EDUCATION

When my son Michael was nine, his teacher called me in for a meeting. In the classroom, Michael wouldn’t write. He rarely spoke up. And worst of all, he never smiled.

Was there trouble at home? Not at all. Perhaps Michael had a learning disability? Or maybe he was gifted — a lot of very bright kids struggle in the classroom. Mr. G. suggested that we have Michael tested.

So began our family’s journey into the maze of IQ testing. WISC, SB Form L-M, TONI-3 — what exactly were all these tests with the strange names, and what did they really say about my child? Was all this testing necessary?

What we found out was all good news. “Most children really enjoy the assessment process,” says Lynne Beal, former coordinator of psychology for the Toronto District School Board and a member of Ontario’s Ministry of Education Advisory Council on Special Education. “It can help them to better understand their strengths and weaknesses.”

With that knowledge comes power — the power for a child to develop to the best of his ability. A well thought-out and administered assessment can improve a child’s academic performance and give her a brighter outlook on life.

An accurate assessment of your child, however, is much more than an IQ test. According to psychologist Ed Blackstock, director of the Wings Development Centre in Toronto, “Test scores alone are not sufficient to determine if a child needs special programming.” The assessment should also include interviews, direct observations, academic records, medical history and questionnaires. The psychologist who administers the test will guide you through these other elements.

When and Where to Test
Around grades three or four, some otherwise typical children start having trouble in school. They may appear bored or become disruptive. They may have problems reading, writing or doing math. Or they may show signs of exceptional ability in one or more of these areas. Testing can help you learn exactly what’s going on.

If you or a teacher think your child would benefit from an assessment, you can choose between a private assessment and one provided by the school board. An in-school assessment is usually easiest for your child. The clinician will be able to observe your child in his familiar environment. This will help her to develop a fully rounded portrait of him. If your child is identified as having a special learning need, the school board is obligated to implement the recommendations.

Because the in-school assessment is provided by your school board, there is no cost to you. Furthermore, a summary of information will likely become part of your child’s permanent school record. In many boards, there may also be long waits for assessment that can delay your child’s entry into a needed program.

If these factors are a problem for you, consider a private assessment. You can usually arrange one within two weeks, but private assessments can run from $500 to $3,000, depending on the number of tests administered. Some private health insurance companies will cover the cost of psychological testing (consult your plan manager and the psychologist who will be conducting it before you schedule). The information gathered by a private clinician will belong solely to your family, so you can choose to release all, some or none of it to your child’s school. And since the psychologist is working for you, not the school system, you can be sure that your child’s needs are not competing with budgetary directives or other school policies.

On the other hand, the school is not obligated to accept a private assessment, which may mean a repeat of the whole process within the school system (although this is rare). Your child may experience more performance anxiety in an unfamiliar situation, or become tense and distracted if the test is long and involved. His discomfort can definitely affect the results.

In either case, you’re entitled to a detailed description of the psychologist’s findings and a recommendation for further action, which might include classroom support or counselling.

Preparing Your Child
Experts agree that you cannot prepare your child to take an IQ test. Practising with flash cards or drills will not improve scores. In fact, it’s likely to make a child anxious and may hamper her concentration and performance.

What you can do is let your child know what to expect. Explain that she will be working one-on-one with a professional who will help her find out what she is good at. Tell her the experience will be fun and interesting. Then make sure your child keeps to her normal routine. A good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast are the only prep work required. (If your child is ill, even with a mild cold, consider postponing the test.)

Finally, stay relaxed yourself! Keep in mind that the results are descriptive, not predictive. Your child’s future will be determined by his own efforts, not by numbers on a sheet of paper.

On the big day, your child will usually take a combination of tests, depending on his age, personality and academic situation. Specific achievement tests (for reading or spelling, for example) are designed to see whether your child is performing at the expected level for his age. Any score significantly higher or lower than the norm would suggest further testing. So-called processing skill tests measure brain functions such as memory and visual perception. And of course, he will take a test that assesses his overall cognitive functioning, or IQ. Here are the ones most commonly given in Canada:

WISC-iv (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children)
The WISC-III has been the most widespread IQ test for kids aged six to 16 for many years. It is currently being replaced by the updated WISC-IV. The WISC-IV consists of many subtests in four categories, verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, processing speed and working memory. Subtests are scored individually, and then combined for an overall score, generally referred to as the full scale IQ. WISC-IV is useful for evaluating students with full scale IQs ranging from 55 to 150, and when a learning disability is suspected.

The WISC test is the one most often used to identify gifted students. The designer of WISC-III and -IV, David Wechsler, was adamantly against its use for this purpose. In an interview published in Intelligent Testing with the WISC-III by Alan S. Kaufman, Wechsler said, “My scales are meant for people with average or near-average intelligence, clinical patients who score between 70 and 130.” When Kaufman reminded him that psychologists commonly use his scales for the extremes, and want to make distinctions with the “below 70” and “above 130” groups, he answered, “Then that is their misfortune. It’s not what I tell them to do, and it’s not what a good clinician ought to do.”

Stanford-Binet: SB Form L-M, (or Stanford-Binet IV and V)
These are three versions of a similar test; Form L-M is the oldest. These tests have wider scoring ranges than the WISC tests, identifying IQs from 36 to 164. Children with very high intelligence (above the 130 WISC ceiling) will readily be identified. Also, it will recognize the degree of giftedness. Since very highly gifted kids — those with IQs over 150 — often have different learning needs even from each other, this distinction is important.

Similarly, because of the wider range to these tests, the Stanford-Binets are are also suitable for the low end of the cognitive spectrum and for younger children.

Woodcock-Johnson III
Designed for kids aged two and up, this assessment includes 20 subtests that address cognitive and processing skills such as short-term memory, spatial sense, attention and phonological awareness. Depending on the purpose of the assessment, the psychologist may choose any combination of subtests.

Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Third Edition (TONI-3)
This test is used for children aged six or older when there are speech or language problems (for example, if the child will not speak at all) or when English is not the native language.

When testing is completed, you will be invited to review the results with the clinicians. These meetings rarely bring surprises, but if what you hear doesn’t jibe with your instincts, discuss your feelings with the clinician. If necessary, get a second opinion.

Your child’s scores will be expressed as percentiles. Many psychologists will be reluctant to also give you the raw numerical score because they believe non-professionals will misinterpret the numbers. The 50th percentile corresponds to a raw IQ of 100 on the WISC-IV. It also means that your child is performing the same or better than 50 percent of children taking the same test. The 98th percentile would correlate to a numerical score of 130 or more (though how much more would not be determined). Your child scored better than 98 percent of the children taking the test.

Children who score between the 25th and 75th percentiles on most tests are considered to be functioning at the normal level. However, even if your child has a normal IQ, but is not achieving at the appropriate academic levels, he may have a learning disability. Further processing skills tests would pinpoint the source of the problem, and help you and your child’s teachers develop appropriate strategies and programs for overcoming it.

If your child is identified as gifted, make sure you know which test was used.You will want to find out exactly how high his IQ is. There are significant differences between the needs of the student with an IQ in the 130–140 range and a student with a score over 150. A second evaluation, using a Stanford-Binet might be in order if you think your child is in the very high range.

In deciding where to place your child, consider that gifted programs are ideal for some, but not all, gifted children. Keep in mind that being gifted does not preclude having learning disabilities or social skill problems. In fact, learning disorders among the gifted are up to 36 percent higher than in the general population.

Psychologists recommend that you take test scores with a grain of salt. They are not going to seal your child’s future. That said, test results do help determine what kind of educational program your child is offered. Some diagnoses require certain actions by law. For example, all children with a learning disability are entitled to school support all the way through university.

At the same time, government definitions and school board criteria for admission to programs vary, even within the same province. According to Blackstock, “You may be gifted in Ottawa but not gifted in Hamilton.” You will have to learn the definitions and funding criteria that apply in your area to insure access to the appropriate programs.

Keep in mind too that if a test has a margin of error plus-or-minus five percent, for example, and your child scored in the 95th percentile, her “real” score might be in the 90th or 100th percentile. This becomes important when you are applying for admission to special programs. For admission to a gifted program, many school boards require a score in the 98th percentile on an IQ test. If your child scored in the 95th, you may be able to successfully negotiate admission by quoting the test’s margin of error, even though your child has not technically met the cut-off. (This could require a formal legal challenge, however. For examples of successful appeals, see ontariogifted.org.)

The information gathered from an assessment, if used wisely, can open doors for a child who may have been struggling, or who is ready for a new challenge. It can boost self-confidence and point teachers toward strategies that will help your child to be a happier and more successful learner. My son Michael is a good example. His assessment turned up both a learning disability and extremely high cognitive functioning. A specialized program and an individual education plan helped turn things around for him. His grades soared and today he feels confident and happy.

You might even call him a sixth-grade smiling machine.

Resources
The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, ldac-taac.ca
Gifted Canada, 3.telus.net/giftedcanada
Canadian Council of Exceptional Children, cec.sped.org

Originally published in Today's Parent, November 2004