Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment SB5 or WPPSI-IV for 3.5yo

That is good to know!

It looks like I might be having to choose between the SB5 and WPPSI-III because I cannot find anyone offering the WPPSI-IV. I asked one place when they were getting it and they said not for a couple of years!

How soon should they change over after the new version is released? I'm in Australia, so it's only just come out this year

One year is the recommended time, though immediately is best.

Jayta had the WPPSI 4 been normed for Australia yet? Generally the Wechsler tests are normed locally but take a year or two longer to come out in Australia.

It has been out for a few months in the AU/NZ version.

Ah! There you go. I could have done the WPPSI IV on my youngest... too late now. Not that I expect I would be able to find anyone actually doing it here anyway. So I probably couldn't have really anyway.

Are you sure that you want your child to do early school entrance? I do not know your DD so this is only anecdotal based on my own experience. I have a PG daughter with a fall birthday and we went back and forth as to whether of not we should start her early. In the end we did not, we decided to give her another year in a purely play based environment (she was already reading, doing most early math etc). It was such a good decision and she blossomed so much socially in that last year as well as developing wonderful leadership skills. While school is a bit boring (I think it probably would be if she were a year younger) she is much more well rounded and happier being a leader among her peers. Also, fine motor skills are very important in kindergarten and these demands can be tedious and frustrating. I would consider all angles when making this decision.

Where as, Sallymom, I desperately, DESPERATELY wish I had been able to early enter my middle child (we tried and failed)... Having to wait for age appropriate entry was quite disastrous for us, we watched our happy child disappear, skills regress and ultimately were forced to change schools and grade skip (because that WAS allowed). I really don't think anyone early enters or grade skips a child without considering all the angles, it's not something anyone does frivolously, goodness knows there are enough people around to tell you what a terrible and poorly thought out thing you are doing because their child was so much better off for not having been skipped, or they knew this child once who had a terrible outcome that was clearly because they HAD been skipped...

Early entry and all forms of acceleration are such individual decisions, that is why they are so hard. No two person's circumstances, or children, are exactly the same. What works for one child doesn't necessarily work for another. Kids draw contentment from different things, being a leader, playing sports with age peers, playing in an adult orchestra, working on higher level academics.

Even with all the positive research on acceleration it all comes down to each particular child in the end and what they need.

Having IQ data can be very helpful both to indicate a level of giftedness or different learning profiles. But it is just one piece of the puzzle. And as we have seen, no two IQ tests measure exactly the same things. It is reasonable to work out what test best suits your child and circumstance. Good luck finding an answer Jayta. We had trouble getting the SB V when we wanted it.

Even with what you think is the best test, sometimes the result I doesn't match up with what you know about your child. Then it comes back to knowing your DC best. Again, really hard. We are intelligent people trying to make difficult decisions for our important little beings. We like hard facts and data to guide us but sometimes it just isn't there.

But all information is good information. I too can get frustrated by people with anecdotes against acceleration but I have to remember, take away anything that is valuable from the story and note that their decision worked for them. It's like case reports in medicine. Sometimes situations, illnesses, reactions to treatment are so rare that there isn't anything but case reports to rely upon. But then population data doesn't necessarily help work out what will happen to any one individual either.

Our situations are unique enough that it's hard to find anyone in exactly the same position. Even here. But there are enough similarities to get good advice.

Thanks for all of the comments.

At this point, I do not know for sure whether we will pursue early entry or not. An IQ test is just one of the pieces of information we will be using to help us make that decision. She could well test under 98% and early entry will be out of the question.

My daughter is in a play based daycare now and they have reported that she constantly seeks adult interaction, prefers toys/tasks that challenge her cognitively and loves the limited amount of direct instruction group time they provide. She becomes frustrated when other children interrupt her play, do not follow the rules/instructions etc.

I am not sure how this will change over the coming year or two but I am concerned that a 3rd year in the same play based environment will become problematic due to boredom.

In case we do not early enter, I am trying to figure out other options for the year in question. The staff at her current centre have said that she will need 'extending' if she stays for the additional year, but I need to clarify how exactly they plan to do this.