Tade and Funmi are in their late thirties with three children – however, there seem to be something different about their last baby Q. Q is a child born in the hospital especially since they’ve known a lot about child bearing before his pregnancy, so during his, every detail was followed from antenatal appointments to only doctor’s prescribed drug use and even the vaccinations. Since they are working class couple by 6 months he was taken to crèche and it was at this point that his career told the mum on day that Q at 1 year seems to be finding it difficult to propel himself around, doesn’t roll over (stays as he is kept on the bed all day), is not making baby talks and overly quiet, doesn’t respond when talked to though loud sounds makes him cry most of the time, doesn’t try to reach for objects out of his reach and immediately gives up while other children try to crawl towards objects out of reach or at least cry for it which Q doesn’t do.
Tade insisted nothing is wrong with his son because he heard from his mum that he had some delays at birth, however, Funmi decided to pay more attention and discovered Q cannot stand even when supported, doesn’t search for things he can see she’s hiding, doesn’t say single words like “Mama” – “Dada”, doesn’t mimic gestures like waving or shaking head that older siblings did at that age. She started talking to older women (Mum, aunties, friends) and they told her to wait, to pray, go to prayer centers and by the age of three it was obvious that there are some differences between him and other children his age. Finally, she decided to take her to see a pediatrician who after detailed history required her to have Intelligence Test (IQ assessment) among other tests.
She started wondering is it possible to actually know the intelligence level of a person?
In reference to the case study, it is important to understand what Intellectual Disability (ID) is. It is one of the disorders in a group called Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDs). NDs are disorders that start in the developmental period of life often times before a child enters grade school and are characterized by developmental deficits which make real living /functioning difficult. These deficits can be from specific limitations or control to global functions of social skills or adaptive skills to wide range intelligence – sometimes they co-occur with other NDs i.e. Autism showing up with intellectual disability or ADHD with other learning disorders.
However, ID is often defined as when there are deficits in general mental abilities and impairments in everyday adaptive functioning in comparison with age, gender and sociocultural environment beginning at the developmental stage often based on clinical assessment and standardized testing of intellectual and adaptive functions.
Standardized test application is one of the areas where a Clinical Psychologist comes to fore. There are many assessment tools for the objective identification of a person’s level of intellectual functioning from birth to old age and each specific for different deficits and purposes. These tests are into different age bands and are applicable for different deficits i.e. a child not talking might be measured with Wechsler nonverbal test of ability while the same age band child that is talking but hyperactive would be better assessed with Pictorial Test of Intelligence and another with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children V. Furthermore, there are factors that can affect test result such as ‘Flynn effect’, ‘communication effect’ etc. which indicates why only appropriately trained and knowledgeable neuropsychologist does these assessments for accurate results whether in children or adults.
Finally, testing is incomplete if there is no concrete rehabilitation plan from the assessment – recommendations to commence rehabilitation and monitor changes to get the best out of life for those with disabilities. So, don’t just complain about a child that is not doing well in school whether in Preschool – Primary – Secondary – University – Life goals. Know the intellectual capabilities of the child.
This is one of the services provided by Diamondmoor Psychological Consult and Services where we can boldly affirm availability of a very wide range of testing kits and materials which are up to date from Wechsler – Kaufman – nonverbal tests – pictorial test and many more. Contact us 081 2827 6962, +234 2291 4084.
{The Story above is absolutely fictitious; any resemblance to any client at any facility is coincidental and not intentional.}