Inspired by NJKelli - anyone want to share or discuss score patterns and spread?

[rafiki]

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[yobella]

This is still very new to me. My daughter was recently diagnosed with ADD combined type with OCD tendencies.

 

WISC IV 33 point spread. VCI the highest, WMI the lowest

Subtests 9 point spread. Comprehension the highest, Digit span the lowest.

 

Percentile Rankings

VCI 95%

PRI 75%

WMI 27%

PSI 42%

FSIQ 73%

 

Paula

[Element]

Evaluation 2

WISC IV 31 point spread, processing the highest, working memory the lowest

sub-scores 10 point spread, symbol search the highest, digit span the lowest

WIAT II 22 point spread, numerical operations the highest, reading comprehension the lowest

label none, prior to 2004 would have been twice-exceptional

 

 

This part stands out to me. Did they give you any explanation as to why the gap was so large between these two? Aren't WMI and PSI usually closer together? My ds had a 40 point spread between PSI and PRI, but his WMI wasn't too far from his PSI.

[FairProspects]

I'll bite. I find tests and measures fascinating.

 

 

WISC IV - 61 point spread, Perceptual Reasoning highest, Processing Speed lowest

WIAT III - 35 point spread, Reading Comprehension highest, Math Fact Fluency-Addition Lowest

 

GAI used instead of FSIQ because Verbal Comprehension subtest suspected to be artificially lowered by word retrieval issues associated with dyslexia.

 

Diagnosis - Dyslexic, Dysgraphic, SPD

 

ETA: Yikes! I'm realizing just how big ds's spread is when I see all these scoring results.

Edited August 16, 2012 by FairProspects

[FairProspects]

Aren't WMI and PSI usually closer together?

 

Not necessarily. Ds's WMI was 86% and PSI was around 27%.

[Element]

Not necessarily. Ds's WMI was 86% and PSI was around 27%.

 

And they didn't consider that a factor in determining any clinical issues with him?

 

(I'm not implying it would be a factor, btw. I honestly don't know a lot about WMI/PSI variance.)

 

ETA: I should clarify what I meant in my first post. I guess I was surprised that they didn't identify any learning issues in the "Eval. 2" child, because the spread between those 2 scores seemed kind of large. I was just wondering if they gave her any explanation for the variance.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Element

[FairProspects]

And they didn't consider that a factor in determining any clinical issues with him?

 

(I'm not implying it would be a factor, btw. I honestly don't know a lot about WMI/PSI variance.)

 

I'm not really sure what you mean, but I know it factored into his diagnosis as a dyslexic. That was one of the key identifying subtests, I think. Slow processing speed is associated with dyslexia.

[Element]

I'm not really sure what you mean, but I know it factored into his diagnosis as a dyslexic. That was one of the key identifying subtests, I think. Slow processing speed is associated with dyslexia.

 

Sorry, I wasn't clear in my first post. I meant that I was surprised that they did *not* identify any issues in a child with a 30 point variance between these scores. I was wondering what explanation, if any, she was given for this.

[Tiramisu]

nm

Edited December 23, 2012 by Tiramisu

[rafiki]

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[Element]

The gap was explained to be poor-self monitoring and due to his incredibly swift processing speed (one of the fastest our NP has seen).

 

That makes sense. I'm glad they discussed this with you. I went and looked at my ds's scores and I guess his WMI and PSI weren't as close as I thought (20 pts. It wasn't far enough apart for me to even notice, I guess. The test administrator did not address it with us.)

 

Since I have his results in front of me now, I can go ahead and put ds's out there in case anyone has any comments on his situation. He was given the WISC IV at our local university's testing department. No explanation was really given.

 

WISC IV 43 point spread, perceptual reasoning the highest, processing speed the lowest

sub-scores 9 point spread, picture concepts 19, coding 10

 

No explanation given for the variance, other than "Someday this may start to look like ADHD." I was told not to worry about the low PSI subtest scores because they were still in the average range, but I've always wondered (he was tested 2 yrs ago) why they were so much lower than his PRI/VCI scores. He does not show any signs of ADHD, but he does show signs of Tourette's. I've always just assumed it was something tic-related which caused his (relatively speaking) low PSI.

[FairProspects]

WISC IV 43 point spread, perceptual reasoning the highest, processing speed the lowest

sub-scores 9 point spread, picture concepts 19, coding 10

 

No explanation given for the variance, other than "Someday this may start to look like ADHD." I was told not to worry about the low PSI subtest scores because they were still in the average range, but I've always wondered (he was tested 2 yrs ago) why they were so much lower than his PRI/VCI scores. He does not show any signs of ADHD, but he does show signs of Tourette's. I've always just assumed it was something tic-related which caused his (relatively speaking) low PSI.

 

IMHO, that is a pretty large discrepancy to not have an explanation. Can you pay to get a better explanation without having to re-do all the testing? Did he have achievement testing too? Are there concerns other than the processing speed academically? If so, personally I would want another round of testing that included the WIAT, but that is just me.

[Element]

IMHO, that is a pretty large discrepancy to not have an explanation. Can you pay to get a better explanation without having to re-do all the testing? Did he have achievement testing too? Are there concerns other than the processing speed academically? If so, personally I would want another round of testing that included the WIAT, but that is just me.

 

Yeah, I felt that way too. At the time, his tics were just quirky little things. Once he started to develop the complex tics, though, I just thought "Aha! That's where the WISC discrepancy came from." I have no idea whether or not we could pay to get a better explanation without having to re-do the testing. As far as I know, no. Not from the university, anyway.

 

The only achievement testing he has ever had done was the SCAT for JHU CTY. This was done right after the WISC. His scores were above average, but he did not do nearly as well as I thought he would do based on his WISC VCI & PRI scores. When he was in public school, he never stood out for academic achievement, but he wasn't behind either. He was just kind of left to do his own thing.

 

I know he should probably have a full examination of some type but I wouldn't know where to begin, and I hate to think of the cost. I was planning on having him take the Stanford test at a local private school next spring. Would that be similar to the WIAT?

 

ETA: Thank you for your input, by the way!

Edited August 16, 2012 by Element

[FairProspects]

The WIAT would probably be done as part of a full neuropsych eval, and that's what I would recommend for your ds at this point. A neuropsych will re-do the WISC too, but you probably need that to have someone help explain the discrepancy in processing speed. BTW, if he is hitting the ceiling of subtests like you mentioned, I'd look for a neuropsych with experience with 2E kids.

Edited August 16, 2012 by FairProspects