Chromosomal testing is a blood draw where a vial is filled and sent to a lab for culturing. This takes about a week to 10 days or so, depending on the lab. You receive a form that shows a chart of the chromosomes and the technician's notes (well, your doctor does -- the one who orders the test). Detailed questions about what this means as far as heredity and/or the affect on the progeny, of siblings, etc. can be answered by a geneticist, who would review the results with you and discuss the implications.
If the chromosomal testing returns are normal, I would then recommend seeing a developmental neurologist. This person can evaluate at what stage her development is currently resting and detail an effective course of action to help her progress to the next level. These specialists believe that the human brain is plastic and not static. This means that we never stop learning and that an IQ test is not a measure of potential, just the performance of the individual on a certain day at a certain time. So, an IQ test is a snapshot, not a way to determine where a person will end up.
You can do a google search for developmental neurologist and you will find a lot of information on child development. I do know of one organization, The National Association for Child Development, that works with ALL cases of neurological impairment, including adults, accident victims, stroke patients, etc. We no longer go there for evaluations, but I highly recommend them as a very results oriented, positive group of people. They are a secular organization, but family focused. They are expensive and not covered by insurance. We were able to stay with them long enough to learn a LOT about how to proceed in educating our special needs child. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Their web site is
www.nacd.org. They hold quarterly evaluation sessions at several major cities across the US every 3 months.
However, even if you cannot utilize their services, you will gain a great deal by listening to a seminar they offer by Bob Doman called, Guide to Child Development and Education - Miracles of Child Development (
http://www.nacdbookstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_52&products_id=29&osCsid=fde010e4153f13a391fc4702c9e4fe51).
It is $75 and will get your creative thought processes going about the possibilities for your loved one's future.
MoreThanAlive.com has some books by Glenn Doman about teaching babies using the NACD methodology (
How to Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence). The application would be different for an older child/adult, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what the hands on day to day would look like.
Bottom line, an organization like NACD can help you with diagnosis, nutritional guidelines, and with a plan of action for more development whether or not the chromosome testing yields conclusive results. HTH
