Hi Jennie,
I'm also in Aust & also have 3 boys (12,9 & 8) as well as a 4yo dd. All have been Id'd as gifted, the oldest two as HG+.
I empathise with you - the psych who tested my 8yo wouldn't even give me a FSIQ, stating that his "
unique set of thinking & reasoning abilities make his overall intellectual fuctioning difficult to summarise by a single score on the WISC-IV as his verbal abilities are better developed than his perceptual reasoning abilities." Duh!! And while the report listed the subtests & what they measured, it didn't show his subtest scores, but just a qualitative description for the range in which he fell (well above average, above average, high average etc.)
I thought about following up & asking for the scale scores so I could calculate a FSIQ & GAI (I doubt she would have known what it was either), but the psych confirmed his placement in a GT class which was the reason he was tested in the first place, so I didn't bother.
I don't know why there seems to be such a reluctance here to give parents all the information. I know when an Ed Dept psych tested my older boys it was the same scenario. Only descriptors, not scale scores or IQ scores, & IQ was only represented as a percentile rank.
But with regards to your son, does his school recognise the need for GT accommodations based on his high VCI? I wouldn't stress too much about what a psych who has only spent an hour or two says if it doesn't fit with what you see in your child every day. Use the psych report for what it gives you - confirmation that your son IS gifted, has an extremely high verbal IQ, so will need adjustments to the curriculum to ensure he remains engaged & challenged, & might need some support to overcome some motor difficulties which resulted in below average processing speed.
It can be overwhelming, so feel free to vent your frustration as required!
Cheers,
Cassandra
