Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WISC-V test and what to do with results?

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Your DS has excellent scores in almost every area. In response to some of your key questions:

1. DYS--he has eligible scores in the required areas: FSIQ 145+, GAI 145+, VCI and FRI both 145+. Your school administered only enough subtests to obtain the GAI and FSIQ, which was a reasonable decision, based on the recommendations for gifted screening (though I would have preferred to have the three additional subtests needed to generate the complete set of five primary index scores). The index scores that are missing are the ones with weaker sensitivity in distinguishing GT from non-GT children.

1)Thank you for explaining that my DS8 is not missing any test needed to apply for the DYS. If you could explain what the weaker Sensitivity's are I should be able to have an idea were he fits.


2. Low scores--he actually does not have several scores that are low. He has a handful of scores that are in the average range, only one of which is actually a full subtest score (this would be Coding, which is a fine-motor speed task). They appear low only in contrast to his exceptionally strong scores in every other area. Given his young age, in the absence of other information suggesting that he has challenges with speed, fine-motor coordination, or other skills, I would not be too concerned about the Coding (Cd) score. Of course, if you do have concerns IRL, that would be another story.

2) Given how complex our DS8 is it I am not sure how to know if he has challenges with speed, fine-motor coordination, or other skills. If I had some examples of what are used to gauge these things I can answer that question. The things he does/likes that could fall within this are, he excels at soccer and enjoys making origami. His ability to do math in his head to me is uncanny, I can give him multiplication problems verbally 1X4 or 2X2 and he has the answer as fast or faster than me with a calculator. Again not sure if these things apply to the question.


The other subtest that is relatively low is Digit Span (DS), which is in the high average range. In looking at the process scores (components), I notice that he did better on DSB and DSS than on DSF. This is not an unusual profile in children who have had ADHD questioned, as the difference is that DSF (repeating digits verbatim) is a rote memory task, which tends to be less engaging, and thus more vulnerable to inconsistent attention. DSB (repeating a series of digits in reverse order) and DSS (repeating the digits in increasing order), in contrast, are both more interesting and more amenable to cognitive strategies. In my experience, I find that both children who have attentional weaknesses and children with high cognition may perform better on the reverse and sequencing conditions than on the forward condition. In your DS's case, it could easily be one, the other, or both.


This section is a great explanation of the test portions, makes it much clearer for us. My comment in the original post about AdHD being a possibility was to help explain some of his habits. Over the last 3-4 years it has been clear to us that he does not have AdHD. As we understand AdHD (please explain if you disagree) our DS8 is able to overcome his natural tendency to be over excited or hyper by focusing on the end goal of a situation or understanding he will not complete the task or game/activity if he allows himself to wander.


3. Score interpretation--otherwise, his scaled scores are uniformly high, and fairly close to each other. He received one max scaled score in each of the three GAI-related clusters (VC, VS, FR), for at least two of which he appears to have been administered every item available (meaning they may be low estimates of his ability; extended norms are anticipated to come out later this year, at which point it might be worthwhile for you to have his raw scores re-interpreted on the extended norms).


3) I am glad you said this about his scores. It has been my work experience that #'s at ether extreme tend to be less accurate. I am so far unable to get anything official about V beyond saying 130+. I have read in many places that IV scores tend to be higher than V. my research indicates anywhere from 1% to about 3% on the sub-test that can be compared. I was also able to find a list for IV that shows population % of scores beyond 130. If I take his GIA of 154 and multiply it by 102% this would give him an approximate IV score of 157. Per the spreadsheet this puts him at the 99.98%. Am I way off base here? Is there any idea when they will be able to give the same breakdown for V? The only reason we care about this is our hope it can help us tailor his education and give a better understanding of how to help him with his social challenges.


4. ADHD--the data in this set of test scores neither confirm nor rule-out ADHD, on their own. Persons with ADHD often have high stimulus needs; GT individuals also have high intellectual or creative stimulus needs. Children with ADHD have difficulty sustaining attention for low-interest tasks; many ordinary academic activities are so far below the ability of GT children that they may have difficulty sustaining attention for them. Then again, it is quite possible to be dually-exceptional (2e), and be GT/ADHD. I would start from impact on essential life functions. If he is happy, productive, and engaged in healthy relationships, my preference would be merely to keep an eye on attention/impulsivity.


4) This section helps with explaining why we do not feel he has AdHD. Our DS8's stimulant needs tend to lean in the direction of intellectual and creative stimulus. His major hurdle around low-interest tasks such as any grade 2 work is not having a challenging task to tackle once his grade 2 work is done. He understands he needs to turn in the grade 2 work in order to move forward with school. If he does not have something significantly more challenging to do once he completes the 2nd grade work he exhibits disruptive or negative emotional behavior. He also responds better if he has input or a say in the tasks he works on while the rest of the class finishes there 2nd grade work. DS8 can stay focused on tasks he does not enjoy for long periods of time as long as he see's a light at the end of the tunnel, IE: more advanced project or fun activities. I am not sure what "impact on essential life functions" is? Could you explain / give examples? His emotional state goes to extremes very easily. If he is expecting something to happen and is not walked though why it is not (at the time he finds out) he can meltdown in a matter of seconds. He has major issues relating to others anywhere near his age. We thought he would relate better to older kids but they see him as odd due to his small size (bottom 10% size and weight for age) and tendency to talk about things over there heads. Last year he had 2 others in his class that could relate to him and his teacher encouraged them as a group on most projects. This year he is more isolated in his class so he tends to over compensate at recess, this will cause his meltdowns to happen on the playground more than his class.

5. Social skills--both GT and ADHD can affect social interactions, often for very different reasons. For GT, a better-matched peer group may make a big difference. You may see this area develop in a more satisfactory way in the GT program. This is a big topic, though, with a lot of facets.


5) Social skills is our biggest concern right now. It is easier to give more advanced learning material thank help him with his social challenges. We have been spoken to about him skipping one or more grades but due to his social skills we have held back. I am in my 40's and build long-term close relationships very rarely. I have a very aggressive opinionated personality and as such I know I am not the best role model for relationships. We have always tried to find other kids he can relate to but it has been hard. I am hoping that having his test scores it will help us find more compatible social circles. We live in the Midwest and are willing to go to fairly extensive lengths to give him the development he needs. Any advise or direction would be profoundly appreciated.