Is Cystic Fibrosis linked with High IQ?

[mamaScarlett]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>hmw</b></i>
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<br />I do think, personally, when it comes to some kind of 'link'... that it may be a perception of maturity more than actual intelligence (not to say that many with CF aren't bright- just as many without CF are also very bright.) I think this comes from a couple factors~ more interaction with adults (frequent hospitalizations, dr visits, etc) and in so many ways having to mature beyond their years from a very early age.</end quote>
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<br />My thoughts 100%.

 

[Rebjane]

Both of my children are very intelligent; is it nature vs. nuture? Is it a little of both? My daughter with CF is certainly mature, a side affect of having to deal with a chronic illness.

Skipping a grade will be something you have to consider seriously as a personal decision. I am not a huge proponent of grade skipping. Could your child just be involved with the gifted and talented program and not skip the grade?

 

[Rebjane]

Both of my children are very intelligent; is it nature vs. nuture? Is it a little of both? My daughter with CF is certainly mature, a side affect of having to deal with a chronic illness.

Skipping a grade will be something you have to consider seriously as a personal decision. I am not a huge proponent of grade skipping. Could your child just be involved with the gifted and talented program and not skip the grade?

 

[Rebjane]

Both of my children are very intelligent; is it nature vs. nuture? Is it a little of both? My daughter with CF is certainly mature, a side affect of having to deal with a chronic illness.
<br />
<br />Skipping a grade will be something you have to consider seriously as a personal decision. I am not a huge proponent of grade skipping. Could your child just be involved with the gifted and talented program and not skip the grade?

 

[Ratatosk]

Both DH and I come from families where there were certain expectations regarding grades and educational expecations. Everyone is expected to do well in school, go on to college... When DH took a year off from the University to work, his parents made him tell his Grandmother.

Neither DH and I had to work too hard in terms of studying & got good grades, though I don't think of myself as being smart. So far DS seems to be doing well in school, got above average #s on those MAP, "no child left behind" tests that drive me nuts. So I hope he takes after his father in terms of Math skills and his mother in terms of anything NOT math related.

As far as skipping grades...I would think long and hard about it. My sibling was reading at at 4th grade level in kindergarten, math at a 1st grade level, so she skipped a grade. Later on in life she didn't develop good studying skills and pretty much just coasted. My parents regretted having her skip, but at the time, we attended a small country school and there were very few options in terms of gifted or advanced programs.

 

[Ratatosk]

Both DH and I come from families where there were certain expectations regarding grades and educational expecations. Everyone is expected to do well in school, go on to college... When DH took a year off from the University to work, his parents made him tell his Grandmother.

Neither DH and I had to work too hard in terms of studying & got good grades, though I don't think of myself as being smart. So far DS seems to be doing well in school, got above average #s on those MAP, "no child left behind" tests that drive me nuts. So I hope he takes after his father in terms of Math skills and his mother in terms of anything NOT math related.

As far as skipping grades...I would think long and hard about it. My sibling was reading at at 4th grade level in kindergarten, math at a 1st grade level, so she skipped a grade. Later on in life she didn't develop good studying skills and pretty much just coasted. My parents regretted having her skip, but at the time, we attended a small country school and there were very few options in terms of gifted or advanced programs.

 

[Ratatosk]

Both DH and I come from families where there were certain expectations regarding grades and educational expecations. Everyone is expected to do well in school, go on to college... When DH took a year off from the University to work, his parents made him tell his Grandmother.
<br />
<br />Neither DH and I had to work too hard in terms of studying & got good grades, though I don't think of myself as being smart. So far DS seems to be doing well in school, got above average #s on those MAP, "no child left behind" tests that drive me nuts. So I hope he takes after his father in terms of Math skills and his mother in terms of anything NOT math related.
<br />
<br />As far as skipping grades...I would think long and hard about it. My sibling was reading at at 4th grade level in kindergarten, math at a 1st grade level, so she skipped a grade. Later on in life she didn't develop good studying skills and pretty much just coasted. My parents regretted having her skip, but at the time, we attended a small country school and there were very few options in terms of gifted or advanced programs.

 

[Buzz]

Skipping a grade can be difficult. I knew a kid who was moved up a year at 9, but was quite young for his age. At age 13/14 all the other kids were maturing 15 year olds, while he wasn't. The school ended up moving him back down, and he started to fail, as they got this really bright kid to do all the same stuff he had done a year before.

 

[Buzz]

Skipping a grade can be difficult. I knew a kid who was moved up a year at 9, but was quite young for his age. At age 13/14 all the other kids were maturing 15 year olds, while he wasn't. The school ended up moving him back down, and he started to fail, as they got this really bright kid to do all the same stuff he had done a year before.

 

[Buzz]

Skipping a grade can be difficult. I knew a kid who was moved up a year at 9, but was quite young for his age. At age 13/14 all the other kids were maturing 15 year olds, while he wasn't. The school ended up moving him back down, and he started to fail, as they got this really bright kid to do all the same stuff he had done a year before.
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[hmw]

Looking ahead to the potential difficulties that could be faced during puberty is something to be taken quite seriously. It may not be such a big deal to have a kid in one of the primary grades a little small for his/her size, but once you reach adolescence, esp if our kids are on the late side to reach puberty due to small size... being a year younger than everyone else to begin with might make that difference in size, physical maturity, etc even more glaringly apparent.

I'll just add- my 8th grader is just over the 10th% for height/about 25th% for weight and he looks TINY amongst his classmates and like he belongs in one of the younger grades. I couldn't imagine him among high school freshmen.

I'm not suggesting that this choice should be based only on this, but I know that I've read on the adult forum that growing up 'small', very thin, etc has been a common thing to feel very self-conscious about so I think it's a concern not to take lightly.

 

[hmw]

Looking ahead to the potential difficulties that could be faced during puberty is something to be taken quite seriously. It may not be such a big deal to have a kid in one of the primary grades a little small for his/her size, but once you reach adolescence, esp if our kids are on the late side to reach puberty due to small size... being a year younger than everyone else to begin with might make that difference in size, physical maturity, etc even more glaringly apparent.

I'll just add- my 8th grader is just over the 10th% for height/about 25th% for weight and he looks TINY amongst his classmates and like he belongs in one of the younger grades. I couldn't imagine him among high school freshmen.

I'm not suggesting that this choice should be based only on this, but I know that I've read on the adult forum that growing up 'small', very thin, etc has been a common thing to feel very self-conscious about so I think it's a concern not to take lightly.

 

[hmw]

Looking ahead to the potential difficulties that could be faced during puberty is something to be taken quite seriously. It may not be such a big deal to have a kid in one of the primary grades a little small for his/her size, but once you reach adolescence, esp if our kids are on the late side to reach puberty due to small size... being a year younger than everyone else to begin with might make that difference in size, physical maturity, etc even more glaringly apparent.
<br />
<br />I'll just add- my 8th grader is just over the 10th% for height/about 25th% for weight and he looks TINY amongst his classmates and like he belongs in one of the younger grades. I couldn't imagine him among high school freshmen.
<br />
<br />I'm not suggesting that this choice should be based only on this, but I know that I've read on the adult forum that growing up 'small', very thin, etc has been a common thing to feel very self-conscious about so I think it's a concern not to take lightly.

 

[ToriMom]

Interesting thread! I have often wondered about CF and intelligence too. Our daughter is also nine and in the third grade...and tested as gifted. We considered having her skip a grade because she was getting straight A's with no effort every school year. Instead, we decided that because she misses a lot of school due to doctor's visits, illnesses, etc. that it would be wise to stay in the same grade--but to enroll her in the gifted and talented program. She attends an enrichment program a few hours a week, but otherwise remains in her third grade class. We have been happy with this choice, and so has my daughter. This week she hasn't been able to make it to school on time because of illness/coughing fits at night. Her teacher says she is keeping up fine despite being late every day. Each child is different, but we are happy with keeping her in the third grade. Eventually we may just homeschool her, but we will cross that bridge when the time comes. Good Luck to you!

 

[ToriMom]

Interesting thread! I have often wondered about CF and intelligence too. Our daughter is also nine and in the third grade...and tested as gifted. We considered having her skip a grade because she was getting straight A's with no effort every school year. Instead, we decided that because she misses a lot of school due to doctor's visits, illnesses, etc. that it would be wise to stay in the same grade--but to enroll her in the gifted and talented program. She attends an enrichment program a few hours a week, but otherwise remains in her third grade class. We have been happy with this choice, and so has my daughter. This week she hasn't been able to make it to school on time because of illness/coughing fits at night. Her teacher says she is keeping up fine despite being late every day. Each child is different, but we are happy with keeping her in the third grade. Eventually we may just homeschool her, but we will cross that bridge when the time comes. Good Luck to you!

 

[ToriMom]

Interesting thread! I have often wondered about CF and intelligence too. Our daughter is also nine and in the third grade...and tested as gifted. We considered having her skip a grade because she was getting straight A's with no effort every school year. Instead, we decided that because she misses a lot of school due to doctor's visits, illnesses, etc. that it would be wise to stay in the same grade--but to enroll her in the gifted and talented program. She attends an enrichment program a few hours a week, but otherwise remains in her third grade class. We have been happy with this choice, and so has my daughter. This week she hasn't been able to make it to school on time because of illness/coughing fits at night. Her teacher says she is keeping up fine despite being late every day. Each child is different, but we are happy with keeping her in the third grade. Eventually we may just homeschool her, but we will cross that bridge when the time comes. Good Luck to you!

 

[TestifyToLove]

I would guess that since CF is loosely associated moreso with Caucasians than other minorities, and the IQ test is biased towards Caucasians, that it would be easy to assume CF and high IQ go together. There are no formal studies to support that idea. I do think having chronic illnesses develop a maturity and an advanced understanding of sciences. All of my kids are extremely advanced in science knowledge from learning about both M's CF issues and their other brother's Hemophilia issues.

In our case, the one with CF is mental retarded and has moderate to severe autism. So, no CF did not come with high IQ in this situation.

As far as skipping a grade, I personally take a long range perspective in *whatever* decision I went with. Skipping a grade today has a set of expectations and impact upon life. Five or ten years from now, it has a whole other set of implications. Skipping grades is not often considered the wisest option these days. Because a child who skips in elementary school can have significant issues when they hit late middle and high school that would not have existed if they had remained in their grade level, the trend these days is to utilize gifted and talented programs instead of skipping. Only you can know how you think your child is going to handle this today...and down the road.

We homeschool most of our kids, and we simply work academically where they are ready to be. I briefly attempted putting some of them in school and the one I put in her appropriate grade level, who had always worked a year ahead of that grade, was so bored she refused to do anything until I brought her home. If she were in public school, she would need to be skipped up to where she functions, or she would be a behavioral issue because of her boredom.

Each child is unique and different. If you think your child will thrive, then go for it. If you worry your child will struggle, then look at those issues before moving forward.

 

[TestifyToLove]

I would guess that since CF is loosely associated moreso with Caucasians than other minorities, and the IQ test is biased towards Caucasians, that it would be easy to assume CF and high IQ go together. There are no formal studies to support that idea. I do think having chronic illnesses develop a maturity and an advanced understanding of sciences. All of my kids are extremely advanced in science knowledge from learning about both M's CF issues and their other brother's Hemophilia issues.

In our case, the one with CF is mental retarded and has moderate to severe autism. So, no CF did not come with high IQ in this situation.

As far as skipping a grade, I personally take a long range perspective in *whatever* decision I went with. Skipping a grade today has a set of expectations and impact upon life. Five or ten years from now, it has a whole other set of implications. Skipping grades is not often considered the wisest option these days. Because a child who skips in elementary school can have significant issues when they hit late middle and high school that would not have existed if they had remained in their grade level, the trend these days is to utilize gifted and talented programs instead of skipping. Only you can know how you think your child is going to handle this today...and down the road.

We homeschool most of our kids, and we simply work academically where they are ready to be. I briefly attempted putting some of them in school and the one I put in her appropriate grade level, who had always worked a year ahead of that grade, was so bored she refused to do anything until I brought her home. If she were in public school, she would need to be skipped up to where she functions, or she would be a behavioral issue because of her boredom.

Each child is unique and different. If you think your child will thrive, then go for it. If you worry your child will struggle, then look at those issues before moving forward.

 

[TestifyToLove]

I would guess that since CF is loosely associated moreso with Caucasians than other minorities, and the IQ test is biased towards Caucasians, that it would be easy to assume CF and high IQ go together. There are no formal studies to support that idea. I do think having chronic illnesses develop a maturity and an advanced understanding of sciences. All of my kids are extremely advanced in science knowledge from learning about both M's CF issues and their other brother's Hemophilia issues.
<br />
<br />In our case, the one with CF is mental retarded and has moderate to severe autism. So, no CF did not come with high IQ in this situation.
<br />
<br />As far as skipping a grade, I personally take a long range perspective in *whatever* decision I went with. Skipping a grade today has a set of expectations and impact upon life. Five or ten years from now, it has a whole other set of implications. Skipping grades is not often considered the wisest option these days. Because a child who skips in elementary school can have significant issues when they hit late middle and high school that would not have existed if they had remained in their grade level, the trend these days is to utilize gifted and talented programs instead of skipping. Only you can know how you think your child is going to handle this today...and down the road.
<br />
<br />We homeschool most of our kids, and we simply work academically where they are ready to be. I briefly attempted putting some of them in school and the one I put in her appropriate grade level, who had always worked a year ahead of that grade, was so bored she refused to do anything until I brought her home. If she were in public school, she would need to be skipped up to where she functions, or she would be a behavioral issue because of her boredom.
<br />
<br />Each child is unique and different. If you think your child will thrive, then go for it. If you worry your child will struggle, then look at those issues before moving forward.

 

[longhorn4life]

I don't know about other people or if there's really any connection, but I have a "genius or near genius" IQ (140 or higher). I know it doesn't have to do with the disease simply making me strive harder, etc. like others suggested because I wasn't diagnosed until I was 19 and I've had people testing my intelligence since I was 6. My opinon on your son skipping a grade is this: ask him what he wants. I know I had the opportunity to skip a grade when I was 6 (and again when I was 8) and my mother refused to let me because I was already smaller than the other kids and she was afraid they'd make fun of me for it and my age, as well as being afraid I would do things I shouln't since I'd be hanging out with older kids. I was so upset and I never got over it. I still haven't forgiven her for forcing me to be "normal" when I had the opportunity to be special and extraordinary.