Help me understand my son's eval?

Post Reply New Topic

Hi everyone. I hope you're well. I was wondering if there's anyone here who can help me understand my son's latest evaluation report? I mean, I understand all of the words, just not what it rolls up to in terms of the big picture. And when I try to pin down the neuropsych, she only speaks in terms of the test scores and not in terms of what it could possibly mean for my child long-term, which challenges tend to persist and which usually improve, etc, etc.

Has anyone ever done that for someone else here? Is asking completely inappropriate?

Thanks!
Femi

I don't think it is inappropriate, at all.

The thing is, in terms of prognosis is there really is no telling. I got a lot of off the record "He will be fine, b/c ..." nonsense, and as much as I would like to cling to that, it was smoke-up the you know what blowing and really I don't think they can say.

It is frustrating, but I think you really do have tyo see how everything evolves over time.

Thanks so much for replying, ASDMommy. And you're right, but damned if sometimes I don't want them to blow a little smoke if nothing else than to give me a few moments of respite from this ever-present worry. Sigh...

I do have a more specific question, though, which I probably should have laid out in the post. My son is very language delayed, although he is verbal now. The test was done a couple of months ago when he was 3 yrs 4 months. He scored around 2 years for expressive (yay!) and 2 years 11 mo for receptive (double yay!). But, his verbal intellect scored in the 16% percentile-ish. That's how well he was able to perform cognitive tasks based on verbal instruction, to the best of my understanding. No surprise here because, well, he is delayed.

His non-verbal intellect scored at 4years, 8 mo, though. So, when the cognitive task didn't require a ton of verbal instruction, he killed it.

So, my question is this: how do i think about his verbal intellect score? Is that a good measure of his intelligence, or will it increase as his verbal understanding increases? The non-verbal score is great, but it's determined by visual cognitive tests like matching and puzzles. Do I have a spiky kid who has baseline lower intelligence, but outstanding visual decoding skills, or do I have a language delayed kid who is overall pretty bright, as will be evidenced when his speech/language catch up?

So confused! I want to be able to drive his education in the right way.

IQ tests aren't very accurate for 4 year olds
His verbal problems could interfere as well

I agree with what has been said. IQ tests are not especially predictive at 4 for NTs and it really not designed or normed for non-NTs.

At your son's age. my son was untestable, literally, b/c he wouldn't even follow instructions. When tested in K he did really well. Now? I have no idea. Shrug. I am not really worried b/c I can see what he is good at and what he is bad at and it all makes sense in the context of the child, himself.

If your son has audio processing issues, he may do better once reading takes over for verbal instructions. In the end, I am not sure how it matters other than it being preferable for the scores to be high enough so that the school district does not use it as an excuse to not spend resources on your child. Of course, if the scores are too high they might use that as an excuse that he does not need help as he is doing "fine."

The main thing is taking the pieces apart and thinking about it in terms of what tailored help would be most helpful.

Cynical, I know, but that is how I have come to view a lot of the process.

I think it is pretty common for expressive skills to lag receptive skills, and in my son's case he just sort of turned from a stingy talker to a chatterbox between 1st and 2nd grade. It may be a lack of confidence, and a desire to be perfect. it may be a switch that comes on. I don't know.

I know it is hard, but there sounds like a lot about the testing to be happy about; and I would try not to worry. (easier said than done.)