Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment need help with WISC IV test result interpretation

It's important to realize that there is a difference between memory and IQ. Likewise, there is a difference in the ability to generalize skills to a new situation and IQ.

I have a child with a fairly high IQ (high 120's). Yet, he has severe learning disabilities. His reasoning and thinking ability is very very strong. (measured by the WISC in the VCI and PRI) This is what most people often think of as intellectual horsepower. While his memory is also strong by most measures, he processes very slowly and has a hard time applying skills to novel situations. Things like plurals, verb tense would throw him for a loop.

Be careful about underestimating the intelligence of your students by assuming their ability to learn and apply skills related to writing mechanics is an indication of their smarts.

"IQ" is a combination of a variety of cognitive skills and attributes. And while a traditional IQ test often predicts "learning ability" and "school success", it does not do so with certainty.

Grinity: Thanks for the great advice. We are actually considering private testing in the summer. The current program is 2 hours per week. At 4th grade, it bumps up to 4 hours. My older son is in the 6th grade and has been in the gifted program since 4th and loves it. It's the best part of his school experience and he is especially happy that he gets to test out of the simple boring stuff!

Thanks for everyone's encouragement. We will keep up our efforts so long as the little guy keeps complaining about how boring and easy (and stupid) school is!

I think that if older brother is in the program, that is reason enough to push the school to let little brother in IF he is qualified, and he is qualifed - although perhaps not by their standard qualifying process. That says more about how nunanced a process is needed than it does about your son's giftedness.

It's great that you older son is getting something out of the program, but I wouldn't expect a 2 hour or 4 hour program to really solve the problems of a kid who is complaining about how boring and easy and stupid school is --- you see, there is something more than IQ involved, it's personality.

Take 2 imaginary kid - one is a pretty 'go with the flow' guy, and is thrilled with being thrown a bone (4 hour gifted program) - or maybe he is optimally gifted, and would have been happy in the regular classroom in the first place, even though he prefers the gifted program.

Kid number 2 is a different personality, he has more 'fire in the belly' maybe he's a younger child who grew up trying to keep up with the older kids and has more of an agressive approach to life. Maybe he is beyond optimally gifted and even the 'smart kids' look like 'babies' to him. This kid is less flexible, and feels more insulted when he isn't learning anything at school. Sometimes a learning disabilty or milder bottleneck will fuel this type of personality - as if they unconsiouly know they are 'flawed' compared to the other kids, and are extra-anxious to do well to keep the insecurity at bay. Sometimes ADD plays a role - they have to make a superhuman effort to stay focused, and if the material is unengaging,well, then can't keep up that superhuman effort.

I don't want to scare you with the 2E question, it could easily be 'just a personality' thing, but I want to warn you that just because the gifted pull out was 'enough' for your older son, it might not be the cure-all for the younger son. Different kids, different personalities, different learning accomidations needed. So the testing over the summer seems like a good idea.

I may also be underestimating your school's gifted program. Most pull outs don't also have a component where the child gets to test out of work that is below the child's readiness level. It sounds like your gifted coordinator works with the classroom teacher to provide some curriculum compaction. If so, then this is a valuable program indeed!

Even if the school can't be persuaded to let younger into the gifted program on the MAP scores alone, perhaps they can get that compacting in the regular classroom started right away.

Ask, Ask, Ask!

My son is more of the second type, and I am so thankful that he was the squeaky wheel. All I cared about when he was in 1st grade was that he be 'a good classroom citizen.' Personally, I think that parents of non-squeaky wheels deserve to think carefully about their children's school experiences - but it sure is easier with little ones pushing us with metaphorical sharp sticks!

Love and More Love,
Grinity