Unexpected WISC-V scores - what now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all so much. I’ve been struggling with this. But all your own stories of your kids in similar situations, and your reassurances, make this much easier to handle. I need to accept that in the grand scheme of things, a test on an 8-year-old won’t determine her entire future.
Thank you again.

Not to dash your hopes but yeah, it's pretty likely that your child is just going to fall in the very average range. There are so many kids with your child's profile and scores and processing speed isn't really fixable. There are some things that can hep improve it slightly but if you were thinking straight A's all the time with no effort that's not going to happen. Once the homework load picks up, you will see the impact of processing speed. Slower reader of more in depth texts and books so it might take several hours to get through a chapter. It can take much longer to write an essay. and so on.

I disagree with the suggestion that a low processing speed score for a young kid will mean slow reading and comprehension. My DC scored in the 37th percentile on processing speed as a little kid, but is a natural speed reader who scored in the 99th percentile on the SSAT reading section with no prep (missed one question). DC writes slow, but types fast. All is well in high school.

+1

My kid had processing "issues" when she took the test and she is practically a speed reader with a huge vocabulary. It's processing other kinds of information that's a problem. "Processing speed" covers a lot of ground.

[Anonymous]

Reading speed is a skill, processing speed is an attribute or capability. The two aren't necessarily well-correlated.

[Anonymous]

I'm another person whose kid scored "average" due to wild discrepancies in her scores, which helped diagnose her ADHD. She's never done an IQ test while on her meds. I'd be interested to see if that yielded different results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello all,

Our DC took the WISC-V and we were certain DC would score high. DC is a smart kid who does very well in school and is just one of those switched on kids who gets everything quickly and does well. So, the FSIQ score DC got floored us. I am almost certain something was not right, be it how DC was feeling that day or maybe the tester had some issue. Both my spouse and I agree on this; we’re being objective about DC’s abilities and can not reconcile the results with the kid.

What would you do? Should DC retest, and if so, with the same or a different tester? We have already reached out to her and hope to have a conversation this week.

Thanks!

Your kid may or may not have a high iq. But you and your wife are not objective. The current test you have is more objective than the two of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are NOT allowed to retake for at least another year

Why not? Who finds out? And how do they find out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all so much. I’ve been struggling with this. But all your own stories of your kids in similar situations, and your reassurances, make this much easier to handle. I need to accept that in the grand scheme of things, a test on an 8-year-old won’t determine her entire future.
Thank you again.

Not to dash your hopes but yeah, it's pretty likely that your child is just going to fall in the very average range. There are so many kids with your child's profile and scores and processing speed isn't really fixable. There are some things that can hep improve it slightly but if you were thinking straight A's all the time with no effort that's not going to happen. Once the homework load picks up, you will see the impact of processing speed. Slower reader of more in depth texts and books so it might take several hours to get through a chapter. It can take much longer to write an essay. and so on.

I disagree with the suggestion that a low processing speed score for a young kid will mean slow reading and comprehension. My DC scored in the 37th percentile on processing speed as a little kid, but is a natural speed reader who scored in the 99th percentile on the SSAT reading section with no prep (missed one question). DC writes slow, but types fast. All is well in high school.

+1

My kid had processing "issues" when she took the test and she is practically a speed reader with a huge vocabulary. It's processing other kinds of information that's a problem. "Processing speed" covers a lot of ground.

+2

My child scored PSI in the 30th percentile and is a highly gifted reader...but her other scores were in the gifted range including FSIQ at age 8. She’s extremely intelligent—I think that’s why she likes to read and is do good at it. I also suspect her low processing speed makes her turn to books more than other activities that would require fast processing speed. So in effect, her LD makes her look smarter.

She has dysgraphia btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello all,

Our DC took the WISC-V and we were certain DC would score high. DC is a smart kid who does very well in school and is just one of those switched on kids who gets everything quickly and does well. So, the FSIQ score DC got floored us. I am almost certain something was not right, be it how DC was feeling that day or maybe the tester had some issue. Both my spouse and I agree on this; we’re being objective about DC’s abilities and can not reconcile the results with the kid.

What would you do? Should DC retest, and if so, with the same or a different tester? We have already reached out to her and hope to have a conversation this week.

Thanks!

Your kid may or may not have a high iq. But you and your wife are not objective. The current test you have is more objective than the two of you.

This is spot-on. I remember when my 7 year old DS got his WISC scores. His FSIQ was 115, even though he seemed whip-smart to people, including his teachers. My MIL - who is a teacher - suggested that the test must be wrong. I looked at her and said, "Really? You think it is more likely that the test is wrong than that we are deluded?"

He is in high school now (at a Big 3 even) and doing well academically. Not straight As, but a mix of As and Bs.

[Anonymous]

OP...manage your expectations and all will be fine. We want all our children to have the best and the best differs individually. Sometimes, it may be a wake up call but at least there are great private school or even public school options in this area. It is not the end of the world if your DC doesn't get into a Big 3. As most PP have posted, sometimes it just takes time for your DC to "blossom" and you need to tone your expectations down to reflect that reality. Hope all this helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know your DD best. She is very bright. Everyone can have an off test day, and many parents cheat by prepping their children well in advance. The good news: your DD can take comparables tests. If your DD does well, these results can be shared with private schools as a better reflection of her abilities. This eliminates the pressure of waiting a year to readminister the WISIC.

I would recommend Dr. Daisey Pascualvaca, 3301 New Mexico Ave, NW.

Would NOT recommend her - she completely missed a major attention problem with my child that three other subsequent testers in later years saw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the replies. DC scored in the average range for IQ (104), but low average for working memory (91) and high-average for GAI (116). All the other scores were average. I feel silly complaining about average scores, but DC has always excelled in school, which makes me wonder about the discrepency. We are also applying to some very competitive schools, and I don’t want DC’s chances to be jeopardized...

As the other posters have pointed out at this age there is no real way to see a child "excelling" Is she doing calculus? She may be verbal, an early reader, or a well-behaved girl (teachers love them). Sorry but she is just average and although you would not know it from DCUM - she will be ok. Very unlikely the test will change a lot next year.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid with a full-stop ADHD diagnosis who rocked the WISC with a 140 IQ and no processing issues. So for those of you who think you are in the clear bc of a good WISC and high IQ it doesn't mean ADHD is impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the replies. DC scored in the average range for IQ (104), but low average for working memory (91) and high-average for GAI (116). All the other scores were average. I feel silly complaining about average scores, but DC has always excelled in school, which makes me wonder about the discrepency. We are also applying to some very competitive schools, and I don’t want DC’s chances to be jeopardized...

OP, the fact that so many of the scores are close together suggests that the test is accurate and that you and your wife's perceptions may be of a well-nurtured, well-prepared child who is of average intelligence. This is not a terrible fate, despite what DCUM may make you think. Further, there are many different kinds of intelligences, and the WISC measures only a very narrow kind.

Are you and your wife gifted? Intelligence has a hereditary component, with some researchers suggesting about 50%, others suggesting that it is closer to 85%.

Most of the time, people are not surprised when their children turn out to be gifted. Our DCs score in a tight IQ range that is also inhabited by DH and me.

While test scores are not the be-all and end-all of admissions, in a very competitive admissions game, it can matter. If a school like Sidwell or NCS is looking at two girls who are otherwise fairly similar in background, personality, race, etc., then the test score is what distinguishes one over another.

I agree with previous posters that you don't want to put a child into an environment where they can't keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the replies. DC scored in the average range for IQ (104), but low average for working memory (91) and high-average for GAI (116). All the other scores were average. I feel silly complaining about average scores, but DC has always excelled in school, which makes me wonder about the discrepency. We are also applying to some very competitive schools, and I don’t want DC’s chances to be jeopardized...

I thought I was going to score 1600 on the SATs when I took them, then I was floored when I received my scores... When I took the MCATs, I was looking at 15’s on all subjects but wasn’t even close after seeing the results. Sometimes, we all think we are smarter than the person next to us but in the end we’re all “just” average. I am still very successful and live in Bethesda with two kids in private schools that I’m paying over 40k for with no financial aid. I live in a 3m house, went to public schools all my life, even public college yet I am where I am today as a successful doctor. We all do what is best for our kids but sometimes “being average” is good enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the replies. DC scored in the average range for IQ (104), but low average for working memory (91) and high-average for GAI (116). All the other scores were average. I feel silly complaining about average scores, but DC has always excelled in school, which makes me wonder about the discrepency. We are also applying to some very competitive schools, and I don’t want DC’s chances to be jeopardized...

Sounds about right for an above aver3bright kid.

What were you expecting? 130-150+ ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are NOT allowed to retake for at least another year

Who doesn't allow you to do it? Who do you think is stopping people? There is no law that prevents it and there is no tracking system. Of course, one can have their child tested again. Just pick a different tester, pay the fee and take the test.

Tester shopping invalidates the score but if you find the right tester for the right price you can probably get whatever score you want and which makes you happy.