This week I met with the psychologist to go over G's psychological test results. I went in hoping for some answers, some definitive answers, but as is the case in parenting, there are very rarely clear-cut answers to anything related to one's child.
But really, how often are there clear-cut answers in life?
What we know with relative certainty is that G doesn't appear to have any learning disabilities or difficulties. He rated average to above average in everything, with an IQ of 109. His spatial skills were in the superior category. Although his language skills were fine, they were well below his spatial abilities causing an imbalance of sorts in what his left-brain and right-brain can do or will do.
The psychologist said G is an enigma, to which I had to laugh.
He scores as likely having Asperger's, but he has virtually none of the communicative issues associated with it (blank facial expressions, not making eye-contact). What we think is that his other sensory issues are strong enough to skew the test. If it wasn't for his sensory issues, he wouldn't appear Asperger-ish at all.
Some of his intelligence scores and other behaviors the psychologist noted while testing him make him appear to have attention issues (ADD/ADHD), but in-school reports show no attention issues at all.
He doesn't appear to have issues with depression. He does appear to have some issues with aggression and anxiety, but not severe enough to put him in the "danger" area, where the psychologist would see there is a clinical diagnosis needing to be made.
The psychologist said all this should make me feel better, and it does in that there is nothing glaringly amiss. But at the same time, having a diagnosis of something would give me a better guide for managing G instead of feeling like I'm flailing and trying a little bit of everything to help him. It would, if nothing else, give me a place to hang my hat (which is selfish, I know).
Basically everything I started to do with G in December/early January (periodically seeing a psychologist and starting OT) when I didn't know what was "wrong" or "not-wrong" with him is what I should be doing and what we should continue to do.
Some of G's issues may really and truly be maturity. His brain appears to be ahead of his emotions.
Meeting with the psychologist was especially weird since on Monday I had had a conference with G's teacher. According to her, G's reading skills have him "this close" to being recommended for the talent pool for kindergarteners. I actually said, "No shit?" when she told me he is reading at an end of 1st grade/beginning of 2nd grade level. Twice this year she has sent home notes about how he helped a classmate, offering kindness to them or looking out for them, a clear sign that he is very able and willing to be empathetic to others. On Monday, she said because of this compassion, others in the class look to him as a leader.
An enigma to be sure.
In all honesty, I expected his IQ score to be higher, given the questions he asks and the things he thinks about.
Two Fridays ago, having just come from OT, he asked me in the car, "Mahee (how he says mommy), who will be our new mom when you die?" The next day, we watched the Disney movie Brother Bear. After it was over, I said, "Wasn't that a great movie about brothers?" to which he replied, "Yes, and truth and death too."
He is such a existential thinker, and though I don't hang with other 6-year-olds, it is hard for me to think that they ponder evolution and watch BBC shows on geological time with such interest as he does.
Of course, I also don't believe that an IQ score is truly indicative of what a person is or is not. I know it is more than a little ridiculous to give even a minute's thought to his score, but I would not be a mother if there wasn't some snippet of parental pride affecting my thoughts.
So what to make of all this????
Keeping carrying on as we are....seeing the psychologist, attending OT, reading him child-appropriate books on anxiety to help him manage his worries, reading every parenting book known to man on "sensitive" children, and blogging here as a means of working through the challenges of raising my especially challenging (for me) but especially special boy.
But really, how often are there clear-cut answers in life?
What we know with relative certainty is that G doesn't appear to have any learning disabilities or difficulties. He rated average to above average in everything, with an IQ of 109. His spatial skills were in the superior category. Although his language skills were fine, they were well below his spatial abilities causing an imbalance of sorts in what his left-brain and right-brain can do or will do.
The psychologist said G is an enigma, to which I had to laugh.
He scores as likely having Asperger's, but he has virtually none of the communicative issues associated with it (blank facial expressions, not making eye-contact). What we think is that his other sensory issues are strong enough to skew the test. If it wasn't for his sensory issues, he wouldn't appear Asperger-ish at all.
Some of his intelligence scores and other behaviors the psychologist noted while testing him make him appear to have attention issues (ADD/ADHD), but in-school reports show no attention issues at all.
He doesn't appear to have issues with depression. He does appear to have some issues with aggression and anxiety, but not severe enough to put him in the "danger" area, where the psychologist would see there is a clinical diagnosis needing to be made.
The psychologist said all this should make me feel better, and it does in that there is nothing glaringly amiss. But at the same time, having a diagnosis of something would give me a better guide for managing G instead of feeling like I'm flailing and trying a little bit of everything to help him. It would, if nothing else, give me a place to hang my hat (which is selfish, I know).
Basically everything I started to do with G in December/early January (periodically seeing a psychologist and starting OT) when I didn't know what was "wrong" or "not-wrong" with him is what I should be doing and what we should continue to do.
Some of G's issues may really and truly be maturity. His brain appears to be ahead of his emotions.
Meeting with the psychologist was especially weird since on Monday I had had a conference with G's teacher. According to her, G's reading skills have him "this close" to being recommended for the talent pool for kindergarteners. I actually said, "No shit?" when she told me he is reading at an end of 1st grade/beginning of 2nd grade level. Twice this year she has sent home notes about how he helped a classmate, offering kindness to them or looking out for them, a clear sign that he is very able and willing to be empathetic to others. On Monday, she said because of this compassion, others in the class look to him as a leader.
An enigma to be sure.
In all honesty, I expected his IQ score to be higher, given the questions he asks and the things he thinks about.
Two Fridays ago, having just come from OT, he asked me in the car, "Mahee (how he says mommy), who will be our new mom when you die?" The next day, we watched the Disney movie Brother Bear. After it was over, I said, "Wasn't that a great movie about brothers?" to which he replied, "Yes, and truth and death too."
He is such a existential thinker, and though I don't hang with other 6-year-olds, it is hard for me to think that they ponder evolution and watch BBC shows on geological time with such interest as he does.
Of course, I also don't believe that an IQ score is truly indicative of what a person is or is not. I know it is more than a little ridiculous to give even a minute's thought to his score, but I would not be a mother if there wasn't some snippet of parental pride affecting my thoughts.
So what to make of all this????
Keeping carrying on as we are....seeing the psychologist, attending OT, reading him child-appropriate books on anxiety to help him manage his worries, reading every parenting book known to man on "sensitive" children, and blogging here as a means of working through the challenges of raising my especially challenging (for me) but especially special boy.
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