WPPSI vs WISC IV

[jannie]

Hi-Please help !! difficult child recently had neurospyc testing and many of his scores decreased significantly. I have heard that often kids score higher on the WPPSI than on the WISC IV. Does anyone have any articles that statistically compare the two tests. I'd like to see how subtests (vocabulary, block design) etc compare. The diffference between the scores changes my difficult child from a full scores 132 to a full scores of 104--from superior to average--which can be a real problem if I'm looking for discrapancies. Processing speed still continued to be high--133 on the WPSSI and 124 on the WISC IV

Thanks-

 

[smallworld]

I don't have any articles that statistically compare the two tests, but like you, I have heard that scores generally decrease from the WPSSI to the WISC-IV. I have also heard that IQ scores are more accurate as a child ages. Because difficult child 1 had too much variability in his performance across the four index scores, we were told by the last neuropsychologist who evaluated difficult child 1 not to look at the full-scale score but to look at the four index scores as more accurate representations of strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the neuropsychologist gave difficult child 1 a General Ability Index (GAI), a combination of the VCI and PRI that provides a global estimate of his knowledge base, reasoning and problem-solving abilities while largely factoring-out weaknesses in information processing speed and mental/attentional control. Not sure if this information is helpful, but just wanted to share our experience.

 

[smallworld]

Just wanted to add: difficult child 2's WISC-IV scores dropped dramatically in an 18-month period (ages 10.5 to almost 12). We were told that Lamictal as well as anxiety and depression may very well have contributed to the drop. Her decreases were largely in the VCI and WMI areas.

 

[jannie]

Thanks--We actually a screening meeting today for difficult child. The meeting was made at my request. I wanted to get speech and language testing and I also wanted to formally submit my recent nueropsych testing. I don't know if I acutally want to push for an IEP, but I know there are things going on with his speech language. We are starting private speech next week, but I wanted to school to do testing.

The school has been really pleased with his performance, but I am concerned...he has made all benchmarks...but still he is definately having struggles with fluency/decoding and writing. However...if he is just an average kid....than he is doing just as expected....if he is really bright that I can see how these academic difficulties are causing great stress.