Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Low "understanding directions" score on WJ

Our 6 yo son was recently given the Terra Nova as part of the gifted ID process. Results came back as slightly above average despite reading at a 4-5th grade level. Went to a private tester who administered the WJ. Scores came back in the high gifted range with math above 99. However his understanding directions subtext was only a 43. Suggestions included testing for APD and ADD. He is too young for the APD test, but the symptoms just don't seem to fit. He has 2 siblings and a parent with ADD, so we are familiar with it, and it also just doesn't seem to fit. Clearly there is something there, but what else could impacts ability to process directions?

Many skills impact understanding oral directions, with auditory processing, attention, and receptive language definitely at the top of the list. In what way do you think these do not fit? Not everyone presents the same way, so just because he doesn't look like the family members with ADHD diagnoses does not mean the diagnosis doesn't fit him. He is definitely on the young side for an auditory processing evaluation, but not too young to see early symptoms of ADHD.

Another possibility that affects understanding directions, and doesn't necessarily have to mean ADHD or APD per se, is (working) memory deficits/differences.

BTW, remember that Terra Nova is an achievement test, not a cognitive test, so it is not all that strange that it may not always line up with cognitive testing. Also, in a child for whom attention may be questionable (which actually describes pretty much all six-year-olds!), group testing is often less reliable than individual testing. Did they give the online or paper version? That can be a factor as well, since some children are not as comfortable testing on the computer, or are distracted by the format.

while he is definitely does not exhibit the same ADHD symptoms as his siblings, just going off the ADD checklist from the CDC, it just doesn't seem to fit. The APD would explain his difficulty with processing directions, but his "story recall" score was 96th percentile, so that seems to not fit either.

I would chuck the Terra Nova out the window, but that is how his district determines gifted eligibility, so now we have to come up with an explanation on why they should set it aside and consider him for the program anyway.

I'm less concerned with his admission into the gifted program than figuring out why he is having difficulty on the standardized tests, which he will have to take from now until college. I believe the TN was on paper in a small group setting. The person who gave the test was not the person who wrote the report, so I don't have any info on how he behaved during the testing.

Story recall is an expressive language task, which is quite different from understanding directions. The resulting profile is actually quite consistent with either APD or a receptive language disorder. For story recall, while listening memory plays a role, the more critical listening skill is grasping the gist of the narrative thread, rather than retaining the exact wording. For understanding directions, the specific sequence and details are both essential. It also involves a pointing response. How are his motor planning and motor speed? (Places you would see impacts: handwriting, speed of work completion on paper, coordination. If there are delays in this area, that might be an additional or alternate factor in his TN performance. Do you know if he finished all of the items? He might know the answer to this question.)