How accurate is a Wechsler IQ test in a teen with ADHD and dyslexia?

[Anonymous]

Just curious if the other diagnoses would throw off the IQ portion of the test or not. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

My memory is that there isn't any reading on the wisc and so dyslexia wouldn't directly impact scores. But vocabulary is a big part, so if your kid is reading lower level books because of the dyslexia, that would impact the scores.

ADHD could have a bigger impact, especially on the phone arts where speed is tested. A lot would depend on the skill of the evaluator and how sensitive he or she is to a child's need cor breaks.

[Anonymous]

I've seen ADHD kids who excel at the phone arts!

[Anonymous]

I don't know the answer to your question but I do know that depression can mask the I.Q. When we had testing done on DC, the tester said he couldn't accurately place the IQ becaus eof the depression. Once we got that solved (changing schools from a punitive one to a positive friendly school), we got a very high I.Q. reading. Good luck

[Anonymous]

For our teen that was diagnosed with ADHD recently, the working memory and processing speeds were low and that indicates ADHD. Spelling was also off and one other area indicating some mild LDs.

[Anonymous]

The psychologist who administered DC1's eval commented that he might score higher if tested while on medication as she observed him making some careless errors.

[Anonymous]

OP here thanks everyone! The tester told my child he was "bright and could choose any career he wants" but the IQ tested at 105 so I am somewhat confused. But he also has dysgraphia and slow processing speed so maybe that is why. I realize it's just a number and I am trying not to get too hung up on it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here thanks everyone! The tester told my child he was "bright and could choose any career he wants" but the IQ tested at 105 so I am somewhat confused. But he also has dysgraphia and slow processing speed so maybe that is why. I realize it's just a number and I am trying not to get too hung up on it

You are right. It is just a number. I tested at 110 in high school, then graduated fifth in my class of 900. I got in to the college of my choice, breezed through college, and got a job in my field a week after graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here thanks everyone! The tester told my child he was "bright and could choose any career he wants" but the IQ tested at 105 so I am somewhat confused. But he also has dysgraphia and slow processing speed so maybe that is why. I realize it's just a number and I am trying not to get too hung up on it

You are right. It is just a number. I tested at 110 in high school, then graduated fifth in my class of 900. I got in to the college of my choice, breezed through college, and got a job in my field a week after graduation.

Thank-you for sharing this, it is inspirational!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here thanks everyone! The tester told my child he was "bright and could choose any career he wants" but the IQ tested at 105 so I am somewhat confused. But he also has dysgraphia and slow processing speed so maybe that is why. I realize it's just a number and I am trying not to get too hung up on it

The tester should have given you two numbers a FSIQ and a GAI. In general, if processing speed is low, they rely on the GAI because it removes the impact of speed from determination of intelligence. Hope that helps.

Truthfully though, society is sooo much faster paced than it was 30-50 years ago. To a certain extent, unfortunately, speed seems to matter more in this society at the expense of producing quality. I have a child with a probably similar profile to yours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here thanks everyone! The tester told my child he was "bright and could choose any career he wants" but the IQ tested at 105 so I am somewhat confused. But he also has dysgraphia and slow processing speed so maybe that is why. I realize it's just a number and I am trying not to get too hung up on it

You are right. It is just a number. I tested at 110 in high school, then graduated fifth in my class of 900. I got in to the college of my choice, breezed through college, and got a job in my field a week after graduation.

You should get multiple subscores. If he scores 115 or higher in some areas, and there is a 30 point or more difference between any two areas, then you have a bright child who needs help in his weak areas.

[Anonymous]

PP here with teen DS diagnosed recently. I should say his overall IQ was lower overall despite a 99% verbal score which makes sense because some scores were abysmal. I agree with PP that you should look carefully and discuss the subscores with the doctor as this is where the diagnosis would be found.

[Anonymous]

The big picture question is, accurate to what? The question assumes there's an actual number that a perfect IQ test should approach, with some margin of error. The truth is that there's no such number -- the IQ number is whatever someone scores on the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The big picture question is, accurate to what? The question assumes there's an actual number that a perfect IQ test should approach, with some margin of error. The truth is that there's no such number -- the IQ number is whatever someone scores on the test.

The numbers are normed so that an average child scores 100. So there is no perfect score, there just how your kid compares to the average. The scores and subscores show where your child is relatively weak or strong, which can happen for a variety of reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The psychologist who administered DC1's eval commented that he might score higher if tested while on medication as she observed him making some careless errors.

Our psychologist/tester said the same thing. He tested average on IQ. But now that he's medicated, he's been getting almost straight As in school, including an advanced math. None of that matters to me other than the fact he's actually successful at school this year is helping to restore some self-confidence that took a huge beating over the past two years. It's really sad to see your kid think he's completely stupid. And you know he isn't. Not saying he's Einstein. I'd just like his self-image to match his real abilities.