Thursday, October 25, 2012
31 for 21 - iq Testing
We have decided not to allow iq testing for K. I admit, I'm kind of curious as to how she would do but I'm also afraid that she would be denied the few bits & pieces of help she's received through the school. I'm not concerned about OT & PT but I do like the speech therapy (even though they are few & far between) as well as some of the supplies like the Handwriting Without Tears program & oral motor tools we're able to use through the school.
Here is the response that I wrote on the subject on an online forum today:
I have watched this subject with interest whenever it has come up on various boards over the last few years.
First of all, these tests are generally not designed to adapt to kids with any sort of speech delay. If your child has any speech delay it will be noted as a cognitive delay.
Iq tests are only indicative of your child's ability to take the iq test & only an indicator of that ability on the the actual day of the test - they may score higher or lower if doing the test on another day.
These tests are often used to deny services if the score is higher or to "prove" that a child doesn't have the ability to learn certain things if they score lower.
I see no reason why my daughter can't be tested in the same way as her older sisters in order to identify her strengths & weaknesses in order to teach her appropriately.
The Canadian Down syndrome Society has released a position statement in this subject:
www.cdss.ca/positioning/positioning...
I will be providing a copy of this to the school when it comes time for me to refuse this test.
What are your thoughts on iq testing?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Did you see my post on this this morning? I agree with you about how our kids may/may not test well on a certain day, but the person who will do Samantha's test said she uses a variety of tests (depending on what the child responds best to), with either us or her aide in the room with her for comfort, and will let it take as many sessions as it needs to, not just on one day. Here in the US we're also reliant on an IQ test score to get her on a waitlist for supports and services through the state when she's aged out of the school system. http://thebatesmotel3.blogspot.com/2012/10/day-25-to-test-or-not-to-test-that-is.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Becca:)
ReplyDeleteI did read your post but not until I had already posted this - someone posted a link on the forum that I commented on originally.
I can see how it may be necessary to have testing done if you require services & can't get them otherwise. We aren't in this position here & I'm grateful for that.
I'm also grateful that our Canadian DS association supports my position - what better organization to have behind me when this discussion comes up at school? :)
I'm guessing that many states (& provinces here in Canada) do things differently too. I've heard many stories where iq tests have been used to deny services or to refuse to reach depending on how high or low the results were. My daughter gets very few services as it is so I'd hate to jeopardize that.
Thanks again for sharing your point of view:)
I agree. I don't think such testing can possibly give the full picture, and once a score is obtained, it's an automatic label.
ReplyDelete