United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Have any of your kids had an IQ test? What were the subtest scores?
Tricia's Verbal Comprehension, Working Memory and Processing Speed scores were all within the average range. Perceptual Resasoning was well below average. According to the school pychologist, Perceptual Reasoning involves position in space, directional relationships, spacial relationships and visual details.
Seems to me that these are all right brain/left brain issues and closely related to some of the issues our kids deal with.

Hello,
My son is in 1st grade. We had him tested last year. We were shocked at his results. He scored very high in math, reading. He scored very low in spatial relationships, copying lines, doing puzzles, mazes. His neurologist recommended cognitive thereapy. We did that last summer. Most of it was puzzles, parketry, copying 3d images, picking out which picture was different. Well the first day he could hardly do the basics. By the end of the summer, he was at 2nd grade level. One year later, I can see the difference in his handwriting, he can now draw (kindergarten was no drawing). Also the therapy helped his reading ability. He is now in 1st grade but reads 5th grade level and reading comprehension is at 3rd grade level. His kindergarten teacher practically failed him (sept-Jan), now his 1st grade teacher is recommending gifted class next year. It is amazing what left/right hand brain therapy can do. We always knew he was very bright, so when he had so much difficutly in written work in kindergarten we took him on our own to get tested. After the Iq test, his neuorologist tole us that he is a very bright boy, he even gets complex issues, but he has trouble with basic skills. In primary school, is all basic skills. So we had to "fine" tune his basic skills. It worked, a year later we are truely amazed at what he is doing on his own.

who did the therapy for your child or what methods/ books institutions for the cognitive therapy

They did IQ testing with our daughter when she entered the special ed program. She scored very high all around. She has been very interested in mazes from an early age. She would get frustrated at first trying to stay in the lines. With practice she has improved. She is 4 now. For the last year or so, if I bring home a maze book she will sit for hours until she has done the whole thing. (I don't think I could sit that long doing them She shows a slight preference in handedness for her injured arm, but tends to be pretty "Whole brained". I am a teacher and have read a lot on brain research in relationship to learning styles. Some will argue weather or not it is an inheritied trait. I know in my family though we have many ambedextrius (sorry if I spelled it wrong)individuals including my mother and myself. Some people are wired to be strongly right or strongly left brain. Activities that encourage crossing the midline of the body can help with overcoming some of the obsticals with spacial relationships.

Brittney is gifted (that's what they call it here - her IQ is well over 140 - had her tested at age of three because it was pretty obvious, but her physical stuff has always been delayed - like skipping, jumping, walking a line - it has of course gotten better as she has gotten older though and now she is right in there with her physical stuff too. My youngest is not gifted - but does well (A's and B's) and her reasoning skills - well - I'm worried about them! (love her so much but .....she'd be the one to jump off a bridge if someone told her that it wouldn't hurt.....)

It is so hard with this injury to know what is related to the injury and what is just the way it is supposed to be. I personally just go with 'this is the way it is - not injury related' most of the time and not try to think if it is injury related because it doesn't matter anyway really - what matters is helping them get stronger in their weaker areas. Both of my kids just think so differently - but yet are so much alike. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that maybe it is not about your child's injury. I probably didn't help much here - but I tried!:)
Christy