Not sure of all the details of what they measure, but if I have the gist, I would say this...
From what I can gather about the measurement v.s. what I know of my son, if Block Design is a timed test, the pressure of being timed may have got to him. No way of knowing for sure, really.
If I am correct in that Digit Span assesses short-term memory, well...he's probably inherited that from me. My short-term recall is not great. My observation of him though, is that he doesn't have a deficit in this regard, though he may not be especially adept in this area at this time, or if ever. What I have noticed though, is that his long term memory is impressive, and that he is also able to recall minute and/or esoteric details.
In general, he is a global thinker. The kind of thinker who can stare into a matrix of disconnected data points and see lines connecting the points, lines that haven't yet been drawn. If that makes any sense. The school psychologist who administered the tests described the way he thinks with a different example, but it rang true when she said it. She said it was like watching him ping from seemingly unrelated information to arrive at exactly the right answer and he was able to explain, "This made me think of this, which made me think of this, which brought me to the answer."
He loves school. Always has. His challenges are mostly social. He (like me) can blurt, is generally impatient, and doesn't always have a socially acceptable "filter." For example, a teacher says, "Way to go, kid!" and his response is, "Don't call me 'kid'." Then he quickly backpedals and says something like, "It's just that I don't like being called kid very much." I asked him about it and he responded that he was uncomfortable with being called, "kid" by someone who is not me. In his mind, that is a term of endearment that is only tolerable if it is coming from his mom. LOL We often work on joke creation and telling as a tool for understanding social norms. Things like timing, what makes a joke funny, how a wordy punchline can kill an otherwise successful joke - I keep telling him, the time to be wordy is in the set-up! The punchline needs to be succinct to be most effective. LOL
He does not have attention issues.
Attitude-wise he is a very, very positive kid. Extremely polite...considerate...compassionate. Tries to see the bright side of everything. Emotionally though, he is prone to heightened sensitivity - especially when he feels he has disappointed someone. He very rarely expresses anger, but he can be quick to tears.
He loves Greek mythology, all things magic, logic, chemistry, Harry Potter. He's a pretty developmentally on-target 9 year old. Not mature beyond his years. I like him that way LOL. No growing up too fast, that's not allowed!
He is good at most everything he tries. Recently I got him started on essence of essay writing. I felt it was important to give him a tool he can use to organize his thoughts for those times when they may be moving too quickly for him to keep up. We also discussed how essay writing compels the writer to consider the point of view of the reader in order to make a convincing argument. I am hoping this concept with help him more effectively communicate with people who may not think the way he does.
Any enrichment we do at home is pretty casual. As I think of things that might benefit him in the immediate sense as I observe his progress, I will bring something up or we'll chat about something that might help broaden his perspective. I don't do test prep or coaching or tutoring or any of those kinds of things. I have a background in chemistry and biology, although I am a self-employed fabric artist now. But when the mood strikes, we will often have impromptu discussions about fluid dynamics or covalent bonding...usually because something he says will remind me of something in my schooling and I'll use a scientific concept to explain seemingly unrelated (haha!). We're a mess.
