Wechsler Test In/around Maple Valley?

Early intervention is common at this age. Check with Child Care Resources and Referrals in Kent www.childcare.org. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

You could also check www.parenthelp123.org or http://thrivebyfivewa.org Both of these websites have lists of referrals to get you started.

Good for you advocating for your child! Hope you find what you're looking for!

Added: Ooooh, I just found a phone number for a free developmental screening from the Family Health Hotline. 1-800-322-2588

Hi C.,

I am a clinical psychologist (currently staying home now but practiced for a very long time).

If you find a child or clinical psychologist who will do the testing with your child, in most cases, it won't be just the IQ test but a full battery of tests. This will take a good deal of time, over several appointments, and it will cost a great deal. Insurance will most likely not cover the cost of testing in this case because there really isn't a significant presenting problem.

When I say there is not a significant presenting problem, what I mean is (unless I'm missing something) that a three year-old showing some trouble focusing during sports activities is pretty common, pretty expected, and unless he is showing other signs of difficulty in other areas where it is interfering with his day to day functioning or normal development, there is not much to really assess.

Most psychologists who do child assessment are so busy testing kids with developmental and cognitive delays and other serious behavioral issues that you may find you have a very long wait time. I don't know about your location, but in our area, a child with serious problems may be on a waiting list of one, two months or more for the best child psychologists and pediatric neuropsychologists.

The test you're speaking of is the "gold standard" when it comes to intelligence testing in the preschool set. Even though the test itself has a very long history with good reliability and validity, nearly all professionals recognize that the results in the preschool age category can be somewhat unreliable due to a variety of factors. So, it is unlikely that you'll find a reputable pscyh who will get you in quickly, give one test, and send you off with your IQ score.

Someone mentioned a mensa or on-line tests. These tests are not used for clinical or diagnostic purposes. Avoid them.

Talk to your pediatrician. Share your concerns and observations, and if necessary, he/she can make referrals to the psychologist.

Best to you and your son.

J. F.

C.,
I don't know the area. But I glanced back at the list of your previous posts and saw that your son is basically 3. Is that correct? And you and his Dad are not together, also correct?

I am pretty sure that there aren't many avenues to pursue IQ testing for kids his age. Yeah, I saw the article online a few weeks back about the newest Mensa member being 2 yrs old... But here is what I do know. If you wait until your child is in school, they can test him then, and likely will if you follow up with them about any GATE/TAG type programs available. And if you choose to pursue having him testing privately, it will cost you big $$. It isn't something you can call up and have done for $200. I believe it is closer to the thousands range.
Also, testing done at the early ages (like your son, or really before age 5 or 6) is VERY unreliable.

I would suggest that you wait a bit, and maybe consider that some of his actions may be related to the fact that Dad doesn't live with him. Many kids act out or have behavior issues when trying to deal with split households. I am not at all suggesting that he isn't bright...only that it doesn't necessarily help to know that, if he behavior issues are related to a split family. I doubt that at 3 yrs old, he is challenging to deal with because he knows more than his Tball coach is teaching him.
Most kids, high IQ, at 3, are just sponges soaking up every available bit of information they can get their hands on and BEGGING for more to be given to them, and that can be frustrating to deal with. But it sounds like trouble focusing at Tball and gymnastics isn't from a lack of things to occupy his brain.
And frankly, your sister may have been ADD/ADHD AND a genius. Often times, in fact, MOST times, kids at that level of IQ have co-conditions. ADD/ADHD being quite common.

Whether you go for an IQ test or not - here are my two cents:
consider that you are having your son in the wrong programs.

I have had my pre-schooler in several different "classes": music, soccer, dance, you name it - since toddlerhood. The one overarching experience I have made is that good pre-school age teachers are rare in these programs. My DD's soccer coach cannot for her life get a handle on the boys in the group. She is young, inexperienced and just has no idea how to manage the group - I am sure she would do great with a group of 8 year old girls, but she just cannot do preschoolers.
If my DD had not been begging to stay in the program (and it's pretty cheap) I would have long pulled her.
Another time we did dance class, we stuck with it for three months but I could tell after two weeks that it wasn't a good fit. The teacher just didn't connect with DD and the group was too large, too much waiting in line for one's turn for a three year old....

We have been with some great programs and teachers as well! So consider that this actually isn't your son's problem but a sign that either the program or the coach are either not a good fit or just not really experienced in working with preschoolers.
Good luck!