How important is your child’s IQ score?

Everyone has different abilities, and your child’s IQ tests measure only a few. Research has found a very limited relationship between IQ and success in life. 

Your child’s mental abilities are only a fraction of their whole potential, which includes physical talents, emotional skills, and spiritual value. Several pieces of input you may receive from the school is the result of an IQ or Achievement test. Generally, these tests are administered to measure (1) your child’s ability and (2) your child’s accumulated knowledge. If your child places very high on an IQ test, she may be recommended to an advanced or gifted program. If your child places very low on the IQ test, she may be recommended for special education classes. If there is a stark difference between your child’s IQ and Achievement scores, your school counselor should make specific recommendations.

These test results are not meant to be lifelong sentences. If you don’t like the results you are given, discuss with your counselor ways to improve any deficient areas. These tests have some cultural bias, and studies based on identical twins raised in different environments show that about half of measured intelligence is inherited and the other half is determined by environmental factors (like parental input and educational opportunities.) There is also very little correlation to IQ scores and success in life, so don’t place too much emphasis on them.

If your child is like most children and falls in the middle range, help her understand that there are lots of different children in her class with lots of different abilities. In the average classroom, about 1/3 of the class will learn at the pace that the teacher teaches, about 1/3 will be a little bored because the teacher is moving too slowly, and about 1/3 will be behind because the teacher is moving too fast. Help your child determine which 1/3 she is in, and what to do about it. If she is in the top 1/3, she can help some of her friends and do extra reading on her own. If she is in the bottom 1/3, she needs to study and practice more at home to keep up.

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