Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Understanding CO subtest score [WISC-V]

DC is E/PG and highest index was VCI. Due to significant discrepancies in some scores [both from WISC and WJ] we had an additional subtest run - specifically, the comprehension [CO] subtest [part of VCI but not used to calculate FSIQ].

I need help understanding the score relative to the FSIQ/GAI. DC is in the 99.9 [FSIQ] to 99.9+ [GAI] percentile but scored in the 75th percentile on the CO subtest [note: 77th percentile for PSI with all others in the gifted range].

What does this indicate? I know we are dealing with some type of LD(s) and likely more than one compounding factor. My gut tells me Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and CAPD. I change my mind daily about ADHD. And I know [significant] Anxiety is present.

I can't find anything online that helps to interpret this discrepancy. And, yes, our tester will walk me through everything but our next feedback session isn't until after the holidays.

THANK YOU in advance for any guidance you may be able to provide.

MBM

How old? My DD had a similar profile (on the WISC-IV) at 9 and was (finally) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 12. ADHD / SPD / Anxiety are the "unholy trinity" that my school counselor has told me leads her to treat kids as undiagnosed ASD until it is ruled out by an expert. On the other hand, her tester told us that a lot of gifted kids get artificially low scores on Comprehension because they give correct-ish answers that are outside the scope of answers considered correct by the test designers. On the gripping hand, she didn't identify DD's ASD, either, and in fact told us that she thought it was unlikely.

So now you probably know less than before.

ASD has been ruled out by our clinical psychologist [after a year of weekly sessions and a full battery of tests] citing DC's advanced grasp of Theory of Mind concepts. DC is 6 but the psychologist says it is like chatting with a 30 year old a lot of the time. A year ago, after their first session, the psych suggested I start researching ASD [specifically the former ASD dx of Aspergers] as there were certainly a lot of overlapping behaviors. This was around the time I stumbled on to Webb's 'Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults'.

The test was administered by DC's clinical psychologist and they know each other very well so I'm not inclined to think the score is artificially low due to correct-ish answers as I believe that our psych would have worked to avoid that scenario [within the parameters of ethical testing procedures, of course].

I'm sure we've all said/thought this a few times: but why didn't these kids come with a manual? At this point, I'd happily take a tip sheet!

Thanks for your input!

CO is Coding (not Comprehension), right? If so, my DS8 has a very similar score profile to your kid (though, like ElizabethN, on the WISC-IV). He is very slow but neat when he writes, and he has trouble keeping up with his classmates. He's fortunate to have teachers that understand that, if he's given more time, he can produce some pretty amazing stuff.

I've wondered off and on if he is dysgraphic, but I've never considered CAPD. Are there specific reasons you think that this score discrepancy would point towards that, or are there other aspects about your kid's personality that lead you to believe that?

I found this link to be pretty helpful: http://bitsofwisdomforall.com/the-frustrated-learner/

Another factor comprehension does not share with the core VCI subtests on the WISC-V is the amount of language comprehension necessary to answer the questions. Similarities and Vocabulary both consist of very brief stimuli (one or two words), which may make a difference for some children.

Also, Co is somewhat related to personal experience, unlike the other three verbal subtests, which are more academic in nature. It may be that a six-year-old hasn't had sufficient experience of the world to have encountered some of the situations addressed in Co.

My DS11 has a similar score profile except his highest index is PRI due to a relative low score on CO. He has previously been diagnosed as being on the spectrum but was recently assessed by a 2E specialist who strongly ruled it out. I believe his low CO score was due to a multiple of reasons, as Aeh mentioned above. He is quite naive, and had very little exposure to TV or technology until the last year or so. He also has expressive verbal language issues (average) which may have played a part. Lastly, he also was recently diagnosed with CAPD and now wears a filter.
George C, my DS is a meticulous writer and I would have never guessed he has Dysgraphia. However, he was always so slow to get his homework done. Basically any task that involve fine motor brought scores down very low when tested during his neuropsych evaluation. You many find the issue starts becoming much more taxing in the upper elementary grades so that he may no longer be able to compensate. This is what happened with DS.

I was referring to the Comprehension subtest of the VCI [Similarities, Vocabulary, Information, Comprehension ... only the first two are factored into the FSIQ but the other two provide additional information/perspective].

As for CAPD, there are multiple other factors that point toward CAPD. Or it could be ADHD. Or both. Or just a kid with a helluva lot of OEs ...

I'll check out the link! Thanks

This would actually answer a lot of my questions. DC does not have a broad range of experience and I often have to explain things that many kids already know. DC is homeschooled [after a few disastrous years of preschool] and has always been oblivious to any/everything that wasn't of specific interest [you know: math, science, natural history or gaming] ...

I'm often amazed at the words DC does NOT know ... especially considering DC's vast vocabulary. It all comes down to life experience/exposure.

With respect to your comment about 'brief stimuli': is there a relationship [correlation/causation] between ADHD/attention issues and lower scores on the comprehension subtest? There are days I'm convinced DC's ADHD dx is incorrect and others I totally buy into it ...

What is a filter and how does it work? While we do not have a CAPD dx, it is well within the range of possible ... maybe even likely. I certainly have my theories

There could be, for some children.

Another hypothesis is that the symptoms you occasionally experience as inattentive may actually reflect challenges in receptive language, which would fit with lower performance on Co than Si/Vo, as Co requires understanding a longer, more complex language stimulus (sentence-length questions, some of them fairly long, compound/complex sentences). That is, it may be that he is not understanding/following directions because he is not attending through the whole direction, or it may be that he is not understanding the language itself, because there are too many words and sentence structures to process.

This is also where the other poster's reference to auditory processing disorder comes in, as that is another condition whose symptoms overlap ADHD.

So far, everything you have reported could be consistent with any one of 1) ADHD, 2) CAPD, 3) receptive language disorder.

Oh, and a filter is a personally-fitted ear canal piece that selectively screens out certain frequencies, in order to make the auditory environment less chaotic for the wearer, with the primary objective of improving their experience of speech clarity, and the secondary objective of reducing sensory overload.