Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy At a loss. Where do we go from here?

My DGS6 was just tested with the WISC. I assumed the private tester used WISC-IV, as its been around for almost a decade. No, she used the WISC-III. I did a lot of research about the IV, and know very little about the III.

Anyway, she is going to test him next week with the Woodcock Johnson III - both the ability and achievements as she has concerns about the WISc results. She believes it underestimated his abilities by a lot, probably due to a LD of some type, ASD, ADHD, or some combination of the above. His subtest scores were all over the map and had a scatter of 12. He is only testing in the 3rd percentile in processing speed but above the 99th in similarities.

I do not even know where to begin with the school. He has been having behavior issues, but his teachers say he is the smartest kid in his class, but underachieving. Any suggestions on where to go from here? He hates school, says reading makes his head hurt and has the attention span of a gnat unless it's something HE wants to do and then it's hard to make him quit.

At a loss.

What other testing is your tester doing besides WISC and WJIII?

If she suspects LD or ASD, she should be doing a variety of tests that screen for those kinds of issues. Conner's rating scale; ADOS; Vineland would be my top three in seeking to rule in or out ASD. Others will know better than I about LDs. You can't always reliably diagnose an LD from IQ and achievement tests alone.

I'd also not leave the testing feedback session until all your questions about behavior are answered, and you have recommendations about where to go next.

DeeDee

Do you like this tester? Is she recommended for Gifted issues? I just wonder why she used the WISC III? I also wonder why you were not informed. I am skeptical of the tester and so that would be my first question about where to go from here. If you are comfortable then I guess it is a toss up in regards to tests. I am under the impression that the WISC IV has the highest ceiling for verbal kids, but the SB5 has less restraints in regards to timing. I do not know much about the WJ ones. Can you get an opinion from another tester before proceeding?

It sounds like you need some further info before you'll really be able to know "where to go from here". I also expect you'll need testing beyond ability + achievement, but fwiw, I think you may learn something from the WJ-III if the tester administers both the ability and achievement tests. I have 2 2e kiddos, and when they were given the WJ-III Cog there were more subtests than on the WISC, and there was a lot more information contained in their reports due to the way the test results (ability + achievement) could be grouped together in different combinations to assess different types of abilities. Long story short, it made it much clearer what their specific challenges were. We still needed further testing, but I really appreciated having the details from the WJ-III.

For just right now, I'd wait until you hear what the tester has to say after the WJ-III tests - she may have further testing she'll run based on those results - and she may not have suggested other testing yet since she feels she can't trust the results of the WISC. I'd also ask if any of the lower score subtests your ds had on the WISC are tests that rely on vision - since he says reading gives him a headache, I'd just wonder about vision.

It might also help to know - does your ds only have behavior issues at school, or is he having similar issues at home? Is homework frustrating? Does he have challenges in other group settings, with other kids?

Also what type of professional is doing the testing? Is it part of a neuropsych workup or just an educational eval? Was there any kind of parent interview before testing asking questions about developmental history, behavior etc? Any plans for a functional behavior analysis?

polarbear

Thanks for the replies. The private testing agency was highly recommended, but I didn't know my DGS was the 1st gifted child she tested. To her credit, she stayed up late all weekend researching the test to come to the conclusion she didn't trust the results.

We are Cherokee, and the tester is writing a referral so our pediatrician at the Indian Health Service can become involved. We are hoping to get a referral for the additional testing from them that will be at no cost to us. IHS also provides free vision care so we can start the vision screenings, etc. I will ask for a referral to a neuropsych as well.

polarbear - We see only some of the behavior issues at home. Perfectionism is a real bear at home and at school. We know he is highly gifted by his verbal prowess, his deep thoughts about such things as infinity, gravity and now what makes tornadoes suck things up - the technical stuff (nothing with easy answers). The tester noticed this as well and he had very high scores in similarities, picture arrangement, vocabulary and comprehension. He is very, very busy and cannot comprehend much if he is forced to sit still, so ADHD is a very real possibility.
Glad to hear the WJ-III tests gave you good information. We will start there and see what the pediatrician recommends on Friday.
Thanks for the advice and this roller coaster is already giving me a headache.