Does an IQ level stay constant over time?

Question

Hi,

I am from Australia and have a question pointed toward possible psychologists or even budding neuropsychologists out there. I am 26 and was intelligence tested at 5 years of age. I rated in the 98th percentile which gives me an approximate IQ level of around 130. Now I hear you say " big deal". The Quandary for me begins in the precluding paragraph to this insightful statement. I recently had myself tested again as I was really being hindered by something academically and had been sure of this for some years previously. Although I felt that my marks were satisfactory again something was just not right neurologically. I suffered PTSD as a child in the aftermath of a sexual assault.

The test revealed two key things.

1. There was a significant gap between the areas in which I was proficient ( ie grammar and vocab) and the ones that I was not ie math.

2. The tested thinks I may have ADD such is the gap between these scores.

Now I ask you academics out there in your opinion does this reflect the impact of the trauma on my brain? Is this score consistent over time or is it moderated by the environment and tempered again by the individuals capacity to learn and their education. Personally I feel I still have an IQ of 130. Maybe I have become inherently less intelligent over the years and not known it or maybe further I am hindered by the ADD which is reflected in the IQ score I was given

Opinions please

Answer 1

The answer of your question is No.... IQ level never remains constant or sme... it varies with the age...

Answer 2

Qualification:  Lay person's knowledge of intelligence, brain, neurology, etc.

Your time invested in your studies, your ability to remove distractions and focus your concentration, you self discipline and time management skills, your study plan, your academic goals - are 10 times more important than your varying IQ score which can increase as no intelligent test can measure creativity, and a number of other things.  Your question of the impact of the trauma to your brain and if it reflects in your IQ test - no.  PTSD is an emotive, spiritural, mental scar, experienced in flashbacks, lost concentration, nightmares, etc., and can linger for months to years to more.  The individuals ability to rebound or heal or manage or cope is entirely dependent on their emotional and mental make up and apparatus - not so much the "IQ".     IQ is not fixed.   A lot of what comprises the IQ is malleable.  Studies  of people in their 70's or 80's show that the highest IQ's were those who used their brain daily (crosswords, exercise, volunteering) and had a good diet (vegetables, fruits, sunlight).  They had IQ scores of people who were 10 to 15 years younger than them.

Remind yourself of the quote, "Accept the things you cannot change, have courage to change the things you can, wisdom to know the difference" but that doesn't mean you can't recover from PTSD.  Believe me, 15 years from now you will be happy to feel less scarred by the PTSD as you find more happiness, more fulfillment and more harmony.

I've read reports by children who were dismissed as autistic and retarded by "experts" on IQ and today they are thriving, functional and self sufficient.  Don't believe experts just because they're revered experts.   Learn to think for yourself.

Grades is also a fairly unreliable indicator of future fulfillment or potential or intelligence.  How many six figure workers do you know that never finished high school?  Enough.

Your gap between grammar and math is very common, even Pascal noted it.  English whizs were notorously bad at math and vice versa.  That doesn't mean a person can't be a grammar and math whiz.

Environment, the individuals effort and committment, and the level of their course work are more reliable indicators than past trauma, past experiences or IQ test scores.  

Think of the brain as another muscle, and the less used or the less thoroughly used it is, the weaker it gets - the lower the IQ.  Use it more, use it more vigorously, and these demands on it will grow the muscle.

Answer 3

An IQ is not stable or valid up until the age of 9 or so.  Yes, an IQ should remain more or less stable as you age.  If you are diagnosed with ADD, you may very well see a difference in your score.  However, if you are ADD now, you probably were 5 years ago also.  Logically, if you have ADD, your concentration won't be up to par and will therefore affect your score.

PTSD can not only affect ADD and your anxiety level but it can in turn also affect your IQ score.  Not necessarily directly, but through concentration and anxiety.  You are not specific as to how you are affected by your PTSD.  Treatment for PTSD will see your anxiety diminish.  If you need it, treatment for ADD, will also help your concentration and at that point a more valid IQ score could be determined.

Good luck