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<p>Ds has always had much higher verbal than non-verbal abilities.</p>
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<p>He's gifted in reading/language as tested both by achievement and the WISC for children (we're taking part in a research study on ADHD (we're controls) and they tested him for that).</p>
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<p>But for non-verbal scales he's NOT gifted. We just got back test scores from the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability test that they give in 3rd and 5th grade in our school. (We have a lot of English language learners, and so they hope to catch gifted kids who may not yet have strong language skills.) When ds took it in 3rd grade, he was in the 53rd percentile. 2 years later, he's in the 43rd percentile. I have no doubt that this is accurate. Ds has never willingly built anything, never played with Legos, never done puzzles. He'll happily debate my ear off, has got a great sense of verbal humor (he can do puns swifter than I can!), and can find a loop-hole in anything.</p>
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<p>My question is: Is the discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal abilities something to worry about? And indication of something more than average ability in visual-spatial stuff?</p>
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<p>I'm OK if he's just never going to be an engineer or an architect. I'm sure he can live a long and happy life never doing jigsaw puzzles. But, if this is an indication of a learning issue, then I'd rather address it now, at age 10, than wait until he reaches high school.</p>
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<p>Thoughts?</p>
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<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He's gifted in reading/language as tested both by achievement and the WISC for children (we're taking part in a research study on ADHD (we're controls) and they tested him for that).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But for non-verbal scales he's NOT gifted. We just got back test scores from the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability test that they give in 3rd and 5th grade in our school. (We have a lot of English language learners, and so they hope to catch gifted kids who may not yet have strong language skills.) When ds took it in 3rd grade, he was in the 53rd percentile. 2 years later, he's in the 43rd percentile. I have no doubt that this is accurate. Ds has never willingly built anything, never played with Legos, never done puzzles. He'll happily debate my ear off, has got a great sense of verbal humor (he can do puns swifter than I can!), and can find a loop-hole in anything.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My question is: Is the discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal abilities something to worry about? And indication of something more than average ability in visual-spatial stuff?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm OK if he's just never going to be an engineer or an architect. I'm sure he can live a long and happy life never doing jigsaw puzzles. But, if this is an indication of a learning issue, then I'd rather address it now, at age 10, than wait until he reaches high school.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>