Pandora,
My son's scores show a similar pattern with very high VCI, and Very low processing speed and high average PRI and WMI.
Your son's processing speed may be causing him more problems as the pace and quantity of instruction increases. The difference between his VCI and PSI is enormous - and happens very rarely. It is often an indication of a learning disability, but no one test, can diagnose a LD - it is just a flag.
At the very least, the vast difference in his cognitive abilities can cause him a lot of stress and frustration. He is much like a high power Ferrari stuck in rush hour traffic. He has tremendous intellectual horsepower that is stifled by a huge bottle neck in is ability process. While he most likely can think deeply, he probably struggles with taking in information at the same pace as his peers and demonstrating his knowledge in an efficient manner.
Sometimes students with a significantly higher VCI could be diagnosed with a non-verbal learning disability. Symptoms are: difficulty seeing the big picture, poor fine motor skills, difficulty orienting self in space, poor handwriting, excellent with concrete factual information, struggles with abstract information, difficulty with social skills, difficulty with attention.
Kids with NVLD may not have everything on the list, but enough of the symptoms to cause problems, even though they are very bright.
Generally VCI is considered the best measure of overall thinking ability and intelligence. But, very low scores in other areas can cause enough havoc to create struggles. As the student moves from more structured and concrete elementary school environments to middle school and high school, these weaknesses can cause unanticipated problems.
With accommodations and by learning compensatory strategies, most students can overcome these challenges and reach their potential.
Did the evaluator do any other testing in the areas of planning, organization, memory, academics? What did he or she find?
