Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment I am confused -need help understanding discrepancy

Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to have my children's IQ's screened with the Slossen. My daughter scored right where I expected her to, 150. My son though shocked me by scoring a 154. I did not expect it to be so high - I had expected about a 120 - but understand it is just a screening. My children were micropreemies and while their development seemed to be going well, I have had some serious concerns regarding my son's executive function abilities (he has a very short frustration threshold, explosive temper, and little impulse control - this is a common micropreemie issue). I started looking for some help and it seemed I was facing 6-9 month waiting lists most places. I decided to go through the school district and find what support they could offer. She did an IQ test, which I was surprised at as I wasn't sure what help it oculd provide and figured the only purpose it would serve was tell me my son wasn't quite as smart as the Slossen suggested.

His results (this was WPPSI 4):

working memory 87
processing speed 89
fluid reasoning 106
verbal 114
overall 101

I was shocked. My bright, verbally and mathematically advanced son...average? His sister and I were outside the room in the lobby and he did badly want to be with us. Given the executive function issues, is it possible that the Slossen was closer to being correct? Could the WPPSI 4 be THAT far off? Could the Slossen by that inflated (I was not present when he was tested with it so am not sure how much difference that made that he did not have that distraction of wanting to be with me)? I did have his IQ calculated w Slossen based on their due date as well as actual birth date and he actually would have topped out the test with a 159 score as would have his sister if they'd made term and not been 14+ weeks early.

I am just stunned. And frustrated myself at the lack of resources for supporting a child with (nondiagnosed) executive function issues.

Goodness that's quite a discrepancy! You don't say how old he is, the younger children are the more variable their results can be on any test (bad day, didn't like tester, etc). But also, the WPPSI4 is very new and yes it is producing lower results than some might expect, I have no idea about the slossen, but if its gettin long in the tooth then yes there could be a serious gap in the morning between the two tests, which added to a good day/bad day scenario could exain your problem.

I really feel for you, I have an extremely difficult to assess and changeable 2e child, it's not easy to find answers tha seem accurate and reliable.

I am sorry! That is a pretty critical piece of information - he is a young 4 and was 3 when the Slosson was done (I know the older they get, the less and less the prematurity will matter, but apparently at 3, it's pretty significant how much they are expected to develop in 14 weeks!) At this point I am wishing she hadn't done the WPPSI - what did we gain from it other than some recognition that he may have executive function issues based on subtest scores? I need to learn how to help him.It does not help that his twin sister is a poster child for resilience and determination (she definitely has her share of outbursts though and the odd impulse control issue!) so the difference is glaring between them.