First, disclaimer, I am not a testing expert and am only providing an interpretation based on my DS6's WPPSI results in comparison to yours - my DS6 was the exact same age, 5 y 5 mo, when he took his WPPSI test.
His scores were FSIQ 130, 137 verbal, 123 performance, and 102 processing. We didn't get a GLC. The processing speed fell at the 55th percentile, meaning average. Your DD's gap between processing and highest other subtest is quite a bit smaller, and puts her processing speed much farther up on the second half of the bell curve. I'm not sure if they gave you percentiles associated with her processing speed or not, but that might be helpful for you to see. Even with our subtantial gap, our DS is still "average" in processing speed.
In regards to our DS's gap, the testing specialist told us at the time that a) kids rarely "grow out" of having a lower processing speed, so this gap would likely remain throughout his school years; b) it would likely mean that his written output and ability to take notes in class would be much slower than his cognitive abilities; c) this may lead to frustration on his part as he gets older, that he can't get his thoughts out on paper as quickly as his brain is working; and d) she recommends the following strategies to parents whose kids have this type of gap: allowing them to dictate while the parents write down the thoughts, and doing a lot of computer/keyboard typing instead of writing once they get old enough.
We didn't fully understand it at the time, but now that he's in first grade, we are noticing it, and her strategies make sense. The gap relates to the ability to rapidly take notes, the ability to take timed tests, and the ability to complete assignments within imposed time constraints. Although our DS's scores are average, they don't match his cognitive abilities, and his teacher is noticing it. She told us that she's always surprised how long it takes him to get things down on paper, and how basic what he writes is, because she knows he's capable of much more. Thankfully, she said she stepped back and realized that just because his brain is capable of much more doesn't mean his writing has to be stellar too. It was helpful for her when we explained the difference in processing speed versus verbal/performance intelligence, and how that affects his writing. I'm digressing, but my point is that we ARE seeing the gap playing out now that he's in first grade, but his writing is still on par with the rest of the class. We're also about to test him for dyslexia, and it's possible that his low symbol search score (50th percentile) was an indicator of that - but right now that's just a hunch, as he's reading at/slightly above grade level.
Your DD's gap is substantially smaller, but if you start to see some of these things playing out as she gets older, I think our testing specialist's strategies, along with ones others mentioned regarding timed tests, etc., may be helpful for you to have in your back pocket.
Last edited by Coll; 11/30/11 05:01 PM.
