I posted something similar in another forum, but I think this is probably a better spot to ask about this.
I am perplexed by my son's WISC-IV scores. He had neuropsych testing due to concerns regarding anxiety and possible mild Asperger's. He has always done very well in school, and was identified at gifted in elementary school, so when I got his IQ test results back, I was surprised. Due to his scores, the psychologist tested for ADHD, using IVA. He scored average in response control, above average to superior in attention scale, and above average in sustained attention, so ADHD was ruled out.
Asperger's was also ruled out, but he was diagnosed with anxiety (not otherwise specified).
Here are his WISC-IV subtest scores. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
VCI: 126
Similarities: 15
Vocab: 13
Comprehension: 15
PRI: 106
Block Design: 9
Picture Concepts: 11
Matrix Reasoning: 13
WMI: 86 (!!!!)
Digit Span: 6
Letter-Number Seq.: 9
PSI: 126
Coding: 15
Symbol Search: 14
It should be noted that "perceptual reasoning" (or perceptual organization as it was called on the WAIS-III) is actually a fusion of two well-established CHC broad abilities: spatial-visualization and fluid reasoning.
The retainment of perceptual reasoning is due to historical reasons only, and in the upcoming WISC-V (and most likely later the WAIS-V), the index will be teased apart into the aforementioned broad abilities.
When one views the indices in that light, the profile that emerges is that of a child with superior verbal comprehension and processing speed abilities, with above average fluid reasoning abilities. The child's subpar scores on letter-number sequencing and digit-span can be attributed to momentary anxiety, which is most accentuated in his scores on the latter test. When corrected for attenuation, his visual-spatial and working memory (or short-term memory) abilities appear normal.
It would probably not be too audacious to say that your son is mildly gifted, but it appears unlikely that his true IQ exceeds 130. The psychologists data on the depression of scores attributed to anxiety other than the working memory abilities will be valuable in making such a judgment. (To my knowledge, anxiety does not nearly manifest itself to such an extent on other tests).
