Jump to content

Menu

This is not accurate - This IQ test is a joke


Recommended Posts

My son is doing IQ testing up at the elementary school. They are breaking it into several days because he cannot sit through the entire test in one session. Today, during his testing, he was so bored that after several pages of memorizing pictures he wasn't even looking at them or trying at all. He was refusing to participate on some pages, so the psychologist told him that he wouldn't get credit for those pages. It was clear to everyone in the room that he can do these in his sleep. 

 

Then, they were having him match bugs. He was commenting on how some of them weren't actually bugs. Amazingly he got through like 5 pages of this (30 or so bugs) before he got bored and decided that he didn't want to do it anymore, so again, he just DIDN'T GET CREDIT because he was too bored to do page after page after page of the same easy/boring task. The kid is only 5 years old. He doesn't understand that it's important to push through the boredom to get an accurate result, all he knows is that he is bored and doesn't want to do anymore work. 

 

The psychologist doing the testing was skipping pages at some points, so why didn't she just skip to the last few pages on every section? 

 

Am I crazy, or is this a complete waste of time? I complained that the results would not be accurate because he clearly knows answers that he is not getting credit for and they muttered something about it being an accurate representation of his abilities at this age, and that IQ testing is not actually accurate at this age????

 

So it represents the fact that a 5 year old cannot sit through hours of testing, and does nothing to represent his actual intelligence? 

 

Should I have this re-done privately or is this somehow typical? I was under the impression that IQ testing SHOULD BE accurate by age 5. If it's not than how can they even consider it an intelligence measure! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you read Hoagies? If there is no urgency for an IQ test, maybe redo after your child turns 6 years old.

 

"The recommended ages to begin to answer these questions, and therefore the recommended ages to test for giftedness are from ages 5 to 8. Note that there is a ceiling effect for gifted 5-year-olds on the WPPSI (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence); if possible, wait to test the gifted child on the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) after the child's sixth birthday."

 

"Research shows that for the average child, IQ test scores are reliable around age 8. Observations of gifted children (real research is needed) indicate that reliability in IQ scores is obtained much younger in the gifted population. " http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/why_test.htm

 

Private testing with someone who understands very bright kids that are easily bored might net more accurate results.

Also someone used to testing young kids would give better results. Some psychologists won't test young kids because you need more patience and longer time due to more breaks when testing (outliers of "matured" 5 year olds aside).
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do you know about the details of what was happening in the room?

 

I assume this is the WPPSI?  If so, the test is designed for the attention span of a typical preschooler.  The fact that he was unable to complete this particular subtest properly is actually useful information.  BTW, he wasn't memorizing pictures--he was simply matching them.  He would have been given a picture of a bug and told to find the matching bug in a group of bugs.  The original bug would have been sitting in front of him the whole time.

 

The Bug Search subtest is a processing speed test.  It's meant to go very quickly.  It is timed and the child stops working when the time runs out (or they finish all the pages).  Is it possible that he has extraordinarily fast processing speed?  Is that your experience with him?  Because that would explain having to do page after page.

 

The reason the test administrator was skipping pages on some of the other tests was because your son was reaching the discontinue criteria (three in a row wrong, for example) for those tests.  The discontinue criterion for the Bug Search subtest is having the time run out.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was watching them administer it. The memory portion was where they would show him 2 or 3 pictures on one page and then turn the page and have him point to the same 2 or 3 in a larger group. She skipped chunks of those pages stopping at random ones saying "here, this one should be harder." He is my oldest, so I honestly don't know if his processing speed is considered to be fast. He did many pages of the bug matching and then just quit. They got him to finish one more page after some prompting but he didn't want to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never heard of hoagies, but that is good info to know (sorry, I'm on my phone and unsure of how to quote you). It's not that it's urgent, it's just that my son has a lot of social and behavior problems and I am trying to get him some more appropriate help than we have had in the past. I think this could be an important factor and it's not something we have considered in detail yet, so I was really hoping for an accurate result.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always read that IQ tests aren't accurate under 8yo - kids' development is too variable before that age (and of course, for some kids behavior is more of an issue when they're that young).

 

I have never heard of hoagies, but that is good info to know (sorry, I'm on my phone and unsure of how to quote you). It's not that it's urgent, it's just that my son has a lot of social and behavior problems and I am trying to get him some more appropriate help than we have had in the past. I think this could be an important factor and it's not something we have considered in detail yet, so I was really hoping for an accurate result.

 

 

I'm not sure what kind of help you're looking for, but I don't know that you'd need accurate IQ test results to get it. He might very well score above average despite his behavior, and the test psych might very well write in her report that his score is an underestimate of his real intelligence because of his distractibility.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was watching them administer it. The memory portion was where they would show him 2 or 3 pictures on one page and then turn the page and have him point to the same 2 or 3 in a larger group. She skipped chunks of those pages stopping at random ones saying "here, this one should be harder." He is my oldest, so I honestly don't know if his processing speed is considered to be fast. He did many pages of the bug matching and then just quit. They got him to finish one more page after some prompting but he didn't want to.

 

Just a heads up--having you in the room potentially invalidates the results of the testing.

 

If your son is having behavioral problems, his difficulties finishing that particular subtest are likely a manifestation of those problems as the test is designed with short attention spans in mind.  Hopefully the evaluator will have some insight about what is going on.  But my point is that even if he gets a score on that subtest that is lowered by his refusal to complete it, you still have some valuable information.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, it's important to know that he should be able to get through it. He's having an entire evaluation, so I'm sure they will go into some detail on that.

 

Im feeling better knowing that this is common at this age. I'm not sure what help I'm trying to get for him. I don't know what is available for gifted children. I do know that we have dealt with 14 different therapists over the years with him and once we got to the point that he was refusing to participate with them and they would just make him sit in a chair (as a punishment) and then write me a note complaining, we quit because it was obvious that they just didn't know how to help him. I guess I'm trying to find someone who can look at him from a different perspective, but I have no evidence that he is gifted other than the fact that I suspect it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure what help I'm trying to get for him. I don't know what is available for gifted children. I do know that we have dealt with 14 different therapists over the years with him and once we got to the point that he was refusing to participate with them and they would just make him sit in a chair (as a punishment) and then write me a note complaining, we quit because it was obvious that they just didn't know how to help him. I guess I'm trying to find someone who can look at him from a different perspective, but I have no evidence that he is gifted other than the fact that I suspect it.

 

 

Okay... what are the problems? What would a possible solution look like to you (you can write down pie-in-the-sky kind of thinking here)? 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay... what are the problems? What would a possible solution look like to you (you can write down pie-in-the-sky kind of thinking here)? 

 

First, it should be noted that he has autism, so that is definitely a factor, but I really feel that there is more going on here, and I feel like his past professionals attitudes were sort of like "well, he has autism, this is what you get." and I just do not feel like that is helpful or fair to him. He has the potential to be extremely high functioning and live a fairly typical life if I can just figure him out. The overarching problem has been labeled as "non-compliance." and I think that does explain things pretty well, but I also feel like he's being misunderstood here (by me as well.) He won't get dressed, he won't participate in gym class, he won't get out of the pool after his swimming lesson, he won't pick up his toys, etc. The other day I locked him out of our school room because he was destroying the place every time he went in unsupervised (and yes, refuses to clean up the mess.), so he FOUND the key when I wasn't looking, let himself in, and started destroying it again before I noticed. If he does *try* to do something, he tries to get away with putting in as little effort as possible. He constantly complains about everything under the sun and how "tired" it makes him to do these non-preferred tasks. If it's something that he doesn't absolutely love to do, then he seems to find it completely intolerable. When he is able to engage in something, he's happy as a clam. He doesn't misbehave, he doesn't refuse, and he's actually quite pleasant to be around. We really have very minimal issues when it comes to doing his school work, and he is generally at his best behavior if I give him a science/technology toy to play with. If I wave a new science kit in front of his face and tell him that he can have it if he does X,Y and Z, it would make your head spin to see how quickly and efficiently it would get done (of course incentives that I can actually afford to use regularly aren't enough to see results.) This is a child who started reading at age two, but refused to play with toys. We had to have therapists come in and try to get him to play without throwing a tantrum over it, but he would happily sit and read flash cards to me! So this has been going on for years. 

 

Honestly, a solution for me would be to have someone say that they understand him - and then when they explain their understanding to me it FINALLY makes sense. They would say "he does this, that and the other thing because of this, and here is what you can do to improve it." and then when I try it, things actually improve. Ideally, we would get to a place where he just does the things that he has to do without having a 20 minute battle over every single little thing throughout the day. It would be wonderful if I could figure out ways for him to actually enjoy engaging with other children. We would love to be able to take him to stores and restaurants without having behaviors that make it more stressful than it's worth. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What specific evaluations have you had done in the past and what areas of expertise did the evaluators have?

I will be honest, a potentially gifted child with autism is going to be exceedingly difficult to evaluate for a standard evaluator and especially as young as 5.

An IQ test is also not really going to give you the big picture plus the pieces of the answers you are seeking.

You need someone with a lot of experience doing full evaulatuons for 2e (twice exceptional kids). And experience with autism.

As for finding ways to understand and deal with behavior specifically you need someone who specializes in autism.  Autism is definitely going to be a big factor in behavior.  Is that the whole picture?  No.  But you need someone who genuinely understands autism to be able to help you tweak out what the underlying issues are and how to address them.

Have you posted anything on the learning Challenges board? Several people who hang out over there that have gifted autistic kiddos. Many have had a similar experience to yours and are further down the road with answers.

Edited by OneStepAtATime
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

First, it should be noted that he has autism...

 

Mentioning this upfront would have been helpful.

 

It is not surprising that your son was non-compliant with the IQ testing if he has been diagnosed as being non-compliant with autism previously.  For any sort of IQ test to be valid, the person taking it needs to be compliant with instructions and motivated to do his best.  This is one reason why testing young children is tricky and testing young children with behavioral issues is even trickier.

 

I recommend that you assume he is gifted, and act accordingly.  You can try retesting in a few years.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mentioning this upfront would have been helpful.

 

It is not surprising that your son was non-compliant with the IQ testing if he has been diagnosed as being non-compliant with autism previously.  For any sort of IQ test to be valid, the person taking it needs to be compliant with instructions and motivated to do his best.  This is one reason why testing young children is tricky and testing young children with behavioral issues is even trickier.

 

I recommend that you assume he is gifted, and act accordingly.  You can try retesting in a few years.

 

Look, I naively thought that an IQ test was just meant to measure intelligence and that it was separate from disability. If I had thought it was relevant then I would have mentioned it. 

 

And frankly, I am surprised. I was very surprised. Shocked even, which is why I posted immediately after looking for answers. We have been through ALOT, and I just when I think I may have found an avenue that could lead to some answers, they start telling me that I'm not going to get them, or I'm not going to get the full picture. 

 

And, I do not know how to act accordingly, especially with limited information. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look, I naively thought that an IQ test was just meant to measure intelligence and that it was separate from disability. If I had thought it was relevant then I would have mentioned it.

My younger boy has tracking issues which affect fine motor speed and reading time. If I had him tested at 6, certain subtests would have been affected more as his tracking issues improved over time. So the IQ test is not perfect.

 

My oldest has a subtest substituted because he didn't have the relevant life experience to answer those questions. It was explained in his report why the test that was substituted is a useless test for his case.

 

When you have the full evaluation results, maybe post in the Learning Challenges board. 8FillTheHeart and Pawz4me have BTDT experience.

 

You might also want to take a look at this thread by Pawz4me on her son's test results http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/624893-thoughts-on-these-test-results/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part of me is hesitant to say anything more, since after 14 therapists, you've probably heard all suggestions I might make already. But anyway...

 

He won't get dressed, he won't participate in gym class, he won't get out of the pool after his swimming lesson, he won't pick up his toys, etc. 

 

 

Some of those are multi-step things... does he do better if you say each individual step? Like, take off your pajama shirt, put on your t-shirt, etc, or put the blue truck in the toy chest, put the book on the shelf, etc? Does he do better with (visual or written) schedules and warnings about transitions (10, 5, 2, 1 min warnings before needing to get out of the pool - also, maybe teaching him to read a clock if there's a clock visible from the pool)? Which reminds me of other issues... my ASD kid apparently needed glasses (for long distance) at 5.5yo (maybe sooner), and OT, and PT (even though when he was a toddler he was above average at fine and gross motor skills) - and the school even wanted to start PT in summer (which they never do) because they said more core strength would make it easier for him to sit still at his desk and focus for a longer period of time. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What specific evaluations have you had done in the past and what areas of expertise did the evaluators have?

 

I will be honest, a potentially gifted child with autism is going to be exceedingly difficult to evaluate for a standard evaluator and especially as young as 5.

 

An IQ test is also not really going to give you the big picture plus the pieces of the answers you are seeking.

 

You need someone with a lot of experience doing full evaulatuons for 2e (twice exceptional kids). And experience with autism.

 

As for finding ways to understand and deal with behavior specifically you need someone who specializes in autism.  Autism is definitely going to be a big factor in behavior.  Is that the whole picture?  No.  But you need someone who genuinely understands autism to be able to help you tweak out what the underlying issues are and how to address them.

 

Have you posted anything on the learning Challenges board? Several people who hang out over there that have gifted autistic kiddos. Many have had a similar experience to yours and are further down the road with answers.

 

He was diagnosed with autism, level 2 at age 2 by a developmental pediatrician (so an M.D.) At age 3, a different developmental pediatrician changed his diagnosis to a level 1. He had a full preschool evaluation at age 2 with a team of therapists (so a PT, OT, speech therapist), there was also a psychologist who administered cognitive testing, and he had testing done with his therapists every 6 months or so (like the DAYC) to evaluate progress from ages 1-4. What he is doing now is a standard tri-annual re-evaluation with a therapy team, and of course the psychologist doing his IQ. 

 

I'm kind of doubting that a person who has the kind of experience you are describing exists around here (I will look into it though!) I don't expect the IQ test to give us the whole picture, it's just the only piece that we haven't really addressed yet, so I was just hoping that it would prove to be some magical missing piece that makes everything else come together. We have spent years focusing on sensory issues and trying to figure out how to use incentives on our own (we do not have ABA where we live.), etc. etc. and then it's like "ah-ha! here's this whole huge concept that we've been neglecting the entire time!" 

 

I do post on the Learning Challenges board. I've definitely gotten some valuable help from them. I'm not sure if I have talked to them about this specifically though, so that is a good idea. 

 

Thank you for your help and understanding. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

He was diagnosed with autism, level 2 at age 2 by a developmental pediatrician (so an M.D.) At age 3, a different developmental pediatrician changed his diagnosis to a level 1. He had a full preschool evaluation at age 2 with a team of therapists (so a PT, OT, speech therapist), there was also a psychologist who administered cognitive testing, and he had testing done with his therapists every 6 months or so (like the DAYC) to evaluate progress from ages 1-4. What he is doing now is a standard tri-annual re-evaluation with a therapy team, and of course the psychologist doing his IQ. 

 

I'm kind of doubting that a person who has the kind of experience you are describing exists around here (I will look into it though!) I don't expect the IQ test to give us the whole picture, it's just the only piece that we haven't really addressed yet, so I was just hoping that it would prove to be some magical missing piece that makes everything else come together. We have spent years focusing on sensory issues and trying to figure out how to use incentives on our own (we do not have ABA where we live.), etc. etc. and then it's like "ah-ha! here's this whole huge concept that we've been neglecting the entire time!" 

 

I do post on the Learning Challenges board. I've definitely gotten some valuable help from them. I'm not sure if I have talked to them about this specifically though, so that is a good idea. 

 

Thank you for your help and understanding. 

Sorry if I didn't recall.  My brain is not what it used to be.  :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part of me is hesitant to say anything more, since after 14 therapists, you've probably heard all suggestions I might make already. But anyway...

 

 

 

Some of those are multi-step things... does he do better if you say each individual step? Like, take off your pajama shirt, put on your t-shirt, etc, or put the blue truck in the toy chest, put the book on the shelf, etc? Does he do better with (visual or written) schedules and warnings about transitions (10, 5, 2, 1 min warnings before needing to get out of the pool - also, maybe teaching him to read a clock if there's a clock visible from the pool)? Which reminds me of other issues... my ASD kid apparently needed glasses (for long distance) at 5.5yo (maybe sooner), and OT, and PT (even though when he was a toddler he was above average at fine and gross motor skills) - and the school even wanted to start PT in summer (which they never do) because they said more core strength would make it easier for him to sit still at his desk and focus for a longer period of time. 

 

Oh no, please feel free to suggest anything that you think of! It's no loss if we've already tried it. We got him glasses last year, and that DID make a difference, so you're right on target with that thought. I don't doubt that OT and PT would help him (he qualifies), but I do doubt that he would participate, and that any benefits that we might see would outweigh whatever behavior issues result from dragging him there. We're trying theraputic horseback riding this month, so I am really really hoping that he might be more motivated to participate in that (but equally convinced that he might be terrified of the horse lol.) I'm really hoping that the swimming lessons are somehow replacing some aspects of PT. Timers help to an extent, and I definitely do use them. He set his own timer earlier today, so I know that this is helpful to him, and we have actually taken visual schedules to the next level and taped them to pill boxes so that he can open it up and have a treat after completing a task. However - I think you are on to something with saying each individual step of multi-step directions. This MIGHT actually make a difference for him. Maybe he's overwhelmed by all of the steps? I really would not be surprised if that is the case, and it is just so easy to assume that he is capable of these sorts of things and not even think twice about it. I will try this immediately, thank you!!! 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that you have too high expectations/hopes for the IQ test. I can't see how it would give you the key to help your son.  It would only inform you of some possible frustrations.  If, for instance, he has a high ability but low processing speed that could lead to frustration.  And I suppose that would help you know to slow down a bit or not get impatient.

 

But honestly, his IQ matters way less than the compliance issue which you already know exists.  And the compliance issues matter much more, as you know.

 

I am so sorry.  It must be so frustrating.  I know that there is training for ABA--could you or someone you know take it?

 

What I do know from working with Level 3 autistic children and what I've seen from higher functioning kids with ASD is that it can be a long slog.  Part of the issue is that it just takes longer for them to learn the types of things that make life go much smoother.  They do  need everything broken down into small steps--even compliance issues.

Edited by freesia
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FWIW, my kids are bright,  but they have learning challenges that have made multi-step instructions and transitions quite challenging.  I had to significantly readjust my expectations and provide a LOT of structure, scaffolding and consistency in nearly everything.  They still have some issues in these areas although they have both come an amazingly long way.  They are 13 and 16.  Although your child may not be ADHD or anything of that nature you might find reading the books Smart but Scattered and ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life helpful in understanding how challenging multi-step instruction can be to follow.  They may also help you with creating more useful structure in his environment.  There are probably other resources that would be more targeted to your child's specific needs but those are the ones I used so I thought I would pass on the info.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My younger boy has tracking issues which affect fine motor speed and reading time. If I had him tested at 6, certain subtests would have been affected more as his tracking issues improved over time. So the IQ test is not perfect.

 

My oldest has a subtest substituted because he didn't have the relevant life experience to answer those questions. It was explained in his report why the test that was substituted is a useless test for his case.

 

When you have the full evaluation results, maybe post in the Learning Challenges board. 8FillTheHeart and Pawz4me have BTDT experience.

 

You might also want to take a look at this thread by Pawz4me on her son's test results http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/624893-thoughts-on-these-test-results/

 

Thanks, I will check out that thread, and I will post the results once we get them. I'm sure that this is a stupid question, but, they can't come up with a way to more accurately test younger kids? And what about people with severe disabilities for that matter? There have got to be kids falling through the cracks left and right because people aren't realizing that they are intelligent. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, I will check out that thread, and I will post the results once we get them. I'm sure that this is a stupid question, but, they can't come up with a way to more accurately test younger kids? And what about people with severe disabilities for that matter? There have got to be kids falling through the cracks left and right because people aren't realizing that they are intelligent.

There are tests that go more indepth into specific areas than an IQ test. Look up neuro psyciatric testing to familiarize yourself with them. After reading all you have written on this thread, I am pretty sure an IQ test is not going to be of any help. You may want to be prepared to be disappointed.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Falling through the cracks how? Most five year olds, even gifted ones, aren't spending a ton of time on academics and gifted ones aren't going to loose out irreparably . Most gifted kids at early ages are motivated to learn and do a lot outside of school . The biggest issues would be frustration and boredom in the classroom that moves too slowly. For homeschoolers, we just teach at the pace our child needs.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Falling through the cracks how? Most five year olds, even gifted ones, aren't spending a ton of time on academics and gifted ones aren't going to loose out irreparably . Most gifted kids at early ages are motivated to learn and do a lot outside of school . The biggest issues would be frustration and boredom in the classroom that moves too slowly. For homeschoolers, we just teach at the pace our child needs.

 

Am I wrong in assuming that a child who is frustrated and bored isn't more likely to act out and get pegged as a behavior problem? I would think that 2e kids are even less likely to be able to express themselves appropriately. I wasn't really referring to homeschoolers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are tests that go more indepth into specific areas than an IQ test. Look up neuro psyciatric testing to familiarize yourself with them. After reading all you have written on this thread, I am pretty sure an IQ test is not going to be of any help. You may want to be prepared to be disappointed.

 

Thank you, I'll definitely look into it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I wrong in assuming that a child who is frustrated and bored isn't more likely to act out and get pegged as a behavior problem? I would think that 2e kids are even less likely to be able to express themselves appropriately. I wasn't really referring to homeschoolers.

You are right. I just didn't know what you meant by falling through the cracks.

 

You know this is a homeschooling board, right? You didn't say one way or the other, so I assumed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are right. I just didn't know what you meant by falling through the cracks.

 

You know this is a homeschooling board, right? You didn't say one way or the other, so I assumed.

 

Oh, sorry - I just got all fired up thinking about these kids, so I wasn't specific. I really feel for them! 

 

I do know that it's a homeschool board. I homeschool :laugh: Thank God I do, my kid would not fall through just a crack, he would fall through a giant gaping hole.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are right. I just didn't know what you meant by falling through the cracks.

 

You know this is a homeschooling board, right? You didn't say one way or the other, so I assumed.

Well, it is not exclusively a homeschooling board.  :)  There are quite a few parents that have kids in ps or private or have one in brick and mortar of some kind and another at home to homeschool and all kinds of stuff in between.  We have a wide variety on WTM.  

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I wrong in assuming that a child who is frustrated and bored isn't more likely to act out and get pegged as a behavior problem? I would think that 2e kids are even less likely to be able to express themselves appropriately. I wasn't really referring to homeschoolers. 

No not wrong.  Kids in that situation can and do get pegged as behavior problems.  All the time.  My nephew certainly was.  He is an adult now and has never really recovered from the really bad experiences he had in public school. Thankfully, if 2e kids are homeschooling, parents can usually gear the environment/schedule/academics to better meet their individual needs (not saying it is easy, it is just easier than when you have a class of 30).  On a side note, sometimes the structure of a well done brick and mortar school setting with well trained and enthusiastic teachers/support services actually works better. Depends on the kid/school/parent/season/etc.  Everyone is different.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, I will check out that thread, and I will post the results once we get them. I'm sure that this is a stupid question, but, they can't come up with a way to more accurately test younger kids? And what about people with severe disabilities for that matter? There have got to be kids falling through the cracks left and right because people aren't realizing that they are intelligent. 

 

The thing about IQ tests is that they don't directly measure intelligence.  They measure *intelligent behavior* and use that as a proxy for intelligence.  This is one reason why validity (how well the test result reflects what is true about the thing being measured) is such a problem when testing young children, whose behavior is notoriously erratic.  It would be a similar thing with folks with severe disabilities that prohibit them from engaging in the behaviors that the IQ test is using as a proxy for intelligence.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My oldest is 2E, gifted with ASD level 1 and severe ADHD. For what it's worth, his "official" IQ is lower than I expected, but his evaluator also thought it was much too low. His processing speed DVD working memory are very slow which dragged the composite score down and, of course, impacted his performance on all aspects of the test (though he scored high in all other areas). The ASD and ADHD profoundly impacted his ability to comply with the testing (at several points, he was growling st the evaluator instead of doing the task :-).

 

Someone above said something like assume he's gifted and act accordingly and you asked for clarification. We have always done this so I can tell you how it looks for us (He was just diagnosed about a year and a half ago at seven years old).

 

For us, that means letting him advance in the areas he can advance (math, science, history, literature), providing info in accessible ways (audiobooks instead of reading when possible) and working on "skills" at a lower level than his intellectual ability. So, he does math several grade levels ahead with me nearby to keep him focused (and when younger, me scribing all of it) but he also does a bit of math below grade level every day so he can practice independent work, writing all work out, those skills that are so hard for him. Handwriting developed very late for this kid, so I scribed for him or let him narrate and still do because he's only now learning to spell simple words. We worked on the skill of handwriting separately so that it didn't hold him back intellectually. He listens to audio history and audios of excellent literature because his comprehension is far above his decoding ability. He still reads for history, but he's reading little DK biograohies while he listens to The History of Us. Reading has taken off this year, but last year, he was reading Billy and Blaze and Magic Tree House for "literature," while listening to Shakespeare and Lord of the Rings. So, for us, it's always been about separating the work out so he can be challenged intellectually but not held back by his delays.

 

I'm sorry the test was so disappointing. We're about to have my non compliant child evaluated, so I'm sure I'll be there with you soon!

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...