Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Question about WPPSI-III

Hi, I'm new to these forums, but my 5 1/2 year old son was recently tested using the WPPSI-III, and I had a question. The psychologist said that there was a significant difference (31 points) between his verbal IQ and his performance IQ, but he did not explain what this means. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

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I am not a parent, just someone who took the Weschsler adult IQ test myself. I also looked up the subtests that make up WPPSI III online.

It seems that the subtests you son did worse on are Block Design, Matrix Reasoning and Picture Concepts. If Block Design is the culprit, this could mean weaker simultaneous processing and combination and structuring. If Matrix Reasoning is the problem, this may mean slightly weaker fluid reasoning, and if Picture Concepts is the problem, categorization (finding which objects are similar)can be a problem. Poorer concentration and attention would also lower the PIQ more than VIQ.

Most importantly, keep in mind that IQ testing at such a young age is not very reliable. As he matures, this gap between Verbal and Performance might get narrower and he would likely test superior overall. So, while this is sometimes a red flag for LD, in many cases this is just an artifact of immaturity.

Welcome, KitKat!

I am not a testing expert ... so I am certain that others will be able to answer your question more thoroughly.

However, I can tell you that when my dd took the WPPSI-III at age 3y5mo ... she had a 22 point difference between verbal IQ and performance IQ. I just pulled out her test results and the psychologist referred to that as "significant" - so it must be something they look for.

When I talked to the psychologist after the test I said, "So she's gifted verbally and not in the other section" ... he quickly corrected me and said she was gifted in both, but because the verbal score was so high, the performance score was a "relative weakness."

Do you feel comfortable posting your son's actual scores? That may help the "experts" on this board be able to better answer your question. Again, only if you feel comfortable doing so.

Either way, welcome.

Nicely said, Asrial and Irisheyes!

I wish I could help you out here, I'm out of my element with current thought on gaps between VCI and PRI.

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Here are his scores:
Verbal IQ = 121
Performance IQ = 152
Full IQ = 139
General Language = 121

His strengths seem to be in block design and matrix reasoning. And his weaknesses seem to be in vocabulary. He also has AD/HD, so maybe that has something to with his scores.

He is not shy at all, and he talks all the time (LOL!). The psychologist seemed to say that the verbal was something that we could work on, but that it was already very good. It's just that his VIQ is a relative weakness compared to his PIQ (kind of like what Irisheyes said). Thanks everyone!