Misty's Learning Disabilities

[passionflower]

Misty KNOWS right and wrong............

 

[TxLady2]

What grounds would the lawyer have used to have Misty tested? For what purpose? So far, the arguments for testing Misty have been for a future defense for charges she currently is not facing.

Misty functions well in her world.

Debs, I agree with you. There is no grounds to request her to be tested at this point. And I am sure that LE is fully capable of handling her disabilities, if there are any. After all, they have to deal with all kinds of people on all levels of comprehension, every day.
Misty may not have an LD... this reporter is going by what another reporter said who talked to her grandmother in TN. Did her grandmother have her tested back then? Or was the grandmother unable to help her with her homework because of a lack of education herself?
As for her handwriting sample... she quit school in the 6th grade... what could you expect from no more education than that? I know people whose handwriting is illegible... (try deciphering a doctor's notes or prescriptions sometime)... yet they are very intelligent.
As Debs said... Misty functions very well in her world.

 

[PorcineGranny]

LookieLoo that is not Misty. I am going to say this for the last time. Misty is not mentally challenged, she appears to have some learning disabilities. But so do most of the people on earth, we all learn differently, the problem alot of times is that schools teach one way, and children learn in a multitude of ways. She on her own has overcome and managed to handle those disabilities. She needs , desperately needs education by people who are qualified to teach her. Her early life is tragic but its the life many people have, very sad. Can she tell the truth? ABSOLUTELY! These are just excuses for Misty and I'm telling you they have no basis.

Everyones intentions are good on this thread but many just don't understand how learning disabilities work. It takes a lot of education to really understand them and how they are treated.

 

[debs]

Misty knows right from wrong. She knows lies from truth. She knows how to size up a situation and how to get out of it. She was trusted to take care of 2 small children (three if you count Jordan). She was allowed to drive. She passed the exam to get her license. She's doing just fine, is our Misty. She knows the score.

 

[Padua]

Apparently I have no clue what I'm talking about.

Oh well, I like discussing people's mental state even if they aren't part of a crime of some sort. It is what I do.

And, there's no way she had a driver's license. You can't have one in the state of FL if you didn't graduate high school - you have to wait until you're 21.

Wish I knew why people got into a tizzy...oh well

 

[mywarmbluefleece]

I would like to add a question, as well.

Is it possible for someone with these apparent cognitive disabilities to act "sly" as well as "slow"? It is hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that someone "slow" could also act in a way that might be perceived as "premeditated" (thought out) or "cunning" or "sneaky". The two ideas (slow vs. sly) don't seem to naturally co-exist. I am hoping that those who have first hand knowlege of disorders like this can enlighten me, and others who may have the same question.

Thank you!

I teach students who are cognitively disabled and those who have learning disabilities (as well as students with other disabilities). They can be just as sneaky as the rest of us. However, a high percentage of my students are ridiculously honest.

In my opinion, her writing is far below sixth grade level, so I am sure dropping out didn't help, but she may have major learning issues. This would affect her in explaining and recalling the events that unfolded that night, but would nto be an exuse if she did anything morally wrong.

 

[Donjeta]

Apparently I have no clue what I'm talking about.

Oh well, I like discussing people's mental state even if they aren't part of a crime of some sort. It is what I do.

And, there's no way she had a driver's license. You can't have one in the state of FL if you didn't graduate high school - you have to wait until you're 21.

Wish I knew why people got into a tizzy...oh well

IIRC she showed her driver's licence as identification when she filed for the RO against her brother. It's in the court dockets somewhere on the forum.

 

[Padua]

If that is true I apologize.

 

[KOOL LOOK]

IIRC she showed her driver's licence as identification when she filed for the RO against her brother. It's in the court dockets somewhere on the forum.

Could it have been a beginners permit? Conditional restricted license? Also I know in our state of S.C. the beginners permit and conditional restricted licenses look just like the real normal ones.

Some get them solely for identification purposes. Especially those that don't even operate a vehicle. But those look almost just like a real class b drivers license. I know in our state if you quit school before the age of 18 or either 21 I can't remember it voids your drivers priviledges til you turn 21 years old. But I don't know if that applies to a beginners permit.

The drivers beginners permit, would have the number, photo id, address everything and can be mistaken for a regular one. Just thought I would add for thoughts.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

 

[kant]

Last night it was revealed on Nancy Grace that Misty does indeed have some pretty tough learning disabilities.

According to Nancy's producer Misty lived with her Grandmother and she reported that Misty had an extremely hard time doing homework in grade school.

There is the very real possibility Misty quit school at the 6th grade.

I would like those who deal with children with disabilities to weigh in and tell us how this would affect someone like Misty and her ability to deal with the truth.

This could explain the problems with Misty. I am going to guess that if tested Misty would be operating on the same level of a 9 year old. Or younger. JMO

I agree that unless she was tested it's all speculation, so here's mine.

Her granmother is not qualified as far as I know to diagnose learning disabilities, and she didn't mention (that I heard) that she had Misty tested.

Learning disabilities include conditions referred to as perceptual handicaps, minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), dyslexia, developmental aphasia, and attentional deficit disorder (ADD); They do not include learning problems due to physical handicaps (e.g., impaired sight or hearing, or orthopedic disabilities), mental retardation, emotional disturbance, or cultural or environmental disadvantage.

The grandmother stated that Misty had a hard time with homework and asked grandma to help. It was stated that it had, "been a long time" for grandma, so grandma wasn't much help. And there it is.

Misty didn't have the help available to her, so naturally she probably got behind in class, got embarrassed, started avoiding going to school, wanted to quit, which her parents apparently allowed her to do.

Uneducated doesn't equal learning disabled. She may indeed have some kind of problem, IDK; but from what I've seen of her there is no way to know without someone professionally assessing her; Iow, her grandmother saying that Misty had a hard time with homework does NOT qualify as a diagnosis imo.

And for what it's worth, many people site the 911 call in which Misty asked, "What's a numerical?" as evidence. Well, when I heard the call it sounded to me like the woman said, "What's the miracle " which would have given me pause too.

MOO

.

 

[azwriter]

Misty is not learning disabled. She quit school. She's uneducated in classic terms; she is not stupid. She functions just fine in the world she lives in.

debs, I agree with your posts concerning Misty and her being sub-par in intelligence or learning disabled.
The only learning disability Misty has, in my opinion, is that she was born into a family of people who put drugs and the ability and means to get them, above all else.
Her parents didn't do anything to help her advance in school. They even put the stamp of approval on her quiting school so early. They did even worse when they gave permission for her to marry a 24 year old man when she was just past her 17th birthday.
jmo

 

[KOOL LOOK]

Apparently I have no clue what I'm talking about.

Oh well, I like discussing people's mental state even if they aren't part of a crime of some sort. It is what I do.

And, there's no way she had a driver's license. You can't have one in the state of FL if you didn't graduate high school - you have to wait until you're 21.

Wish I knew why people got into a tizzy...oh well

Hope I didn't make you feel this way, if so I apologize. I enjoy the subject too, I did take early childhood development in college for two years, which focused on all these issues we have been discussing plus child abuse and neglect. The major required "Psychology" 101, and up to the third level. I quit after a tragedy with 6 months left before graduation.

 

[Kat]

Apparently I have no clue what I'm talking about.

Oh well, I like discussing people's mental state even if they aren't part of a crime of some sort. It is what I do.

And, there's no way she had a driver's license. You can't have one in the state of FL if you didn't graduate high school - you have to wait until you're 21.

Wish I knew why people got into a tizzy...oh well

I enjoyed what you bring to the table in this discussion Padua.

In fact, OT but this is the most civilized debate I've seen in this particular subforum in ages!

Just kidding~ but kind of not in a way heh.

 

[Padua]

I wish I could give an example of test questions on the IQ test. I use the Wechsler scales. One of the subtests is common sense questions. Due to test security I can't tell you guys the questions on the test.

It is not about what you learn in school (that's an achievement test). It's putting together puzzles, memorizing lines of numbers, recitation, putting together a group of pics to make a story, putting together blocks to make a design. THIS IS WHAT AN IQ TEST IS!!!!!!! Doesn't matter how far you went in school.

 

[Padua]

I'm really into psychological testing....otherwise I wouldn't be a psychologist. This is just a subject that has always fascinated me.

 

[Padua]

After giving 100's of IQ tests on a plethora of people I've become very good at knowing where people fall on the bell curve before full testing is complete. Of course I would never report my "gut feeling" IQ that's why when I said her's was between 80 and 85 that is just my own opinion.

 

[KOOL LOOK]

After giving 100's of IQ tests on a plethora of people I've become very good at knowing where people fall on the bell curve before full testing is complete. Of course I would never report my "gut feeling" IQ that's why when I said her's was between 80 and 85 that is just my own opinion.

sorry if I missed it earlier, as I asked. Could you give us the number rating scale of criteria? Meaning like from 30 to 40's, 40 to 50's etc.... what those scores mean? Like genius is over 100 right? TIA

 

[gypsyblue]

Im wonderin how Mistys lack of book knowledge in any way relates to her being the key to Haleighs disappearance. This is a crime not a pending vocabulary quiz fgs.........jmooc

 

[KOOL LOOK]

I'm really into psychological testing....otherwise I wouldn't be a psychologist. This is just a subject that has always fascinated me.

Like I said earlier, I had a very close family member take a mental comp. just last October. So very grateful I had that done before a big hearing. It took 3 test days, and though most of the testing was easy, but very repetitive and tiring, it was thorough. I was told to leave and come back hours later to pick up my family member. When I returned on the third day, Doctor F. told me to go into the test room and help that family member finish the last testing, as he felt it would make them feel more comfortable and needed my guidance and direction.

Doctor F. took over a week to evaluate all his testing, school records, pediatric, neonatal, and neurological doctors records, then my very own that were of a 20 year time frame. This Doc was awesome. I can remember lots of the questions.

 

[Muffet]

All that matters is that Misty is not unable to communicate the truth, if she wants to.

(And for that. she is quite able, imo.)