"Mildly Deficient"?

My psychiatrist also said that biofeedback has worked wonderful for some of his clients, especially those with ADHD and/or Anxiety. I was thinking about trying it out for myself! My anxiety levels sometimes hit the roof!!Good suggestion

I was tested with an IQ of 146. I don't advertise this much because people automatically assume that I'm some sort of genius. The truth is that I barely got out of high school. IQ scores are, to me, interperative.

Warning: I tend to go off topic after the intial high IQ paragraphs. My husband is like you. His IQ was off the charts on one of the IQ tests. He would have to take another one that goes higher. He is at least 155+ and almost beat out the Mensa test (he only took it to get connections for jobs).He thinks those tests are stupid as well and show nothing really. I have talked with other geniuses and they seem to have the same attitude. I test people for living, school psychologist, and I do believe those tests hold some stock in really high functioning individuals. My husband is very quick witted, is highly skilled in math, computers, written and spoken language. He was so quick on the nonverbal tests it amazed me (and kind of ticked me off at the same time because I always thought he was a little slower in processing speed). He seemed slow but did it so quickly. He only seemed slow because he didn't have the 'rushed' attitude that I probably would have had. I would love to test Wayne Brady! That man has got to have one of the highest IQ test scores! He is so smart...just a side note.I don't take much stock in IQ tests with certain children I have tested due to the various interferences that could occur during testing. However, if a child does continue to score around the same each time, then I feel it is accurate. However, what does it really show. I do believe in those tests, however, for lower functioning individuals but I don't use them to "predict" how a person is going to be in life when tested at a younger age. I have heard to many horror stories from parents about what they have been told by other psychologists when their child was tested in the first grade....horrible! What gives me or anyone else the right to really "predict" anything. Each person is different. I got into this profession to show individuals that whatever the tests show, it really doesn't define the person...everyone has such unique gifts that they could share with the world.

That it seems most Mensa and other high IQ individuals barely graduate from college and most work in post offices, convience stores and the such...they seem very happy. I know of a few.

The security guard at the office I worked at, was a member of Mensa, spoke 9 languages and was perfectly happy at his barely more than minimum wage job, buzzing people in the door.

I'm a reporter. Perfectly happy. So many people told me I should be a doctor because I'm "so smart." Not all people with my IQ should be doctors. Just my opinion!

It seems that people like me "average to above average," my guess - certainly in no way a genius, seem to strive or keep going in school or want to get that promotion etc...have this extra drive and lack contentment (this is a complete generalization, I know). It seems that a lot of the Mensa, high IQ people are more content with the jobs mentioned like security guard, post office, etc. By the way, that security guard can speak 9 languages? Really? I thought my husband was really smart, but that guy sounds scary smart. Is he from the U.S.? If he is from Europe, it would still be impressive but a little more understandable. Just curious. As for being a reporter? That does takes intelligence and I personality consider that on par with being a doctor since a lot of doctors would never be able to write like a reporter (I currently work with doctors). I know I couldn't be a reporter and am quiet impressed with some of their writing skills and the ability to take a story, organize it and come up with a great article quickly (some do stink but I am sure you don't fit in that category). If it seems very easy for you, than a lot of things probably would... WOW. My husband often tells me that he often wishes he were of "average to above average" intelligence. He hasn't let go of the thought that he has been given a gift and needs to use it to "change the world" in some way. I think that's the reason he sometimes experiences deep depression. I would be perfectly happy if he would just be content. He is learning, though. He also hates not being able to relate to most people (we have learned to relate to each other; he just doesn't talk trivia with me) His mind is like a sponge. I don't even know where he gets all of his knowledge from; we do the same things together, watch the same TV program, etc...but I guess my sponge is dry: ha ha. More related to the original topic: from my experience it seems that at least 50% of people with borderline intelligence also have that motivation/drive to succeed. A lot of it depends on upbringing, sometimes school experiences (sometimes if these kids are mad fun of, they just try harder to prove people wrong), and finding a passion. Finding that passion is sometimes very difficult for some of these individuals - I guess kind of like some of us really. Sorry, I am now rambling... will stop or I will go on forever.

When I was 7, a friend of my mom's was getting her master's in psychology and asked my mom if she could "borrow" me for testing. I thought it was just a game, and had the poor woman convinced I was a genius until my mom finally figured out that I could read the answers on the other side of the flip cards in the reflection of the woman's glasses. :clap: Hey, gotta give a kid credit for resourcefulness, right? ;) Anyway, back to the brief discussion on neurofeedback. I recently came across this doing some research for online computer games for kids to help improve their reading comprehension and processing complex and abstract ideas. I found a program that uses music beats that somehow "entrain" the brain (called "iMusic"). However, there were some positive reviews, but also negative ones. One guy even said it gave him headaches and nosebleeds the first few times he listened to it (while reading), and then stopped "working." (Supposedly it helps you "focus" more and understand/remember more difficult material like textbooks.) Has anyone heard of this? Is it real? (It reminded me of the movie "Lawnmower Man" with Pierce Brosnan!) It, too, had to do with increasing Alpha, Beta, etc. brainwaves and increasing focus (for people with ADHD). From what I could find, there has been some success with these types of programs, but neurofeedback is insanely expensive ($50-$125/session, with an average of 80-130 sessions!). The iMusic software was $89 PER CD (and they have one for every area of the brain...for reading and focus, for deep sleep, for creativity, for exercise/weight loss, for math and logic, etc.) Yes, if it works, I'll be the first to try it in our home! :D But it sounds like it's too good to be true to me, especially at that price. Does anyone know about this kind of software and the research behind it? Thanks! P.S. Our K (8) is improving in the areas of math and reading (can decode words very well), but she has NO CLUE what she has just read (poor memory and very poor comprehension!). Her grammar and sentence structure remains jumbled. We're just hoping to find something that will help her get over these hurdles.

I have three spec. needs kids. Two have tested. One tested first with soc. security for SSI. They told me she was 55 and near hopeless. Well being the determined mom I am (lol), I took both to neuropsych and had them tested. They both test at 70 consistently, which I am told is rare. This means they are "borderline" but remember, these tests are SUBJECTIVE and not made for special needs kids to begin with. Don't limit your child's potential due to this number (not saying you are, just saying I know seeing it on paper is a shocker!).

I agree with alot of what you say. Each child has a gift, it's finding and unlocking that gift. Let him/her explore as much as possible. My daughter is passionate about art. I didn't say great, but passionate and who knows where that can lead? Never limit a child, you may be surprised at the end of the path!

I've heard that lots of people with really high IQs have emotional & social problems, like lack of common sense & some of them (like lots of people with Aspergers) have very poor social skills. They're considered nerds & geeks & get teased, no one wants to be their friends.I personally think social skills & emotional intelligence is more important & valuable than above average IQ scores. I'd rather have a child with a "low average" IQ of 85-90 with good social skills, no emotional problems, & lots of friends than a kid with an IQ of 130 or higher with all the problems that go with it.

Our son was given a 52 IQ in kindergarten. He was being severly neglected. When he arrived at our home 1 1/2 years ago he was labeled cogn. Impaired. Put in spec. ed. with 8 students. He mimicked the other childrens behavior, especially in speech. I had him retested hoping to move him up to a learning disabled classroom. (oh by the way he was in third grade doing kindergarten work.he recieved a 65 this time, but was also dealing with a lot of emotional problems. Our school district would not move him up due to IQ test scores.He needed to have at least a 72 IQ. Luckily a new charter school opened just down the road from us. They believe in learning styles. He is in a reg. third grade class(we did hold him back because of maturity, and he is very small in stature)he recieves resource room help in only math,and since there is an IEP he has a slightly lower work load, but he has been on the honor roll all year! He went from spelling words like cat, bat, the to comprehension, interrogation, ect. He is also learning multiplication and division.I never would have thought this possible last year. He wouldn't even have a conversation with us, and answered every question with I don't know. We just did some training with Dr. Post's beliefs, and they now think these children that have been traumatized and labeled can change. When put in a safe and stable enviroment the brain can heal and begin to use different parts(hippacampus and cortex). When thses children arrive they usually only use the amygdala(the part that is fight or flight)part of the brain, so nothing can retain.Something like that. Dr. Post offers many books and such if you were interested in fing out more. Just don't give up, and keep raising that bar, if they can't reach it at least they were given the opportunity to try.

I teach special education, self-contained (they spend on average at least 20-25 hours of the week in my classroom) Mild Intellectual Disabilities. I expect my students to succed to the best of their abilities. I frequently ask them if they are smart, require them to use complete sentences, and try hard. We talk about what they want to be when they grow up and what you need to know to succed. If you don't expect much you won't get much, if you expect much they might just exceed you expectations. I also tell my parents that an IQ is just a snap shop of how their child is preforming on that day, not what they are capable of.

Amen. MY sister and I were talking about this the other night. I have an IQ of 131 and I almost failed 8th grade and 10th grade. We summed it up to the fact I was bored and uninterested in school my whole life. I was placed in slow reading and math classes, but excelled at everything else. A few years after I left high school, I went to college, got all A's and B's and made the Deans list with a 3.75 GPA. I graduated last year with my bachelor's and just missed graduating with honors because I turned in a graduation project a week late and got a C which brought my GPA down to a 3.5. IQ means nothing. I know some really high IQ'ed individuals who know NOTHING. All of my life, I thought I was stupid (sometimes I still think this), but today I realize that I was never challenged. I retain so much information but do not know how to utilize it and regurgitate it. I am in the middle of inquiring about a child and this is one of the things it says on her profile: slightly developmentally delayed I am not going to let it deter me. I have learned alot from you all here about nurturing, love and stable homes. And I know that once an adopted child has that safety net, they actually rebound and exceed the expectations that have been set for them. I want this child very badly and I do not want to be deterred from excepting her. My sister is a therapist and deals with these issues all day everyday, and I know she will tell me not to be interested. But I have my associates in Early/Elementary Education with a concentration in Special Education, so I know IQ is subjective and not a real indicator of a child's true mental ability or capacity and not 100% correct in assessing one's intelligence.

Progress note: K seems to be improving by leaps and bounds since we got her into private tutoring. They are teaching her HOW to organize and plan her responses, HOW to find clues in questions, etc. While it does take her longer to pick up on these things, once she gets them, she remembers them now. Woohoo! Her math has taken off (using "Touch Math" where they put dots or slashes on the numbers as they're counting them). Her language is still a struggle and we've started to keep a vocabulary-building list since there are lots of words she just doesn't know that she should at age 9 ("thief" and "aluminum can" for example). Phonetic spelling still isn't there, but she's able to practice and remember (visually) how the word looks. Finally, we've got her on Concerta, 36 mg now and that seemed to slow her down (she used to guess/shout out very wrong answers) and get her to focus. She'll stay at things alot longer now. She's still 1-2 years behind in many areas, but catching up. Woohoo!