Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Low processing speed? GAI needed?

We just got the results from our DC's evaluation. As I suspected, DC is very bright but seems to have much lower processing speed in relation to other scores. The FSIQ ended up being 128 despite low processing speed. The psychologist didn't report the GAI. I would like to know the GAI (I suspect it would qualify DC for gifted services in our district, while the FSIQ is just a little short). Can it be calculated based on the below? More importantly, is this processing speed difference clinically significant? DC has already been diagnosed with ADHD, but was medicated at the time of testing and we thought it was more or less under control. Thanks for any insight!

Subtest Scaled Score Percentile
Block Design 10 50
Similarities 15 95
Matrix Reasoning 13 84
Digit Span 17 99
Coding 10 50
Vocabulary 17 99
Figure Weights 15 95
Visual Puzzles 16 98
Picture Span 10 50
Symbol Search 7 16

Ack, sorry, forgot to say that these scores are from WISC V.

So I know that, on the basis of the much lower PSI, you would expect the GAI to be at least a little bit higher than the FSIQ, but the GAI also removes the WMI subtest included in the FSIQ, which is his highest score, resulting in a slight drop moving from FSIQ to GAI.

(BTW, the drastic difference between the two WMI subtests also parallels the verbal>>visual reasoning preference.)

IOW, no, if this FSIQ is not already qualifying, the GAI would not qualify your child for GT services in most districts, as it is actually lower than the FSIQ. If you were looking for a qualifying score, the one to pursue would be the VCI or VECI, as he clearly is strongest in verbal cognition (the VCI is the only Index in the Extremely High range).

On your second, and more important, question, yes, the PSI is statistically significant, and might be clinically significant. But you would need more information about his actual performance IRL (i.e., not just in the testing office) to determine clinical significance. The low PSI may or may not reflect his diagnosed ADHD (that is, it might reflect a separate processing speed weakness). And even if it does reflect his ADHD, it doesn't necessarily mean that the ADHD is inadequately controlled in terms of actual function.

Thank you for your reply, AEH. Yes, I forgot that the GAI would remove a high score as well as a low score, so that makes sense that it would not be higher than the FSIQ.

We do see some IRL things that I have suspected could be due to lower processing speed. For example, at school DC (3rd grade) knows her math facts, but hasn't been able to progress through the school's timed, online math facts program because she always enters the answers too slowly. We have successfully opted her out of this program now because it was causing her so much anxiety.

We also see it during family game night. DC has good moves but takes as long to think about her turn as the rest of the family combined. She gets especially frustrated during cooperative games because her younger sibling (the child I usually post about on here, who is identified gifted and with a particular strength in strategy/logic games) jumps in too quickly and she doesn't have time to formulate her own ideas. When we can get the younger sibling to hold his thoughts for a bit, she comes up with great contributions. She just needs more time and she can become very anxious and frustrated when she doesn't get it.

At school, I know it takes her much longer to complete assignments than her peers. I don't know if this is due to processing speed, ADHD, or both. Is there a way to tell?

I posted the WISC scores, but she also took several other tests including Delis-Kaplan executive functioning, WIAT iii, and Children's Memory Scale. I haven't even begun to make sense of them yet - all show wide discrepancies among the various subtests, similar to the WISC.

Good to hear you have more of a comprehensive set of evaluation data. If you prefer not to post it publicly, pm me, and I can take a look.

That would be so great, aeh, thank you. I will pm you.