I don't think you *need* to test at this point, and I think if you do test you'd have to go into it knowing that there's a chance you might not believe the test results for any number of reasons (your ds is still very young, you're worried he might have test anxiety etc).
That said, I've found testing to be extremely valuable for many reasons, and since it's something you're interested in doing and you have insurance to cover it, I'd do it. The upsides I see to testing now are:
* You'll have hard data to advocate with
* You'll gain insight into your child's learning style
* If there are any types of issues such as ADHD or LD you'll have a head-start on understanding what's up and can move forward as needed now rather than later
If it was me, and my insurance covered it, I'd request a full neuropsych evaluation simply because you have some concerns about ADHD and also underperformance. If you can't get a full neuorpsych eval covered, then I'd request an ability/achievement test combo. The brand name (WISC vs other) of test that is offered is going to depend on the practiioner doing the testing. We've had two different sets of tests administered: WISC + WJ-III achievement tests and WJ-III Cognitive + WJ-III Achievement. Other families I know have had WISC + WIAT achievement tests (both Weschler). JMO, and not enough of an issue to think twice if you can't get it - but in our experience it's been really helpful to have the same brand ability test as achievement test because they can be put together in standard reports in a way that you can see how the abilities and achievements overlap/compare/etc. You can do the same thing with two different brand tests, but it's a little less straightforward. FWIW I havcen't seen a report for WISC + WIAT, but our reports for WJ-III Cog + Achievement were actually more helpful itoo me - I felt like they gave more specifically detailed information over a wider range of learning and ability areas. Take that with a huge grain of salt though - I'm not a professional and I've only seen detailed reports for my own three kids
The other thing that I'd be sure to ask - you want to have an evaluator who will be willing to show you and to explain the results for all the subtests.
Best wishes,
polarbear
ps - I just wanted to add one thing about learning style - although it's not typically the reason people have their kids tested, it's been really helpful for me to have that info for both of my dds. One is very visual, the other relies almost entirely on audio.
