The neuropsychs that give the tests must follow the procedures exactly for each test, or it is invalid.
I hear what you are saying and I'm sure you are right, it is just that in my mind a "valid" spelling test on a test like the WIAT should test how many test words the child can actually spell instead of how many he could write before his hands got too tired to continue. It seemed more like a handwriting endurance test than a spelling test. My son managed to write more than I thought he could and the words were sloppy but legible enough that he still tested above grade level so insurance would not pay for OT even though his visual motor skills tested a few years below his age. He has a motor learning disorder and low muscle tone which affects his writing speed and endurance and ability to draw and color in lines quickly. He did get a total of six visits to the OT a few years later when his visual motor integration still tested low but he is somehow able to compensate enough that he will most likely not get help with anything, but we will see. I really hope they will test him again to see if the things we have been doing at home are helping him. Since we homeschool I can only compare his writing ability to the kids we see at Cub Scouts and I know that at the beginning of the school year it looked like the other Webelos were able to write much faster and more legibly and they did not have his problems with drawing. He is very aware of this and self conscious.
