Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Attention testing

Just had our feedback meeting with the psychologist assessing DD11 for possible ASD. We don't have the actual scores in hand yet, so I don't know the names of the instruments, but the attention tests were, um, attention-getting. (DD has a tentative ADHD-I diagnosis.)

On the simplest, most boring one (listen to a recorded voice, and push a red button every time it says "red"), she had a scaled score of 3. On the most complicated one (three different colors with different rules for which button to push for each, read by examiner instead of a recording), she had a scaled score of 18. This is probably the biggest difference I've ever seen or heard of for tests of the same child that are nominally measuring the same thing (attention).

It's obvious to me that these numbers will be useful if I ever need to advocate for more challenge at school. But does anyone have any other thoughts? aeh?

Because the subject is testing attention, I will mention that I noticed the cake symbol next to your name... Happy Birthday!

Regarding your daughter's test results, as it seems she has better attention in complex circumstances, possibly taking notes or doodling for notes may help her stay tuned in? These are just a few of the ideas which have been said to be successful for some people...

Thank you, indigo!

I'll have to talk to DD about what she thinks might help with simpler tasks where she loses focus. I personally have difficulty with taking notes, as I find I lose the thread of the lecture more easily when I do. I have better luck knitting while listening, as long as I have a reasonably sympathetic lecturer who is not too put off by it.

That is definitely up there for diverse performance on related tasks. It certainly underlines the role of cognitive engagement for her. Clearly, her sustained attention/inhibition is quite impaired when it's attention for attention's sake, and exceptionally strong when there is some cognitive challenge added. This is an unusually pronounced example of the low DSF/high DSB profile that one often sees on the WISC-IV for this type of child. Don't underestimate the impact of the live presentation by an actual human being, instead of a recorded voice, either. Also typical of students with attentional vulnerabilities.

Good data for supporting upping the instructional level rather than otherwise, when next careless errors on a clerical-type task prevent her from advancing another tier. Since she doesn't appear to be the impulsive-rushing-through-work sort, (no H in her ADHD) raising the academic level into her ZPD will probably increase her accuracy, rather than decreasing it.

In those obligatory less-challenging situations, it will probably help her to ask lots of questions (creates her own interest and cognitive challenge), and for teachers to look for ways to connect it to her personal experience (creates relevance), and to build relational contexts for instruction (creates personal connections between her and instructors).

Some teachers may be challenged, or feel defensive, when she asks lots of questions. They will need to understand that this is not a personal challenge, but a compensatory strategy for maintaining attention and student engagement during instructional activities. If they embrace her necessary accommodations, they will get to see the scaled score 18 child. If they don't, they will be stuck with the scaled score 3 child.

Wow! will you update when you know what that test is called? BTW, I am like you and cannot listen and take notes simultaneously. But can listen and attend well to interesting things like your DD.

Are you saying that the ADHD is a new diagnosis, and ASD is ruled out?

aeh--what do DSF and DSB stand for?

Not aeh, but DSF/B= digit span forward/backward

Sorry, eco, jargoning again!

DSF-Digit Span Forward
DSB-Digit Span Backward

It's the two mini-tasks that make up the Digit Span subtest on the WISC-IV. On the WISC-V and WAIS-IV, there are three mini-tasks in Digit Span:
DSF
DSB
DSS-Digit Span Sequencing

More or less in order of increasing accessibility to compensation with higher-level cognition.

Evaluators don't always report the process scores, often because they don't add any information (such as when they are not significantly different from each other), but sometimes just because.

Thank you! So you are saying there are actual people in the world who do better on the DSB? As someone who can rarely remember a phone number without saying it out loud...that amazes me.

Wow, that is a really concise and revealing way of putting it. I'm glad I asked, because this is something I can repeat at her 504 planning meeting this week. She starts middle school in the fall, and we are meeting with the middle school counselor so we can plan for the transition.



No, she's had the ADHD diagnosis for a while, but I didn't feel that it really "captured" her accurately. (I fought medication for a while. We tried it this year, and it made for only a marginal improvement, so she is back off of it.) The psychologist did give her an ASD diagnosis today.

I will be happy to add the name of the test when I know it.

I hope the new information is helpful with the 504 planning. That's interesting about medication. I feel like I read somewhere that some people with ASD do better on SSRI than stimulant meds.