The list serve for Autism Link sent out an email weeks back on a Newsweek article by Sharon Begley titled "The Puzzle of Hidden Ability." It was about the "unfairness"of using the standard I.Q. test for disabled people like autistics to measure intelligence since the test is highly verbal and requires a kind of social reciprocity... and autistics have serious issues with both (otherwise they wouldn't be autistic, hmm?). "Testing autistic kids' intelligence in a way that requires them to engage with a stranger 'is like giving a blind person an intelligence test that requires him to process visual information,' says Michelle Dawson of Rivière-des-Prairies Hospital in Montreal."http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20226463/site/newsweek/
And I can see their point. There are amazing little things these kids will do that seem to come out of nowhere. From the beginning of his therapies when he was 3-4 years old, Alex showed skills that neurotypical children his age did not have. Some things, actually, that even most adults couldn't do. Like being able to keep some 12-15 plastic eggs all spinning on their pointy ends at the same time for 30 minutes.
I didn't say it would be "useful."
I'd like to note that the part of Alex's diagnosis "mental retardation unspecified" was so because he was, at the time, completely untestable. His teachers who see/run his school work and ABA programs insist he is not MR. That, actually, there are moments when he's just too clever. Lull them into comfortable complacency then wham! The little stinker likes to keep them on their toes (especially whenever there's a new therapist on board). But they tell me one of his strengths is patterns.
In comes the Newsweek article and the I.Q. test known as Raven's Progressive Matrices. Raven's measures the two main components of general intelligence: eductive ability (the ability to think clearly and make sense of complexity) and reproductive ability (the ability to store and reproduce information). "The Wechsler (standard I.Q.) measures 'crystallized intelligence'—what you've learned. The Raven's measures 'fluid intelligence'—the ability to learn, process information, ignore distractions, solve problems and reason—and so is arguably a truer measure of intelligence, says psychologist Steven Stemler of Wesleyan University." Participants have to identify the missing segment required to complete a larger pattern.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven's_Progressive_Matrices
Alex has not taken it but I will see if the school district has the version for children (there are several) available. The point isn't that I'm grasping at straws, hoping that he isn't really MR. Actually I find it easier to tell people Alex is MR when he acts up in public (less and less so thank goodness) because they can understand "mentally retarded" and I don't get the "Can't you control your child?" comments. But it helps me (and I need reminding some days!) and others to understand that he does have intelligence, potential and, more, to take the time to find out exactly what his strengths are and build on them. In the darkest moments, it's Hope.
Now I never wanted to take the I.Q. test myself in case it popped my delusional but happy bubble of competency and brought to the world's attention my raging stupidity. But, I did take a few minutes to take a sample test that mimics Raven's...
http://iqtest.dk/main.swf
P.S. If you're curious... I scored a 115
