WISC and achievement tests as indicators
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| Are these tests good indicaters of success for kids who have ADHD or otherwise? Bummed about test scores. |
Anonymous
| Indicators of what? That your kid has ADHD? |
Anonymous
Yes, DC has ADHD. I'm seeking indicators of school and life success? I scored horribly (like at the sub primate level) on the GRE for one of my advanced degrees, and graduated with honors. I don't have ADHD. |
Anonymous
OP - this could be an indication of LDs and ADHD. My DS - who has ADHD and LDs, scored horribly on his educational testing when he we first embarked on this journey 6 years ago. I too worried about his eventual life success but have now come to understand that the test results were more a guide on what we needed to do to help him as it uncovered his areas of weakness. For him its in the area of language processing. He's been in public up till now but we are facing the cold hard reality that he needs to be in private at least through middle school. |
Anonymous
WISC scores aren't necessarily an indicator of anything. If you know your kid has ADHD, look into medication, tutoring for executive functioning skills, behavioral therapy if necessary. There are private schools and camps that can help ADHD kids. |
Anonymous
|
What did the evaluator say? The report usually says if the score is indicative of ability or if other factors, such as inattention/impulsiveness, played a role. Also, if the processing score or working memory score was significantly below the other scores (typical for ADHD), then the GAI is more accurate than the FSIQ.
Regardless, an IQ test is only a snapshot in time and is not at all indicative of a child's chances of success in life. |
Anonymous
| Was your child anxious/ impulsive/inattentive during testing. That can affect performance. What did the tester note in behavioral observations? How old? With younger kids the tests are considered more unreliable. |
Anonymous
To clarify, this doesn't mean if a child scores low in highschool that is a 100% indicator. There are so many factors beyond test scores. |
Anonymous
The test scores aren't indicators of anything other than test scores. I have two nephews, the younger has an IQ of 145 while the older has an IQ of 125. The older boy out performs the younger in just about every way. Factors like motivation, diligence, tenacity, etc. counts more than a IQ score. |
Anonymous
IQ of 125 still high though. OP, same thing happened with my kid and to be honest, I don't think the test results made any sense and don't correspond with anything else she's ever taken. Did they identify any LDs? That's the most important thing to focus on, IMO. |
Anonymous
I'm the OP. Someone else commented on their kids with iQs of 125. It seems obvious there are LDs. Processing speed very very low, average to below average on achievement. 96 percentile on verbal. I've been told dx has adhd and lds. How do you determine what they are? Also someone's filmed executive function tutors. Do you have any you'd recommend? Also, what camps might I look at. DC is in private school now. Thank you! |
Anonymous
| *mentioned. |
Anonymous
| You should get a full neuropsych not just the WISC if you are concerned about LDs. The report will also have recommendations on interventions/accommodations. |
Anonymous
OP - the subtest scores may provide information on learning disabilities or lower processing/ working memory. I think it may matter quite a bit whether your DS was taking an effective medication at the time of testing. Of course a high IQ makes it easier to learn- but the results have to be stable, reliable, and fairly even (or at least not below average) in all four categories (e.g. a low working memory is going to have an affect, no matter the verbal and non verbal scores). I wouldn't trust a "low" result from a kid with ADHD-- impulsivity and distractabilty would skew the scores low. False "lows" are much easier to get than false "highs." I don't think that IQ tests are useless- but I would not let it limit your view of your child's capabilities. I would not imagine fantastic outcomes for people who score high on these tests-- a lot of that comes down to character and personality. |
Anonymous
|
For a child with ADHD I would look at the scores in relation to each other. i.e. does he do well on visual tasks or on verbal ones? I would probably ignore working memory and processing speed as those are known to be affected by ADHD.
Also, for what it's worth our DS with ADHD scored in the average range when she was young. We tested him in late elementary and everything except for processing speed/working memory came out really high. Tester told us results for ADHD children can be hit or miss depending on how they are feeling on the testing day. |