor. I might be off….but…..I think I will somehow find a way to bring this up to parents to at least rule it in or out.
Thanks so much for posting. Even the teacher ealier in the year said she seems so much like another child we’d shared. Same kind of look. He said he thought she had some kind of syndrome.
I’ll keep researching.
THANKS.
Re: Low IQ, high Woodcock Johnson scores
I went to a seminar about Williams syndrome last year, and saw a PBS special about it. Apparently some of these kids are quite gifted musically; many of them have close to perfect pitch, in that they can hear a tune once and then sing it accurately. Another young woman was gifted artistically; she had a show of her paintings in a big gallery, although she couldn’t cross the road by herself. Something positive to look at and encourage.
The issue of not knowing before and after reminds me of a student I had some years ago; he had Kleinfelter’s syndrome, which happens only in boys (I think it’s a variant of XXY); however some of the problems may be similar. He could *do* things in order, but he could not verbalize order at all — is this true of your student? He also couldn’t count accurately past six, which made all the school’s claims that he could add and subtract and multiply rather questionable. Does your student have basic number concepts? If her basic concepts are missing, that may explain the total frustration and lack of progress.
I did get his spelling and reading very much improved by sounding out in order and writing as he said the sounds.
Re: Low IQ, high Woodcock Johnson scores
There are two things going on-one, come up with an appropriate category to justify special ed. services for this 5th grader(?how old)-the category may mean less than the services, clearly even with an IQ in the 70-80’s kids don’t survive in 5-6th grade reg. ed. with their peers in this age of state mandated testing; the other problem is that an MD/clinical person should be making the diagnosis of mental retardation/whatever syndrome is present and this requires a detailed developmental history, a standardized functional adaptive behavior assessment, cognitive testing and physical/neuro exam. Please ask the family if they have had an evaluation that explains why this student is so delayed and if not refer them to their MD.
Re: Low IQ, high Woodcock Johnson scores
When I read Patti’s response this A.m. I went to the website. I just kept reading, and reading, and reading and my chin dropped to the floor.
I then called the music teacher. Guess what. This child LOVES music. She got the all around music award. She is very musical. She looks somewhat like the pictures of others on the site. Of course, I have no way of knowing but I have a strong hunch that you might be right.
Even the gen. ed teacher earlier thought she might have some syndrome like another student from another class. The teacher even commented how odd it was with these two students looked so much alike. UMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Now, I need to keep reading. I did ask the parent today if there had been some evaluation but did not say anything yet about this. I plan to read some more and ask for help from someone on the best way to gently mention this possibitlity.
THANKS SO MUCH, this could really be something. With all the health issues it would be important for the parent to know this kind of info..
Again, thank, I think it might be right…but I can’t make that judgment.
glad I could help you
I work with a lot of kids who have different syndromes and it took me a while to remember the name of the one that you were describing symptoms for. I think it is imperative that the parents check out this possiblity to help their daughter develop her strengths so she can be successful in her life.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Need Second Opinion
<<THANKS SO MUCH, this could really be something. With all the health issues it would be important for the parent to know this kind of info..
Again, thank, I think it might be right…but I can’t make that judgment.>>
I have a student who almost fits this profile, however, it’s a definite that she has Chromosome #7 damage, because her mother said so at a meeting. She also has the 60s IQ, math disability, but all WIAT scores were in the 70s and 80s. She did, however, qualify for the ID (Intellectually Disabled) label because one of her scores fell in the deficient range on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. She is also drowning in the regular ed. classroom, but does very well in the resource room. We have cross-categorical resource rooms where I am.
My suggestion is to try for the OHI label. Her IQ and academic deficiencies definitely hinders a major life activity called learning. One does not need a discrepancy to qualify for the label, and one does not have to fit the criteria of other exceptionalities to qualify. Doesn’t the team agree that this child requires services whether she is LD or ID? Where are Special Ed. students who are labeled OHI placed in your district? An IEP Team can be very creative when need be.
Marilyn
Such as Williams syndrome…read on…it may sound strikingly familiar
Williams syndrome is a rare, congenital (present at birth) disorder characterized by physical and developmental problems including an impulsive and outgoing (excessively social) personality, limited spatial skills and motor control, and intellectual disability (i.e., developmental delay, learning disabilities, mental retardation, or attention deficit disorder). Other features include characteristic “elfin-like” facial features, heart and blood vessel problems, hypercalcemia (elevated blood calcium levels), low birth weight, slow weight gain, feeding problems, irritability during infancy, dental and kidney abnormalities, hyperacusis (sensitive hearing), and musculoskeletal problems. Symptoms vary among patients. Although individuals with Williams syndrome may show competence in areas such as language, music, and interpersonal relations, their IQs are usually below average, and they are considered moderately to mildly retarded. Scientists have learned that most individuals with Williams syndrome have a deletion of genetic material on chromosome 7. This probably causes the physical and developmental problems experienced by patients.