Need Help understanding WISC scores please

Fiona36, few children are "textbook fits" when it comes to diagnosing the reasons for their struggles. I know many parents resist having their child "labeled," but what having a diagnosis accomplishes (particularly one that's recognized as an IEP eligibility category) is that it can open doors to remediation services and accommodations. Truthfully, ADHD and ASD may do that, but NVLD and dyscalculia are not.... HOWEVER having Specific Learning Disabilities in Math (which is basically what dyscalculia is) is recognized. FYI, ADHD-inattentive and having math difficulties often appear together.
Did the private educational psychologist give you any specific suggestions or recommendations?

Thank you for your suggestions healthy11 and dhfl143.
An Educational Psychologist administered the test.
ADHD-inattentive, Discalculia, even ASD all considered as possibilities-but she doesn't seem to be a proper fit for any of those categories. Nothing definitive. NVLD apparently best fit at the moment, but even then she doesn't seem to be typical either. Any ideas?

Hi again. I don't know the qualifications of the person who did your daughter's testing, but did they mention the possibility of ADHD-Inattentive? Many people incorrectly assume that kids have to act "hyper" and be disruptive to have ADHD, but there are actually 3 different subtypes. The "Inattentive" variety is often hardest for regular pediatricians to recognize, which is why it's best to see a specialist like a child psychologist or psychiatrist. www.help4adhd.org explains more. It seems to me that your description of your daughter's difficulties with math and forgetfulness, coupled with her low score in Digit Span, point to that likelyhood.

I'm not sure how much your evaluator explained about the WISC itself, but this may also be helpful, as you try to understand your daughter's strengths/weaknesses:
The VCI's subtests are as follows:
· Vocabulary - straightforward questions over the meaning of words
· Similarities - asking how two concepts are alike
· Comprehension - questions about social situations or common concepts
· Information (supplemental) - general knowledge questions
· Word Reasoning (supplemental) - children are presented with one to three riddle-style clues and asked to determine what the tester is describing.
The PRI's subtests are as follows:
· Block Design - children put together red-and-white blocks in a pattern according to a displayed model. This is timed, and some of the more difficult puzzles award bonuses for speed.
· Picture Concepts - children are shown rows of pictures, and are asked to find a common bond with one picture in each row.
· Matrix Reasoning - children are shown an array of pictures with one missing square, and select the picture that fits the array from five options.
· Picture Completion (supplemental) - children are shown artwork of common objects with a missing part, and asked to identify the missing part by pointing and/or naming.
The WMI's subtests are as follows:
· Digit Span - children are orally given sequences of numbers and asked to repeat them, either as heard or in reverse order.
· Letter-Number Sequencing - children are orally given sequences of letters and numbers together, and asked to repeat them in both numerical order and alphabetical order.
· Arithmetic (supplemental) - orally administered arithmetic questions. Timed.
The PSI's subtests are as follows:
· Coding - children under 8 mark rows of shapes with different lines according to a code, children over 8 transcribe a digit-symbol code. Time-limited with bonuses for speed.
· Symbol Search - children are given rows of symbols and target symbols, and asked to mark whether or not the target symbols appear in each row.
Cancellation (supplemental) - students are to mark lines through objects that do not belong in a page of randomly-arranged objects and one of orthogonally-arranged objects.

Welcome -- There are others here that are better at explaining test scores. In the interim, I thought you might find these article of interest:

www.dyscalculiaforum.com/viewpage.php?page_id=15


and

www.dyscalculiaforum.com/viewpage.php?page_id=1

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