What Do These Scores Really Mean?

[Anonymous]

We recently had my child tested and they were diagnosed with mild-mod ADD and dysgraphia.

These were the scores from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, IV.
Verbal Comprehension 126 96%
Perceptual Reasoning 104 61%
Working Memory 86 18%
Processing Speed 88 21%
Full Scale IQ 105 63%
General Ability 117 87%

So, the tester stated that my child is intellectually gifted, and I want to believe this.
But why is the IQ in the average range?
I'm just trying to understand this--is it because his working memory and processing speed are so low that they dragged down the overall IQ?
What number is actually more important, the Verbal Comprehension or the IQ?
If I should have posted this is another forum, I apologize in advance, just let me know where to go.
Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

My child's processing speed was lower than other his other scores by quite a bit, so in the write-up, the tester wrote that he "worked comparatively slowly. In this situation the General Ability Index is a better indication of his true ability" than the full scale IQ.

I'm not sure it's possible say that one score is "more important" than another--they're all pieces of a complicated picture!

[Anonymous]

The way I have seen these scores is the description twice exceptional. It is the gap that essentially describes why your child has issues. His verbal skill and perception run at average to normal speed- say the oil pipeline, but his processing and working memory become a straw so he struggles with the disconnect in communicating in a number of ways probably writing especially. So he exceptional in terms of intelligence, but also exception in the inability to put that intelligence into effect via methods that need working memory. So he may be able to ad lib a performance, but say struggle to memorize a script is one example I have seen.

[Anonymous]

These scores don't really suggest true giftedness, but they do indicate that your child is very strong verbally--better than 96% of other children his age (since you didn't post the subtest scores, I don't know if there might be meaningful differences in performance on them). Verbal Comprehension includes expressive vocabulary skills ("What does ___ mean?"), the ability to form abstract verbal concepts ("How are football and baseball alike? They're sports.), and the application of practical judgment/reasoning to social situations ("What should you do if . . . ?")

In each of the other areas, he displayed significantly less developed skills, although his perceptual/nonverbal reasoning skills are solidly average for age (again, I don't know the subtest breakdown--that can make a difference).

The areas of Working Memory (short-term auditory recall of non-meaningful stimuli--numbers in forward and backward order) and Processing Speed (speed of eye-hand coordination when performing paper/pencil tasks) are very sensitive to attention/concentration issues. His scores in these areas are below average for his age (low average range), and that discrepancy can be frustrating in the classroom when taking notes, copying assignments from the board, trying to recall directions, etc. Does he happen to have any medical diagnoses that would possiblly account for difficulties in these areas? Because of the significantly weaker scores in these areas (when compared to the Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning composites scores), the psychologist computed a GAI score (General Ability Index) that doesn't include the areas of Working Memory and Processing Speed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These scores don't really suggest true giftedness, but they do indicate that your child is very strong verbally--better than 96% of other children his age (since you didn't post the subtest scores, I don't know if there might be meaningful differences in performance on them). Verbal Comprehension includes expressive vocabulary skills ("What does ___ mean?"), the ability to form abstract verbal concepts ("How are football and baseball alike? They're sports.), and the application of practical judgment/reasoning to social situations ("What should you do if . . . ?")

In each of the other areas, he displayed significantly less developed skills, although his perceptual/nonverbal reasoning skills are solidly average for age (again, I don't know the subtest breakdown--that can make a difference).

The areas of Working Memory (short-term auditory recall of non-meaningful stimuli--numbers in forward and backward order) and Processing Speed (speed of eye-hand coordination when performing paper/pencil tasks) are very sensitive to attention/concentration issues. His scores in these areas are below average for his age (low average range), and that discrepancy can be frustrating in the classroom when taking notes, copying assignments from the board, trying to recall directions, etc. Does he happen to have any medical diagnoses that would possiblly account for difficulties in these areas? Because of the significantly weaker scores in these areas (when compared to the Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning composites scores), the psychologist computed a GAI score (General Ability Index) that doesn't include the areas of Working Memory and Processing Speed.

Just want to add that, with discrepancies like these, the Full Scale IQ Score does not represent your child's ability level. It will be important to consider the composite areas individually to understand how he performs intellectually.

[Anonymous]

Are you treating the ADD in any way? It is my understanding that doing so can increase processing speed.

Is your DC in a private or public school? Getting accomodations in place will be very helpful. If you can swing it, working with a good consultant can make an enormous difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you treating the ADD in any way? It is my understanding that doing so can increase processing speed.Is your DC in a private or public school? Getting accomodations in place will be very helpful. If you can swing it, working with a good consultant can make an enormous difference.

Not always, but yes, stimulant medication can make a difference for some children.

[Anonymous]

OP,
From what I have read, the verbal comprehension score by itself is a good indicator of true giftedness. I also agree with others that the FSIQ is not as relevant in this situation because of the low scores in processing speed. As someone else said, these are all pieces of a very complicated puzzle!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,
From what I have read, the verbal comprehension score by itself is a good indicator of true giftedness. I also agree with others that the FSIQ is not as relevant in this situation because of the low scores in processing speed. As someone else said, these are all pieces of a very complicated puzzle!

Sometimes, a high verbal score (without other high scores) reflects educational and environmental opportunities rather than true giftedness, although it's hard to say from what we know about this child. Even if gifted verbally, the significantly discrepant scores in the other assessed areas suggest the possibility of uneven academic progress.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP,
My kid's scores are like yours, perhaps with even a greater gap. Basically the processing score means that your child will struggle with certain parts of academic life, while doing very well in other parts. You will need special ed assistance to deal with "the gap" there -- essentially work-arounds to help with the low processing speed and somewhat low working memory. With the ADD, it's true that stimulants could really make a difference-- we did them for 1.5 years and it was amazing to see how much DD improved. Couldn't sustain them though, due to weight loss/sleep issues. Using a non-stim med now.

I think your child will do great with some support -- I would really dig into the gap and figure out how that plays out in his life. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Why do you have a % after the IQ score. That seems odd to me as the actual IQ score isn't a percent.

For example, an IQ of 132 is in the 98th percentile.

Are you sure that these scores aren't indicative of percentiles and reflect the expanded test used once the child hits the ceiling?

In any event, you really should make a follow up appointment with the tester to discuss further. I would recommend reading up on the information on testing from the Hoagies Gifted Ed website so you are more prepared for the appointment and know what to ask.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/testing.htm

Also, it is really common for gifted kids to have slow processing speeds. When determining giftedness it is important to use the GAI which eliminates working memory and processing. You can read more about that on the webiste as well.

Here are some posts from Eides Neurolearning blog that speak to this:

http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/unexpected-benefits-of-poor-working.html
http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/most-creative-brains-are-slow.html
http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2006/06/blessings-and-burdens-of-high-iq.html
http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/cognition-without-control-adhd-gifted.html



Moreover, verbal comphrension is the best indicator of giftedness because it measures abstract reasoning.

[Anonymous]

op here, Thanks for all the responses. We are meeting with the school in one week to find out what accommodations can be made. I am hoping to avoid medications. We did start an Omega 3 supplement and I think it is having a positive ( possibly placebo) effect.
The links provided are very interesting. I haven't had a chance to read them all but am working on it.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. It is heartening to hear back from other parents who are having success dealing with these types of issues.

[Anonymous]

The verbal component of WISC IV is critical for assessing giftedness, and anything above 95% is considered gifted by most measures. (Not profoundedly gifted, but yes gifted.) I would ask the consultant to explain the score in detail. So many other factors come into play ... temperament, executive function, self-perception, etc. Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Poster 9:54. The IQ score is the first set of numbers followed by the percentile.

[Anonymous]

Huh. Hadn't considered my kid to be "gifted" - I guess with so many problems with remembering math facts and such, I didn't consider it. However, DS scored 99.6% for verbal - "very superior" range. The processing speed is so slow (the category as a whole was "low average" with one of the subtests being rock-bottom) that the whole IQ score was pulled down into the normal/high average range. Anyway, I hadn't thought of him as "gifted" and "twice exceptional."

What do you think? With the super low processing score and the 99.6% for the verbal, is this 2E?

Doesn't make too much difference as we have an IEP in place and so forth, and the school DS attends is fine, but no one ever pointed this out to us exactly this way...