99th Centile underlying ability but slow processing

[bigbum7]

Hi,

as the title of the thread suggests my child who has ADHD had a dyslexia assessment as recommended by school. Initial thoughts are no dyslexia but need to wait for full report.
Child is in 99th centile for both verbal and spacial assessment but handwriting is slow suggesting poor visual & motor processing.

Would a handwriting tutor help with this? Or do I need to look into someone who can help with visual and motor integration?

Looking for reccomendations west of London, bucks/berks/oxfordshire.

TIA

Is your child on adhd meds as that is best solution in my experience with disparity between exceptional IQ and processing speeds/outcome?

Good luck, I have a somewhat similar conundrum in my life (10yo). I hope you don't mind me lurking in the hope of useful information.

Yes, has been on meds for 18months now. Could possibly need a tweak due to growth and pre-puberty.

Thank you! Lurk away, I’d be glad if any answers can help others.

did the IQ test not give you centiles for processing speeds so you can see the disparity and see if entitled to support?

I’m waiting for the full report.
In terms of being entitled to support do you mean intervention at school? My child already does this once a week and I think all in school options are likely exhausted at this point. They’re currently in Y5.

negotiate 25% extra time and use of a keyboard in exams. If the report does not recommend this, go back to the assessor and ask for a revised report to include it. Then speak to the SEN coordinator in school so that it is recognised as his normal mode of work before exam years. If he can't already touch-type get a touch-typing package like EnglishType and make sure he works through it.
You can't really change processing speed or handwriting speed much, so what you need are accommodations that will allow him to work around them.

Thank you extrastrongmints.

I should get the report before the start of the summer term. Currently in the throes of looking at secondary schools and was hoping that they would pass the GS 11+. Will need to check their criteria for allowing for extra time.

I was a bit overwhelmed yesterday as I have always thought my child is very bright (as every parent does). Have been told by the assessor that the report will be very useful for secondary school statements, but feel how useful can it be if time is a limitation in showing their ability.

My DD is (according to the medical professionals!) extremely bright but with processing speed on the 1st centile. She had 50% extra time in her a-levels, though it took some effort to get it! Her handwriting is also incredibly slow and she was given the option of typing instead of writing.

Secondary schools should be able to support this - it is something that they should recognise and have support in place for.

My DD is thriving at university - slow processing is manageable if you know what helps and can encourage support.

My DD (9) has also scored with low processing speed in the dyslexia screening test but high in all other areas. We were told on the basis of this she is unlikely to be dyslexic and, even if she was, this would not qualify her for extra time when exams come around as she needs 3 scores under 85 on her profile (she has one of 86 for visual processing and the rest are around 131 on the GL.quick screening test). I think she is very bright but this is not always reflected in her work due to slow processing, organisation and misreading questions. We were told that it may be due to ADD but it is quite a mission to have this tested for and v expensive so wondering whether to or not. But it is frustrating because having slow processing is clearly a very clear reason to need extra time in exams and fear that without it she will not reach her potential.

@Poppet77 are there other signs of ADD/ADHD? If so, it's worth getting on a waiting list now, so that you have a diagnosis before GCSEs (as ridiculous as that sounds!). Ds got 25% extra time on the basis of his diagnosis, although not 50% like @handmademitlove as his school insisted no one really gets that, even though he never finishes exams even with the extra time!

I would say that ds was a very slow writer at primary school, but I think he has sped up since - it's just the slow processing and distractibility that are the issues now.

My son scored in the bottom 7% processing, as they were looking for an explanation of his poor performance at school given his very high ability - top 1% and 2% verbal and non-verbal. He has adhd and dyslexia. We tried medication for a while at secondary school, but it is difficult to get it right, and he couldn’t eat or sleep. He’s now 17 and soon to finish year 13 and pursue his big dreams in the arts. His handwriting is still horrendous, difficulties are still there and there are many struggles but we are getting there.

this is very informative:
https://www.davidsongifted.org/gifted-blog/understanding-diagnosing-and-coping-with-slow-processing-speed/