Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Will processing speed score improve with age?

Generally, they say IQ doesn't change much over time. Our Dr said maybe a few points in either direction, but overall it will remain stable.
If my son has a GAI of 154, but a processing speed score of 88, will that possibly change as he gets older?

He's in 2nd grade now, but as he gets older we would like to find a different school for him - a place that has some sort of gifted program.

His current FSIQ is 135, but if his processing speed improves like his Dr said it would, wouldn't that cause him to score higher the next time he takes the test, resulting in a higher FSIQ?
He will again take the WISC-IV in 5th grade (the Dr wants to administer the test every few years because he has epilepsy and she wants to make sure it isn't causing disruption with learning).

An IQ compares a child to his age peers, so unless your son's processing speed rises faster than is usual for kids his age, the answer is "no".

I could be wrong, but I believe processing speed is one of those where he can eventually 'catch up' to his peers at some point. He may lag behind all the way to adulthood, but be slowly narrowing the gap and eventually close it.

Processing speed improves in the sense that on an absolute scale your son will likely get faster doing the processing speed subtests on the WISC-IV. However, my understanding is that for kids who have processing speed issues, even though their speed has improved in an absolute sense, it frequently doesn't improve at the same rate as that of their peers. So their scores actually go *down*.

This is what I have seen with both of my children.

Our Dr. said that processing speed can be improved in an particular area by (lots of) practice. Example: multiplication facts.

This will not transfer over to other areas however; those would have to be specifically practiced as well.

As far as my own processing speed issues, I actually do think that I have caught up considerably. Maybe it is only in appearance however; I can get to correct answers faster than most other folks because I deal with complex problems that require understanding and keeping in mind a lot of factors, and I have better logic skills.

I still cannot beat anyone (except my kids) time-wise at multiplication tables (but then again I don't practice).

Seems like there are many possible source for a lowered processing speed. If the source is more in the perfectionism or executive control area (prone to overthinking/reworking, thinks too much, easily distracted in thinking), I'd imagine that it could improve over time with maturity and/or other controls.

My guess is that your working memory is good and your logic is good so that when you apply your slow processing speed to the problem, you get the answer first because you are moving slowly over a much shorter distance, conceptually, whereas others are driving really quickly in tight little circles and spinning their wheels.

I think the key is - did the person who administered the IQ test have any idea why the processing speed was low relative to PRI and VIQ? If the score is artificially low due to things like Zen Scanner mentioned (for instance, a young child might not grasp that time was critical and may have been purposely slow due to perfectionism etc) - the test might not reflect the child's true processing speed, so yes, when the test is given later it might appear that processing speed has improved. If it's due to a physical reason that can be corrected (such as a vision issue) than yes, it can improve once the physical issue has been corrected. If processing speed tested low because of a neurological reason (such as dysgraphia impacting fine motor skills associated with using a pencil) then no, chances are it's not going to improve with age.

*HOWEVER* - stepping onto my soapbox for a minute here - relatively slow processing speed isn't (and shouldn't) keep a child out of gifted programming - instead GAI should be used in place of FSIQ when there is a large discrepancy between PRI/VIQ and Processing Speed.

My ds12 (7th grade) has a relatively low processing speed due to Developmental Coordination Disorder and related fine motor dysgraphia - but his brain isn't slow, it's just his ability to output knowledge quickly. There are literally tons of ways to accommodate slow output and what we've found with our ds is that he performs much better overall when he's in appropriately intellectually challenging and accelerated programming than he does when he's held back due to concerns about processing speed. It may take a bit of researching and advocating on your part but don't think for one minute that a relatively slow processing speed will keep your child out of gifted programs.

The one thing I'd encourage you to do now is to try to get more info (which may mean some more testing) to determine why the processing speed is low relative to other scores. First step would be to go back to the evaluator and ask their impressions. Also look at your ds' overall functioning in school - is he having challenges or is he sailing along without any worries? There are some kids here on this board who have that relatively large dip in processing speed and aren't impacted by it at all, and others like my ds who's dip represents a learning disability or a physical challenge - and *if* there is something to the dip, the earlier you understand what's up and how to accommodate or remediate, the better. I'll caution you that our ds' first IQ test was at 5 and the person administering the test wrote off the processing score as perfectionism and we missed two years of time before we realized there was an issue that needed to be addressed - in the meantime our ds developed severe anxiety related to school.

Best wishes,

polarbear

ps - a bit OT, but fwiw, our neuropsych told us that most of the IQ scores will stay relatively similar over time, but Working Memory is the one area that can be improved with targeted work and also with maturity. We have seen WM scores go up for our ds from 2nd grade to 5th.

My DS was IQ tested by a neuropsych at 6 and his processing speed was 75. He was diagnosed with ADHD and started meds. At 9 when he was tested by an LD specialist his processing speed (medicated) was 100. His other index scores stayed within 5 points of each other from one test administration to the other. It seems to me that his processing speed did improve but I assumed it was the medication. He is incredibly slow to respond and gets in repetitive loops when he is not medicated. Clearly from the above posts YMMV.

This is my DS... his processing speed was in the 21st percentile, accompanied by "difficulties with sustaining attention and following instructions." I've noticed a big difference in this area in the year since he's been tested and am really curious to see if the PS has increased. (Oh well, no $$ in the budget for it at the moment).

I think when they're young it can be tough to get an accurate result. It depends on the child and the nature of the interfering behaviours... I just know our doc said "take it with a grain of salt."