So every 5 years or so my son has to have an IQ test so he can continue to qualify for services he receives such as respite and day camp during the Summer. Well, yesterday I took off work to take him to his testing. The highlight for me was being able to sit outside the room and listen in on the testing. Autism has such a wide range of effects and it is always interesting to me to hear/see how my son interprets things we may take for granted. I am always astounded by how his brain works and I was not disappointed! One of the questions she asked was red and green are examples of.....and after he echoed her words she told him the answer....colors. After several question/answers he seemed to get it. My favorites were gas/food are examples of.....his answer...convenience store! Makes sense to me! Another one, car/boat....his answer....gas and oil. I get that one too! My favorite was defining words. This boy can spell correctly many words with many syllables but defining for him is difficult. However, he was creative on this one....curious. His answer...George the monkey and Alice in Wonderland! Needless to say, he remains in the mild retardation category and I am okay with that. The biggest compliment of all was the test givers complete joy in working with him and telling me how polite and wonderful he was to test. At 6 feet and some odd inches he is the biggest kid she had tested in a while!! I was so proud of my gentle giant and HE was so proud of himself too. He often tells me "no Autism" and I want him to know that it is just a box that is checked on a form that helps him get the help he needs...it doesn't define who HE is. He is so much more than a label. It was inspiring to get a glimpse into his thought processes and it makes me realize how much he really DOES know and understands and can relate to. In a month, this boy becomes an adult, and I look forward to all the wonderful things that lay ahead of him!
