Intelligence Test Re: Cognitive Disorders ETA Clarification

Woo-hoo! You are in luck because I have nothing but encouragement for you.

Our son has some attention issues. He was given an evaluation in the manner similar to what you describe, a Woodcock Johnson test along with a few other more specific tests to address key issues. What we discovered was that, despite his lack of fluency-- which makes him appear slower-- he's very intelligent. Being able to take this information to the school and share it with teachers and the other educational professionals has been so helpful. Knowing that he is as bright as he is can help me to advocate for him, while knowing his challenges can help me work harder to give him good information and resources.

A diagnosis won't signify who your son is, however it can help you get more for him. I don't know if your son is sensitive to tests-- mine was 'fine' doing the 3 hours eval. (I put *fin*e in quotes because we asked how he was, fearing he'd be wiped). If it were me, and I knew the doc was good-- I'd do it, with either a hotel on one end or the other. To us, the results were a revelation and a validation... it will help us so much in helping our son.

Be wary...I hate to be cynical but they could end up using the numbers against your son. If he scores too high...he doesn't qualify because he is on par with peers...if he scores too low...he doesn't qualify for certain therapies because he has for example a mentally retarded diagnosis which may not entitle him to summer school/camp.

I have to think the insurance company would love to prove your son's treatment is not necessary and therefore they should not pay for it. The IQ testing may be their way to prove he no longer qualifies.

Well, first you have to recognize that the school district and the medical community are two different things. No matter what your doctor does the school is going to want to do it themselves, and no matter what your school does, the doctor and health insurance are going to want to do their own thing. My son receives OT privately that is covered by our health insurance and based on a referral by his psychologist, but the school district has yet to have him tests, though he receives other services and has an IEP. (We will be addressing this again in the Fall!)

The other thing to consider is that an intelligence test (at least a good one) is so much more that just that one IQ score. It tests all aspects of knowledge and learning to get an overall picture of what your son excels at and what he struggles with. What he excels at is a part of who he is, and knowing this will help any specialist working with him. Keep in mind also that many children with autism will have areas of learning that are extremely high (gifted) and areas that are real struggles. There's a name for that (can't remember it), and knowing whether or not this is true of your son will help the specialists you seek privately as well as the specialists at school.

I try hard not to be leery of most evaluations. Knowledge is power, and this is an example of specialists seeking more knowledge so as to be more helpful to your son.

We had to do IQ tests on our two youngest to receive services, as well as to satisfy insurance company issues. Depending on how things move forward in your son's life, it likely won't be the last one, either. Having a psych eval has been crucial to getting services for our kids, and it is pretty difficult to do an initial psych eval without including an IQ test.

Yeah, it sucks. Yeah, the test is long. Yeah, we too had to travel a distance to get ours done (especially the 1st one). Yeah, we were very worried on how the boys would even make the trip to get there since their moods/behaviors change from minute to minute. However, if you are expecting the insurance company to pay for services, this comes part and parcel with the deal (sucks - like the premiums aren't high enough, then they stick conditions on it before they will pay out). And, in the future, this evaluation is something you will be asked for again and again.

The one thing that is very important is that you do not know what the future will hold for your son. I didn't think that initial evaluation was anything but a damn annoyance for me and my kids. Thank GOD I had it done when my youngest went from mildly violent to extremely violent in a short period of time - without that evaluation, he could not have received the services he did and we could not have received the help we needed. I would have never of guessed that this was going to happen when he was 8 (that's how old he was when we had the first eval done).

Put on your game face . . . you can do this!

It is just a test. You may not see it as beneficial but unless you see it as harmful, why not? You sound like you are almost afraid it will show he doesn't have a high IQ but so what if he doesn't? It won't change who he is.

You sound like the people that fight the autism diagnosis as if somehow not making it official makes it possible it is not true.

My son has been tested several times. One way they used it was a measure of his ability to understand. Not sure if that makes sense but he bombed it at 4, and 5, by 6 he was testing as average. I honestly don't care what it is these days, he is 16 by the way. Thing with intelligence tests it is a form of communication. The better he communicates, the better he tests. It isn't his intelligence that changed over the years, it was his ability to understand the test.

Per your edit, that was just me explaining the vibe I got. I am glad I am wrong. I personally find it sad when people fear explanations. I am very ADHD myself and you wouldn't know it meeting me. That is all because of my understanding exactly how my brain functions best. I understand that IQ analysis can be used in bad ways. As a child I was never diagnosed but lord my mom loved to get my IQ tested. Quite high, my mom's take away, you are a genius but you can't get your homework done, you are lazy. That isn't very helpful is it?

Anyway, have you asked if the tester could come to you? You are not going to get accurate results under those conditions. That would be my first course of action, second would be booking a hotel so he can relax and take the test the next day.

Why do you hesitate to have the testing? All any of the testing does is give providers and caregivers a better understanding of who he is and what he might need to flourish. That's it.

That said, he might be very bright, but that won't change his needs.

Finally, I see you have OT and ST for him, but consider that he might also qualify for SSI disability monies, which would help you to care for him, and gain access to more services and respite care if you ever have need.

The reason they are requiring the IQ test (it's probably a "cognitive abilities test" which is not actually a monolithic thing there are several makers of these tests and they will use one appropriate for his age) is that level cognitive ability is part of the diagnostic criteria for ASD.

The potential benefit to your son is that the test may show that he has ability BEYOND his achievement in particular areas that up to now you've accepted as his areas of weakness. In that case, he would qualify for academic services and interventions specific to those areas to bridge the gaps.

Cognitive abilities testing does not just give you a number. The testing will have several subtests that test his processing skills in a variety of ways (ie working memory, verbal processing, spacial reasoning etc.) The scores in each of these will help you, his therapists, and teachers better understand HOW he is intelligent, and adapt instruction and experiences so he can best receive them.

Aside from that, it's part of getting the diagnosis. If no IQ testing was ever done up to now, it is what it is. If you want them to cover services under an ASD diagnosis you have to let them make sure he gets that diagnosis.

Its not fun, but it is what it is.

HTH
T.

I"m glad you clarified because I was thinking you thought he'd test low and that would disappoint you. It came across sort of like that.

They need the numbers to justify their paying for his therapies and medical needs. If he scores low it won't make any difference, he'll still be who he is.

The lower numbers will do one of two things. It will influence how much money they'll spend and if they don't think it will help him overall. If they think it won't be worth the cost then they might say no to something. BUT if it's lower they might pay more for therapies and stuff so he can have as many opportunities for growth and development as he ages.

SO for them...it's a necessary thing and any time you switch insurance companies or they get their insurance through another company within their options they might need to do more tests and more tests. They are paying for lots of things and they can ask for any tests they want at any time.

We just went through this and in our case it was just part of the overall testing. Maybe it's just standard procedure.