Cross Post: Processing Speed and Working Memory Help Please

[nitascool]

My son had an IQ test done in Nov. of last year.

 

On the WISC-IV his Processing Speed was 20 pts. lower then his Working Memory which was the next lowest score. On the Woodcock-Johnson III he scored 3 grade levels lower in Math then in the other areas. Still he would have been getting an A in math in ps according to our psyc.

 

We decided to focus first on Math as it was the issue that seemed to be effecting ds's self-esteem the most. He was really struggling with the fact that math was difficult, feeling that it should come as easy as everything else in life had. He thought he was dumb, because it was such a struggle.

 

In March we bought MUS Alpha for him and his little brother to go through. He will finish lesson 30 on Friday. He is so getting it. He really enjoys math now.

 

Next year we intend to allow him to go at his pace with MUS Beta and Gamma. He has already memorized most of the Songs on the Skip counting CD and seems to be able to regroup. He has even figured out that 17-6 is a similar problem to 27-6. So I don't foresee any snags in Beta or Gamma. This program seems to be so easy for him. My husband keeps saying that maybe it's "too easy".

 

So now that I am a bit more at ease about his math issues I've been revisiting his IQ scores. I really want to spend next year spending an 1 to 1.5 hours a daily (not necessarily all at once) dealing with his Processing Speed and Working Memory. But I'm not sure how to go about that.

 

So finally to my question. What are your suggestions on materials I can use? The cheaper the better as we have already spent next years school budget. I am looking for something we can do at home. Non-consumable would be good too as I have a younger son who also has some PS and WM issues.

[SkateLeft]

My oldest daughter took the WISC several years ago, and her lowest subtest scores were also in working memory and processing speed. The difference between those subtests and her other subtest scores was so dramatic, that we knew there was something going on. We weren't sure what to do, because while the scores were lower than the rest, they were still above average, and didn't qualify her for learning disability testing.

 

Math was where the weakness was most evident in her case also. The psych said that it was almost as if the numbers had no meaning for her. He noticed that she struggled with the digit span exercises, but when she was offered letters and numbers, her scores improved dramatically. He suspected she was chunking the numbers with the letters. It's interesting how kids' brains work!

 

Our psychologist recommended the Brain Builder software from http://www.advancedbrain.com/ - We used it for a bit, but didn't stick with it because it was just one more thing to do. :blush: It might work for you. He spoke very highly of it.

 

She's developed coping strategies that help, and it took us a while to find a math curriculum that worked well for her. She took longer to learn math facts, but eventually internalized them. She's very much enjoyed the Teaching Company math courses, and she likes math literature. Her conceptual understanding is excellent, but developing the actual algorithms to solve problems takes her some time.

 

I probably would have used MUS if they'd had the current more user-friendly version available. :)

[Capt_Uhura]

Nitascool - when you say his PSI was 20pts lower than WMI, what ranges are you talking about? Are you talking an average PSI (100-109) vs 120-129 WMI? Are you talking below average PSI? Gifted kids are scoring average for PSI and WMI on the WISCIV.

[Rebecca in VA]

in your last post about gifted kids scoring average on PSI and WMI? My 11-year-old took the WISC-IV last spring and scored 100 on WMI. Her other subtest scores were startlingly higher, as were her Woodcock-Johnson scores. She shows many signs of inattentive-type ADHD. Were your comments based on personal observations or on research? Your post ended abruptly, as if you had to leave suddenly, and I'd be interested to hear anything more you might have to say.

[Capt_Uhura]

If you google WISCIV and GAI you'll pull up several links. One will be the WISCIV technical report IV. If you have the scaled scores, you can calculate the GAI (general abilities index) which is based only on VCI and PRI thus removing the WMI and PSI. I have a link to some data from Gifted Development Center which I'll post later showing that gifted kids (previous 130 FSIQ) averaged FSIQ of 123.5 on the WISCIV. This was largely attributed to average PSi and WMI scores. If the VCI or PRI exceed WMI or PSI by 23pts I think, you can calculate GAI instead. In fact, b/c the VCI and PRI are better predictors of giftedness and success in gifted programs, the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) put out a bulletin to schools suggesting they only test w/ VCI and PRI as a quicker more accurate test rather than including PSI and WMI. I can provide a link to that later if you can't find it. So for example, your DC might have FSIQ of 129 but GAI of 145 putting him WELL into the gifted range. My understanding from reading on the internet is that WMI and PSI are more important when looking at the lower end of the spectrum or for looking for LDs. There is some data suggesting that low scores on PSI might indicate ADHD. The one article I read specifically mentioned low Coding subtest scores. You need testing and full evaluation by a licensed professional to look at attention issues and can't base it on any one test. A child can easily have one subtest be way off due to end of test fatigue, or any number of factors. My son had a large spread between his PSI subtests which were outside the expected range. I think the subtests are supposed to be w/in 2-5pts and his spread was 7pts so you can't draw too much from that subtest. If the two subtests are measuring the same thing and differ greatly from each other, how do you know which one is more correct? These tests are quite fallible, I'm coming to the conclusion.

 

Rebecca - were your DD's subtests on WMI w/in a few points of each other or did they vary by more than 5pts?

 

Capt_Uhura

[Rebecca in VA]

I pulled out her scores, which I haven't looked at in a year, to answer your question. Her working memory scores were wildly different from each other -- digit span was in the 37th percentile, and arithmetic was in the 98th percentile.

 

Meanwhile, all of her verbal comprehension scores were in the 98th to 99.6th percentile.

 

Processing speed and perceptual reasoning scores were high, but not tremendously so (they were in the 80s).

 

Meanwhile, she continues to have a short attention span and a great deal of trouble understanding rapid speech and foreign accents, and she stutters when she talks. We just spent last week traveling in Italy in the company of a number of other families, and the girls her age left her out of everything because she couldn't keep up verbally or in any other way. It was heartbreaking.

[nitascool]

Nitascool - when you say his PSI was 20pts lower than WMI, what ranges are you talking about? Are you talking an average PSI (100-109) vs 120-129 WMI? Are you talking below average PSI? Gifted kids are scoring average for PSI and WMI on the WISCIV.

 

Yes, his PSI was 103 and his WMI was 120.

[Reya]

Most gifted kids have normal to merely above average processing speed and memory. Don't worry about it. It's not a deficit. It's the normal pattern of giftedness. Smart kids don't think faster but better.