Low IQ, but normal adaptive functioning skills

[Guest Kthrnortega83]

My now 10 year old son was recently diagnosed with having Mild MR based on an IQ and some other tests. However all is adaptive functioning skills were within normal range. From what I've read a person has to have significant difficulty with adaptive functioning on top of the low IQ scores. So I'm confused, I don't know how they could label my son as Mild MR if his adaptive skills are fine. Any ideas? Also, I would really like to hear stories about how your child was diagnosed, what were the symptoms etc and did you find out the cause?

[RamonaQ]

I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about this type of diagnosis. I am just wondering if there are other underlying deficiencies that could be pulling the IQ scores down. For example expressive/ receptive language could pull the score down (and in fact, this very same thing happened to a friend of mine...her son was diagnosed with mild MR but it was an expressive/ receptive language issue for her son). Are there any large discrepancies between scores (processing speed maybe?)

 

I wish you all the best as you research this...

[Ottakee]

That is generally true.

 

My oldest son though has an IQ about 55 but has GREAT social/adaptive skills. Quite often people have to know him for a bit before picking up on the fact that he has special needs. He can race dirtbikes (the big boy 450s) and win. He can build many things, run power tools, converse well with people of all ages................but if you ask him 6+6 or how much change he should get back, etc. he is LOST. He has fetal alcohol.

 

Some of the high adaptive skills could come from very good parenting and exposure and teaching in many different settings. This is not to say that kids with low IQ don't get this but it can make a huge difference in day to day functioning.

[geodob]

The new DSM-5 will be published within the next 2 weeks. Where the term MR Mental Retardation will disappear and be replaced with IDD: Intellectual Developmental Disorder.

 

Though another crucial change, is with the diagnosis?

Where Adaptive Functioning will be used for the diagnosis.

While an IQ test will be also be given, this will just be used to gain an understanding of their learning abilities.

But the actual IQ score, will no longer be a criteria in the diagnosis.

Where the focus has shifted entirely to the Adaptive Functioning scores.

 

So given that your sons Adapting Functioning Skills were in the normal range.

With the release of DSM-5, your son will no longer qualify as MR or IDD.

[quiltymamma]

So how will the new diagnosis affect the kids? I have a daughter very similar to the son mentioned above. She has not been tested yet (apparently she is too young -5) but we can see already, her adaptive and social skills are "normal" but she is still having trouble learning to count to 10 and still does not know her alphabet. All in her bio-family have learning disabilities or low IQ. We are concerned about how to be able to teach her, because traditional methods so far just don't work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Alessandra]

So how will the new diagnosis affect the kids? I have a daughter very similar to the son mentioned above. She has not been tested yet (apparently she is too young -5) but we can see already, her adaptive and social skills are "normal" but she is still having trouble learning to count to 10 and still does not know her alphabet. All in her bio-family have learning disabilities or low IQ. We are concerned about how to be able to teach her, because traditional methods so far just don't work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

One thing in your post jumped out at me -- 'too young to be tested.' There are a number of tests fro preschool age children (and younger). One is the WPPSI -- it's like a WISC, but for preschool. If testers choose not to use WPPSI, there are other developmental tests that can be used.