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Our daughter came to live with us just weeks before her fourth birthday. After nine months of doctors’ appointments and evaluations, her previous foster family finally called it quits. They did not feel competent to deal with her special needs nor a mentally retarded child. They adopted her two younger sisters a couple of years later. We had provided respite a couple of times so we already knew her. We knew she was cute and sweet albeit a bit on the wild side, but so are most of our children. Originally thought to have an IQ in the mildly retarded range it has continued to increase over the years despite her FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) diagnosis. She also has been diagnosed over the last several years with severe ADD and a bi-polar disorder.
Like most learning disabled children she has had to work harder and longer than most students for less success. We have enrolled her in many special programs to increase her knowledge and abilities over the years. We have also utilized medications to help control her severe ADD and bi-polar disorder. Periodically, we have had her IQ retested. When she was about six, she tested close to 70 putting her on the boarder of mildly retarded. When she was tested at around 10 years old, she scored an 86 putting her in the low average range for intelligence.
Today she completed a series of test at our local public school. She took an IQ test, achievement test, and an adaptive behavior evaluation. I was shocked to learn that her IQ had increased again, now that she is nearly 15, to 92. I didn’t think it was possible to have an IQ increase. Granted, anyone can increase knowledge, but IQ typically remains stable. I asked the school psychiatrist this question. If her IQ is in the average range, why can’t she pass fourth grade classes? She explained that is where the learning disability comes in from lack of early stimulation, FAS, ADD, and bi-polar disorder.
How can her IQ increase? The school psychiatrist explained that her initial low scores were from a lack of exposure, not a low IQ. As her exposure continues to increase, it has finally reached the actual point of her IQ. Maybe it is the four years of one-on-one homeschooling and tutoring from mom. Seriously though, I am sure that have constant individual tutoring has benefited her greatly.
Photo Credit: 2006 Julia Fuller.
Actually, just the medication alone can help. Our psychiatrist told us that we could expect to see a jump in our child’s IQ scores, once she was on medication for a while (inattentive ADD). We did– about an increase of 10-12 points.