Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Is anyone familiar with DAS-II assesment

My son was tested with the DAS when he was quite young (barely 4) and then we had to have him retested at not quite 5 with the WPPSI for gifted school K requirements. Our psych told us originally that she was using the DAS b/c it was more engaging for young boys than the WPSSI. He actually scored 10 points higher on the WPSSI than the DAS (his FSIQ was 139 with the DAS and 149 with the WPSSI). The verbal IQ score was almost exactly the same on both (I think it was 146 on the DAS and 145 on the WPSSI) but his nonverbal IQ went up significantly on the WPSSI (by around 15 or more points, I think). Anyway, I really believe that it had to do with maturity. I don't know that much about the two tests, but we were bummed that we had to have him retested since his scores on the DAS were good enough to qualify for the gifted school. They simply would not take the DAS. Once we saw that his WPSSI scores were better, we wondered if perhaps it were a better test for him, but who knows. He was still awfully young. I guess we know regardless that he is gifted, to some degree (which we really already knew before testing). We just have to wait and see how things pan out for him.

One thing that I do remember about the DAS is that it has a drawing component, called "copying." I think this is scored in the nonverbal section. My son did most poorly in that section--it was a significantly lower score, to the point that the psych even mentioned that we should watch him for dysgraphia. What's so funny to me now is that this all has turned out just fine. We were told by his PreK teachers that his fine motor was below average, but by the end of the year they said that he was average. Then in early K (this fall) we were told that his fine motor was above average! He has had no trouble whatsoever. I attribute it all to his (4 1/2 to present) obsession with paper airplanes and origami--which have no doubt strengthened his hand muscles. What amazes me is that in the DAS it seems that this may be measured as a part of IQ, and perhaps this is why my son's nonverbal IQ was 10+ points lower on the DAS? This is one reason that I would be wary of the test--or at least look carefully at the results and subtest scores. I am definitely no expert, though, so maybe others know more about the test.