Quote:
"Let's start with the question of when to test. When is the gifted child too young / too old for testing? The best time to test for giftedness is when a question needs to be answered. School selection, educational placement decisions, early kindergarten, these are the kinds of questions that need an answer grounded in a comprehensive assessment, including testing. The recommended ages to begin to answer these questions, and therefore the recommended ages to test for giftedness are from ages 5 to 8. Note that there is a ceiling effect for gifted 5-year-olds on the WPPSI (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence); if possible, wait to test the gifted child on the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) after the child's sixth birthday.
By age 8 most gifted children already need to have accommodations in place for their appropriate education. Negative effects, such as underachievement and withdrawal, can start in the early elementary years in gifted children. Twice exceptional gifted children's learning disabilities can seriously affect test results by age 8. Early identification is key to proper social and academic placement for the gifted child."
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/why_test.htmHoagies inventory of tests & what they mean
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests.htm"What the tests don't tell us
Some psychologists and counselors believe that a particular pattern of individual IQ subtest scores suggest a certain type of learning disability or weakness. You might hear that a wide variation between verbal and performance scales on an IQ test (depending who you talk to, 2 or 3 standard deviations or 30 or 45+ standard scale points) for example, indicates a learning disability. While this is a widespread assumption, research does not support this theory. Read IQ Subtest Analysis: Clinical Acumen or Clinical Illusion? for a research-based explanation of why subtest analysis may not be good science at this time. That said, many testers and researchers find that subtest scores combined with clinical or classroom observation IS an excellent indication of possible learning disabilities.
That said, in the hands of a twice exceptional experienced tester, subtest scores combined with personal observations will point to areas where further evaluation might be needed to confirm or deny learning disabilities in a gifted child. The WJ-III cognitive, with it's large variety of subtests, is said to provide the most information in the potential identification of twice exceptional (gifted and learning disabled) children."
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests_tell_us.htmI've been reading that said a lot. If you just need a qualifying iq score to get in a program you can use any tester just fine. If you suspect possible 2e find a tester who specializes in testing gifted children so they have enough experience knowing what they're looking at. The three I've heard of are the Denver gifted center, dr. Amand, and Aimee Yermish. I think there's a list in the Davidson database- the square icon in the links box in the sidebar above Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
