Unexpected WISC-V scores - what now?

[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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes. We did that after a 6 months interval. If you do your research on the WISC-V and talk to WISC-V research scientists (not the teachers who know nothing and simply parrot what they've been told, and obviously not the psychologist you are paying!), you will find that the gain your child can make if he repeats the test after a few months is insignificant. IQ tests are designed to be prep-proof - they do not test knowledge, but the way your brain works. While that may not be 100% accurate, it largely works that way.


In one of her later posts OP refers to the kid as she.

I assume when you took your DC to the examiner, they already asked where to send the scores. If you informed them of the places you are applying to already, I am sure those test scores are sent. It will be weird to have another examiner send ANOTHER set of test scores if you do decide to RETAKE the exam. Not only will this raise a RED flag with admissions, they will assume you are desperate. Not a good idea to retake just because of "average" scores.
By the way, why do all PP assume the OP is talking about their DD. I read all the OP's post and clearly it says DC...which does not mean DD(female)

[Anonymous]

IQ is not fixed. When I was in 7th grade, I got a full scale IQ score of 116. I scored highest in matrix reasoning and pattern recognition. I always felt dumb compared to my peers and had self esteem issues in general.

My self esteem issues persisted into adulthood and in my early 20’s I decided to see a therapist. I had a whole battery of psychological testing done, including an IQ test. It turns out I have mild bi-polar disorder and my full scale IQ came was now 125. 99th percentile for matrix reasoning/pattern recognition. My focus definitely increased as I got older. The one thing that didn’t change was where my strengths on the test were. I am an artist and that is what I have always been drawn to since I was a child.

I think instead of worrying about the overall score, see where your child strength are and where they may need additional support. That is what the test is really good for.

[Anonymous]

It is a terrible mistake to get bogged down in these test scores, either thinking your kid is, in fact, "only" average or that the test is wrong about your child. I made that mistake for our "only" average IQ kid, and it warped my thinking for years. In fact, my child, as yours, is a unique individual with unique strengths and weaknesses and a set of interests and motivations that cannot possibly be captured by one test on one day of their life. It may matter to "big 3" schools, but it shouldn't matter to you. I wish I would have taken that advice when my child was younger. Our DC is actually gifted in the arts, and the test never caught that or measured it. And DC does extremely well in school. What more could I want? I am an Ivy League grad, and I am glad my parents never subjected me to an IQ test and then confined me to its results, either to accept the results or care so much about them that they pushed back against the results. On the other hand, if the results show real weaknesses indicative of a learning disability like low processing speed, that can help you to see where your child may need support or accommodations to reach their potential. But to get bogged down about average scores is a mistake that I wish I had never made. I couldn't even see the child in front of me; just the deficits that are, for all practical purposes, invisible.

[Anonymous]

Given the timing of the post, I assume the OP is not applying to schools this year so there is an opportunity for the child to take the same test again next year. I agree that you should not read into the scores too much but I would not go so far to say that you should not address the issue with the schools you are applying to. Our second child had average scores and she was not accepted into the same school as her sibling. I thought that was pretty cruel but it is what it is. I do wish I would have flagged it for the school in advance as I subsequently learned that the parents' of other sibling applicants offered their child to be retested by a psychologist of the school's choice. Obviously, the school had motivation to keep the families at the school and there is no such hook here but don't leave it to chance.

[Anonymous]

Also want to add that the psychologist should be reviewing the results with you, and helping you tease out the findings. We had our twins tested, both got very different results. The psychologist we met with offered us a "feedback" session for each child's report...it was so helpful. A lot of things we noticed as parents regarding one child were totally confirmed by just this one measure...that we ONLY did for admissions. (BTW saw Dr. Cristina Lubian in Sterling)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Terrific response.

[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.

Our child's processing speed was affected by a fine motor issue too. He's a slow witer which slowed down how quickly he could write the answers. Turns out he does everything quickly in his head, even math, and typing allows him to write his thoughts as quickly as they occur.

[Anonymous]

OP my very bright kid, now an adult at an Ivy League college scored surprisingly low on the WISC. Odd as DC read at age 2, made As in everything so on so on. Where DC scored low on the test was the verbal questioning. DC said it was a “horrible experience “ and the tester was ... let’s just say not nice. I thought the tester looked both mean and inexperienced but put it from my mind.
You know your DC. Try not to make this one test score doubt yourself. I hated even doing it to my DC but it was a requirement at the time.

[Anonymous]

^^BTW scores 97 percentile on SSAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a terrible mistake to get bogged down in these test scores, either thinking your kid is, in fact, "only" average or that the test is wrong about your child. I made that mistake for our "only" average IQ kid, and it warped my thinking for years. In fact, my child, as yours, is a unique individual with unique strengths and weaknesses and a set of interests and motivations that cannot possibly be captured by one test on one day of their life. It may matter to "big 3" schools, but it shouldn't matter to you. I wish I would have taken that advice when my child was younger. Our DC is actually gifted in the arts, and the test never caught that or measured it. And DC does extremely well in school. What more could I want? I am an Ivy League grad, and I am glad my parents never subjected me to an IQ test and then confined me to its results, either to accept the results or care so much about them that they pushed back against the results. On the other hand, if the results show real weaknesses indicative of a learning disability like low processing speed, that can help you to see where your child may need support or accommodations to reach their potential. But to get bogged down about average scores is a mistake that I wish I had never made. I couldn't even see the child in front of me; just the deficits that are, for all practical purposes, invisible.

Ugh, this made me a little teary. So well said. My husband and I feel the same way. We spent a few years with a lot of focus on what we perceived to be our child’s weaknesses (basically just areas where he wasn’t as high as other areas). It’s not futile to change or work towards improvement in specific areas, but not at the expense of your child’s self-perception, self-esteem or self-worth.