Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Help interpreting WISC IV scores

I just received my 7 year old's WISC IV scores and I am unsure if he qualifies to apply for DYS. We homeschool and I was hoping to get some help via networking and consulting from DYS. Educating a gifted child has been lonely for me. I got the scores verbally over the phone and do not have the report yet. This is my first experience with IQ testing.
VCI 108
PRI 137
WMI 148
PS 112
Full scale 135
Thank you for any help!

Welcome!

In answer to your specific question, my understanding of the criteria is that your child would need scores of 145 or above in VCI, PRI, GAI (which is a composite generated from the VCI and PRI only), or FSIQ, which is not the case. This is not to downplay the need for support and community that you and your child may need. Or restrict you from online forums like this one. (I don't have any DYS-identified children.)

Your child has some nice strengths, but also has a profile that is not easily captured by either the Full Scale or the alternative General Ability Index. It would be interesting to know if the subtests within the Index scores were consistent, or if there was variability there as well. And, as a general caveat, IQ/cognitive scores in young children are not extremely stable, so these could change a bit in three years.

With a 2.7 standard deviation range from lowest to highest Index score, I would be hesitant to put too much weight on the global composite scores. The strongest areas are perceptual reasoning and working memory, which often combine to manifest as academic strengths in math. Given the relatively (though not disturbingly) low processing speed score, in the high average range, I wonder if perceptual reasoning might have been affected by the one timed subtest (block design) counted into that index. The language reasoning area is essentially average, which constitutes a significant relative weakness (though not normative weakness, obviously, since it is, as mentioned, average). This may suggest the presence of a learning difference or disability of some kind (2e, or twice exceptional). Since you homeschool, you are in a good position to tailor instruction to challenge areas of strength and support relative weaknesses, without having to arbitrarily advance subjects that are not as exceptional.

Is there a supportive homeschool community where you are?

I was going to say that the scores aren't qualifying for Davidson, but I bet your DC is going to need a lot of differentiation in math. Those are fantastic WM and PRI scores and will help a lot with academics.

My dd8 has a very similar profile on the wisc as well (higher wmi and pri with lower vci and psi) and she is extremely strong in math. Her one area of weakness when it comes to math is when the problems are overly wordy.

Yes, math is his area of talent! We are starting Art of Problem Solving Prealgebra (6th grade level). He seems to just "know" math before formally learning it and just conceptually "gets it." He regularly got 100s on math tests without having looked at the lessons when I only had him 2 grade levels ahead. He is also a competitive chess player. I don't have the full report yet, but the psychologist said his scores in matrix reasoning and digits were both 19, sequencing was 18, and block design was 17. His reading comprehension level per the CAT test when he was 6 years old was 5th grade, and he reads books on about a 5th-6th grade level now and understands what he reads. He is an intuitive speller. I do not think he is 2e. He is shy with people until he knows them well but I don't think that is overly unusual. My other children are more outgoing with strangers, and are not gifted, at least not mathematically.

We are a military family and move every 2-4 years. Currently we live in a rural area and don't have a large homeschool community. Hence, why I was looking into DYS. =) I have felt isolated for a long time and don't know anyone who can relate to our situation.

Oh well there is always us. We are here for you.

You can also go achievement + portfolio route to qualify, if I am recalling correctly.

Glad to hear you have no concerns with 2e.

If he had two 19s (ceiling of the subtest), did the psych calculate extended subtest scores? His composites aren't high enough to make an extended FSIQ or GAI worthwhile, but it would certainly be interesting to know whether/how much of an underestimate those 19s were.

With that matrix reasoning and block design score, his picture concepts score must have been much lower, like a 12, which would be right in line with the VCI. It's a more concrete task, and is a mixed measure, with a lot of overlap with verbal mediation. That's partly why it's been booted from the core battery on the WISC-V. So even though he might not be 2e, it looks like the VCI could be a legitimate number, despite his strong actual reading skills. All this to say, I suspect his PRI is a low estimate of his true ability. If he is re-assessed in the future (in another two years would be good), it will be on the WISC-V, which is good, because the equivalent of the PRI (split into two indices) will not include picture concepts, which, if he continues this profile, may result in DYS-qualifying numbers in the Fluid Reasoning Index, and possibly the Visual Spatial Index.

And if I were to pick one subtest where I'd like to see a kid hit the ceiling, it would be matrix reasoning.

DS7 was tested at age 6 and sounds similar. Very strong in math, but reading as well. His PRI was 141 and VCI was 114. I wonder if the fact that your DS is a quieter kid has something to do with the lower VCI score, as I think this affected my DS's score. He tends to give very brief answers to questions, have anxiety if put on the spot, or say "I don't know" unless he's very interested in the question.

He had a 19 in Picture Concepts though, and Matrix Reasoning was 18.

Wow! That is a high WMI!!! Yes, you are not alone - you have us!

Do you have any of the achievement scores that meet the criteria for DYS? An outstanding portfolio (demonstrating 2-3 years ahead in math achievement) combined with high achievement scores might do the trick. I cannot offer suggestions about the portfolio (both of mine used scores), but others here might be able to offer advice on how to submit a qualifying portfolio.

All the best to you and your DS!