Variance in IQ scores

[Guest StephanieM65]

My 17 year old was recently retested. On the WAIS, her verbal comprehension score was 96 and her perceptual reasoning was 73.

My question is this- can you assign an accurate full scale iq with this type of variance?

She is reading and spelling above 12th grade level. Math, written expression, and reading comprehension were all low. Does this sound like nonverbal learning disability? The psychologist, at a medical teaching hospital in our state capital, did not seem to be familiar with it.

[SadieMarie]

It could be, but maybe not.  I think a neuropsych evaluation is the best way to find out.  My dd has NLD and her full scale IQ is not all that helpful because of the variance.  But IQ isn't the full picture for anybody really.  

 

Here is a quote from nldontheweb.org,

 

NVLD should be diagnosed in the context of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. It is not simply a matter of Performance IQ being less than Verbal IQ, since there may be many reasons for such a discrepancy besides NVLD. Furthermore, NVLD can be present even if no discrepancies between strong verbal ability and poor performance show up on the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III). One does not need to have every characteristic of NVLD in dramatic form for the diagnosis to be helpful in delineating the pattern of strength and weaknesses.

 

 

[IsabelC]

:iagree:

IQ is only one part of the overall picture, and should not be relied on as the main form of assessment.

[Tiramisu]

It could be, but maybe not.  I think a neuropsych evaluation is the best way to find out.  My dd has NLD and her full scale IQ is not all that helpful because of the variance.  But IQ isn't the full picture for anybody really.  

 

Here is a quote from nldontheweb.org,

 

NVLD should be diagnosed in the context of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. It is not simply a matter of Performance IQ being less than Verbal IQ, since there may be many reasons for such a discrepancy besides NVLD. Furthermore, NVLD can be present even if no discrepancies between strong verbal ability and poor performance show up on the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III). One does not need to have every characteristic of NVLD in dramatic form for the diagnosis to be helpful in delineating the pattern of strength and weaknesses.

 

I agree that there is not one standard WISC profile for NLD, but I just wanted to point out that your quote is comparing verbal to performance on the WISC III. I think the comparisons that I've read about which may possibly helpful are between verbal and perceptual on the WISC IV.

 

I would also ask the OP if the descriptions of NLD fits her dd according to what she sees in real life. 

 

ETA: I think you can have good reading scores but have difficulty when it comes to inference. Subtests measuring abstract reasoning may be lower, I think. I also wonder if arithmetic could be good, while there could be difficulties with higher math due to its more abstract nature.

[SadieMarie]

For my dd the difference was between verbal and nonverbal IQ with the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales. She does not have the gross or fine motor challenges that often come with NLD. She does have most of the others, to varying degrees though. Some are not very apparent at all to anyone who does not spend a lot of time with her. Two children, both with NLD, can look very different from each other depending on how and to what degree they are affected. We know one other child with NLD and I doubt that anyone would put him and my dd into the same category. He is affected very differently. He has a lot of the motor issues but is much, much less rigid or black and white in his thinking. They both have sensory processing issues but that play out differently.

 

I have read several times that NLD is a disability that a person "grows into" in that it is much less apparent with young children and becomes a problem as they get to middle school or junior high and the demands, both academically and socially change. Abstract reasoning and subtle social communication can be very challenging. They also often have problems with executive functioning and that becomes problematic leaving elementary school.

 

I was able to diagnose my dd with NLD after reading one book. Then we had the neuropsych confirm it. This is the book that did it for me though: http://www.amazon.com/Nonverbal-Learning-Disorder-Understanding-TeachersNeed/dp/0399534679/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=1K04NHNZ14035PMA8WNA.

[Tiramisu]

For my dd the difference was between verbal and nonverbal IQ with the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales. She does not have the gross or fine motor challenges that often come with NLD. She does have most of the others, to varying degrees though. Some are not very apparent at all to anyone who does not spend a lot of time with her. Two children, both with NLD, can look very different from each other depending on how and to what degree they are affected. We know one other child with NLD and I doubt that anyone would put him and my dd into the same category. He is affected very differently. He has a lot of the motor issues but is much, much less rigid or black and white in his thinking. They both have sensory processing issues but that play out differently.

 

I have read several times that NLD is a disability that a person "grows into" in that it is much less apparent with young children and becomes a problem as they get to middle school or junior high and the demands, both academically and socially change. Abstract reasoning and subtle social communication can be very challenging. They also often have problems with executive functioning and that becomes problematic leaving elementary school.

 

I was able to diagnose my dd with NLD after reading one book. Then we had the neuropsych confirm it. This is the book that did it for me though: http://www.amazon.com/Nonverbal-Learning-Disorder-Understanding-TeachersNeed/dp/0399534679/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=1K04NHNZ14035PMA8WNA.

 

Very helpful post. And thanks for the book recommendation. I have one with many of these challenges. Unfortunately, the most recent evaluator did not investigate this as she should have. I will get the book. We have what we need for accommodations but it could never hurt for me to understand this better.