Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Insight on test results

Technically, my DS probably doesn't qualify as 2e, but I know everyone here has a lot of expertise understanding test scores, and I would love some insight...

DS was just dx with Asperger's and Anxiety Disorder NOS.

WISC-IV results are as follows:
VCI 98
PRI 130
WMI 117
PSI 112
FSIQ 119
GAI 116

WIAT-II (3 subtests) and WIAT-III (11 subtests)
reading comprehension 125
numerical operations 105
spelling 116
listening comprehension 116
early reading skills 113
math problem solving 129
alphabet writing fluency 99
sentence composition 87
word reading 134
pseudoword decoding 129
oral expression 124
oral reading fluency 129
math fluency - addition 115
math fluency - subtraction 106

Wondering what you would make of these scores. WISC was administered by a Psychologist whose 4th language is English (therefore an accent); WIAT-III adminstered on a different day with a different adminstrator. FYI, ADHD was ruled out and CAP testing was fine (though ground-figure subtest was low end of normal range). Any thoughts?

Thank you! Rebecca

Do you have subtest scores for the WISC-IV? I'd like to see what, if any, scatter is there. My AS son has at least a 2 1/3 standard deviation scatter between his highest verbal subtest (vocabulary, where he hit the ceiling) and his lowest (comprehension). The "comprehension" verbal subtest apparently has a lot to do with social comprehension, not reading comprehension, BTW, and it is often a weak point for people on the autism spectrum. If the subtest score on comprehension was very low, it might have depressed the VCI, and therefore the FSIQ and GAI as well. If all the subtests are low, even though achievement is high, it may be that either your child simply couldn't understand what the test administrator was saying, or the test administrator couldn't understand what your child was saying. Or it could be that the anxiety made it hard for your child to speak or elaborate, and therefore he didn't respond at a level that gave a valid picture of his true potential.

I agree that the lower VCI is the big flag, but it is strange to me that his "language based" achievement scores are very good (reading comprehension, listening, oral expression etc). I too wonder if there was an issue with the accent. Usually kids with the PRI/VCI split that you show have some sort of struggle in the area of language.

Did they test in any other areas of speech and language? How about social pragmatics?

Thanks so much for your replies!

My DS was just over 6 1/2 yrs when testing was done (6 yrs 10 mos now). No speech/language testing done, but we will be getting a speech assessment to include pragmatics. However, interestingly his early language development was very good (first words around 9 mos, short phrases just past 1 yr, hundreds and humdreds of words and phrases by 18 months, long and relatively complex sentences between 2-3 yrs), so he actually seemed like language was a strength early on. He is now less conversational, and will often say "I don't know" when asked a question, or "I don't get it" when we explain something to him, so certainly his language skills no longer seem to be as well developed for age as they once did.

WISC subtest scores are below (and yes, Comprehension was very low, which she used as part of the rationale for why an ASD was likely and needed further assessment... but almost all verbal scores are low compared to PRI).

VCI
similarities 13
vocabulary 9
comprehension 7
information 11
word reasoning 9

PRI
block design 12
matrix reasoning 16
picture concepts 16

WMI
digit span 15
letter-number sequencing 11

PSI
coding 11
symbol search 13

Thanks again!

I wouldn't use a lower comprehension score alone as a suggestion of ASD. My youngest has twice been tested on the WISC and both times had much lower comprehension scores (4-7 raw points below the other two scores). She's actually very socially aware (probably too much so) but she has unusual ways of approaching things that might have lowered that score. If you have other reasons to suspect ASD, that's another story, though.

eta: I'm no ASD expert and, FWIW, my dd has an ADD and anxiety disorder dx and her comp scores were 15 and 12 on her two WISC testings so they weren't, technically, low, just a lot lower than the other two scores. Maybe it is only a red flag for ASD when it falls below average.

The lower vocab score is an interesting one. I do wonder if the tester played into that. Would it be possible for whomever is doing further evaluating for Asperger's to give him another brief assessment that might hit on some similar areas? Maybe the RIAS? Given his stronger LA achievement scores, the VCI scores seem a little odd.

Thanks for the reply!

We do have other reasons to suspect ASD, and had the ADI-R done after the other testing and his scores supported diagnosis. However, in all honesty I do question whether he is truly on the spectrum as his presentation is not typical for Asperger's and his ASD-ish traits vary wildly over time so at times he looks very "spectrumy" (usually when his anxiety is higher), while at other times he just seems a bit rigid and somewhat shy and introverted. He seems to hold it together quite well at school (then melts down at home because of things that happened on the playground or bus that were upsetting / scary to him), so I actually think the school will be surprised if we disclose the diagnosis. We are intending to have other professional assessment before determining how to proceed.

Some other (maybe relevant) information...

He has been in a French Immersion program with only about 30 minutes a day of English, and no English instruction in reading and writing. In all honesty, I don't think there has been a lot of academics covered in the classroom at all...

On the comprehension subtest he often answered "I don't know". On the vocabulary subtest he often gave a partial definition, usually missing what others would think was the "main point" (I don't think I should be giving an example from the test here, and can't think of anything similar to use as an example right now...).

I will look into the RIAS - I don't know if anyone around here uses it.

I know your child was tested for CAPD, but I am still wondering about an Auditory processing disorder for your child. DS13 has one, and has real trouble deciphering accents due to CAPD. He would have gotten much worse scores with someone he couldn't understand well.

He also has word finding problems sometimes. That's when we get told to "forget it" or "I don't know". A speech/language assessment sounds like a great idea. CAPD can result in problems with social pragmatics.

Does your child understand other people's point of view? To me, problems with this area is a red flag for an ASD.

I'll bet there isn't - but at least he is learning French. To be fair, there aren't 'a lot' of academics in most classrooms that 6 year olds sit in. The only way to know for sure is to sit in a few various same-grade classrooms and observe.

The kinds of VCI difficulties are certianly consistient with AS or CAPD. Glad to hear that you are getting follow up. Sad to hear about the accent problem. I would complain to the tester - lots of psychologist hire grad students to acctually adminsiter the tests and then do the interpreting. It think it's kind of a rip off to have the VCI given by someone who is difficult for the testee to understand.

Love and More Love,
Grinity