Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Can WISC confirm an ADD diagnosis?

Hello! I have recently discovered this forum and having been reading and learning so much, but am new to all this...

DS9 is scheduled to be tested on the WISC IV and WJ III in a couple of weeks. We are hoping that the test results will help us in making an educational plan for him, learn more about the way he learns, and hopefully confirm or refute a diagnosis of ADD.

Last year in third grade his teacher hinted at the possibility of ADHD. We had DS evaluated and the doctor did not feel comfortable making an ADD diagnosis even though he had "enough" checks. She was, however, confident in a making a diagnosis of dysgraphia. She felt that given how bright he is and a diagnosis of dysgraphia, it could very well look like ADD/ADHD.

Fast forward to this year, fourth grade at a new school, his current teacher raises the concern of ADHD yet again. Despite this, DS earns very good grades. His biggest challenge in the classroom is his lack of organizational skills, not paying attention (he is usually reading a book he's hidden under his desk), and his writing challenges.

I go back and forth almost daily trying to figure out if his behaviors are due to his giftedness or a combination of his giftedness and ADD.

Can the WISC IV and/or WJ III confirm or refute an ADHD/ADD diagnosis?

The only other testing we have is the OLSAT he took last year. His scores indicate he is in the "superior to gifted range."

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

I think you'll learn a lot about your sons learning style and level but limited about add. Ask the doctor if she/he officially diagnoses adhd. Some kids love one to one attention so much and the experience of challenge so much that even with significant add they show no signs of add while testing.

Poor organizational skills however are closely ties to add.
Reading books in the desk is a sure sign that something has to change. A gifted kid might do this or might be relaxed enough to sit and find hidden meanings in the presentation. 2e kids have a harder time and need stimulation to keep them on track.

Love andmore love
Grinity

Your DS sounds very much like my ds. My D's was suspected of having ADD by his 2nd grade teacher but ultimately diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder and dysgraphia. My ds has organizational challenges due to his DCD.

The WISC WJ-III combo will give you a ton of info about how your child learns and strengths and weaknesses but if there are discrepancies in subtests scores or ability vs achievement you'll most likely need additional testing to fully understand what the scores mean and what is causing the discrepancies.

I would write in more detail but my Internet is down and I'm typing on my phone -will come back later with details.

polarbear

He is getting good grades even though he is disorganized and reading books under his desk? He certainly sounds bored with whatever is going on in the classroom!

I don't know which medical/psychological specialty is best at diagnosing ADD these days.

However, I don't recall that the WISC IV or WJ III has much value with respect to either diagnosing or ruling out ADD.

Does anyone know whether neuropsychological testing is useful for ruling out such a diagnosis?

We had ADHD ruled out through neuropsych testing - the testing included behavioral scales completed by parents and teachers as we'll as executive function testing and another computerized test specifically designed to assess distractibility/focus (I'm sorry I can't remember the name at the moment!) So for us the neuropsych eval both ruled out ADHD plus gave us the diagnosis that really was true for our ds, and which has overlapping symptoms with ADHD - ie the neuropsych eval clarified what the true cause of the observed symptoms was.

We also had our ds go through an ADHD screening through our pediatrician, which involved a different brand of behavioral survey and a detailed parent interview. Our ped ruled out ADHD even though ds met the criteria for screening based on two factors: ,the suspected ADHD behaviors were not present prior to entering school and because they were behaviors commonly associated with giftedness in high iq kids.

There is no one test that can confirm/refute a diagnosis of ADHD.

As polarbear discusses, proper diagnosis requires several different tests, evaluation and input from parents and teachers.

Certain dips in processing speed are common with kids who have ADHD, but those dips don't necessarily mean the kid has ADHD, nor does not having the dip mean for certain they do not have ADHD. The diagnostic criteria for ADHD is a constellation of symptoms beyond a certain length of time and having been observed since early childhood (I believe the DSM-IV still says prior to age 7.)