Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment is this gifted?

My daughter was tested with the WISC-IV. She had just turned 6 years old. I read you can figure out the general ability index with the verbal comprehension and the perceptual reasoning scores hers were:
134 and 127, is this gifted? thanks for any replys

I'd say that those scores look like a moderately gifted child (around the 98th percentile or so). You need all of the subtest scores from each of those two indices to calculate a GAI (unless you are Dottie who is often able to figure things out without all of the data!).

thank you so much for your reply

I'm guessing that's these numbers
14,18,15
13,16,14

is that what your talking about?

Hi kcsmom -
Welcome!
Do you mind if I ask why you ask? How old is your daughter now? How is school going? Is there a gifted program at her school - is she included in it?
Processing Speed and Working Memory are measures of intellectual giftedness, but they sure might reflect how a kid is experienced at school where speed is taken as a measure of smartness, and organizational skills are part of what a child is judged on.

Question 2 - was your daughter tested privatly or throught school or 'some other way?' If she was tested through school, there might be a school psychologist or gifted coordinator who might be able to give you some time. If she was tested privately, perhaps your tester would be availible to answer questions. (Not that we won't - but those are the folks who 'should' in a perfect world.)

Wink,
Grinity

So, a little higher than my rough estimate. I believe that 136 is in the 99th percentile. Did she have significantly lower WMI and PSI scores that pulled down the full scale IQ?

Hi Grinity,

Thank you for your reply

She is still 6 years old, she seems out of place (academically not socially) in school. I know this from helping in the class room. I had her privatly tested, I will be doing a phone consult soon. Gifted program(s) does not start until 5th grade, so she would be waiting a while for that. I'm considering homeschooling because of the lack of stimulation in the classroom I think she will start having behavior issues.

just saw the other replies, what is comfortably gifted? I am in the US. I have not done other testing, but I am considering it.

I guess that one is subject to individual interpretation. I'd interpret it as meaning that she isn't borderline (maybe gifted, maybe close but not quite). I think that most of us would be feel comfortable saying that she is definitely gifted. I'd never use one test to say what a child needs for sure, but assuming that the IQ is fairly accurate, she hopefully won't run into the issues that a profoundly gifted kid might have with needing something drastically different than typical curriculum although she'll likely need a significantly faster pace than average.

I have one child who is around that same point who has done well with a combo of being young for grade (made the K cut-off by two weeks), a single grade skip (so now she's a lot young for grade), and accelerated/GT classes and extracurricular enrichment. My other child is possibly somewhat higher on IQ (one test says so) and probably twice exceptional. She's not doing nearly so well and needs something much different not just acceleration.

Your dd's personality will also likely come into play as to what she needs and wants.

It's really hard to know from one test, with no achievement data, and no look at the kid something we call 'LOG' - level of giftedness. But it's important to think about. You can imagine that there are some kids who are ready for University level classes at age 15, some at age 12, a few at age 8.

Some just need enrichment in their classrooms, or a single gradeskip.

Thanks quite a range, don't you think?

So to me - asking 'is she gifted' is sort of a vauge question.

The other difficulty is that each state and maybe each district has their own definition of gifted, and their own cut offs.

In some towns, the top 10% are given special classes all day long - your daughter misses the cut off for the top 3% definition of gifted. She still might not be really working hard enough to have fun or develop work ethic in that special class, or maybe the teacher is wonderful, and 'gets' your DD, and it's no problem.

I would strongly look into a gradeskip - is that on your list of options?

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Yes to what Grinity said. The other thing that occurs to me is that her score profile looks fairly even. I'd say that is a good thing in terms of her adjustment again without knowing anything else about your child.

My one dd whom I referenced who has done fine in public school with some acceleration has a similar GAI, but much wilder fluctuations within the subtests. For instance, her PRI scores ranged from 8 (25th percentile) to 19+ (99.9th percentile). My other dd has similar wild variations. That level of unevenness can be a challenge for the child and the instructor.

Perhaps "comfortably gifted" could also be considered a child who has great potential but fewer liabilities of being serious uneven in her abilities.

Like Grinity mentioned, how the gifted are served and lumped together also varies from town to town. Where I live, about 25% of kids are in gifted programming. 25% of kids are not gifted here, though, so it makes the programming a bit of a poor fit for a lot of the kids like your dd (and mine).