I came across your site while searching for information about WPSSI- 3 and test score interpretation from my sons test. He is 5 yrs old and was administered the test as part of the school admission process. We received his test scores and they were the following:
Verbal IQ – 153 or 99.9 Percentile
Performance IQ – 100 or 50 percentile
Processing Speed Quotient – 140 or 99.6 percentile
Full Scale IQ – 133 or 99 percentile
While trying to interpret the scores, I came across your site and it mentioned that kids with large performance and verbal if gaps can have learning challenges. I also read that this could be sign of NLD, Asberger or Autism. I read symptoms of NLD and Autism and pretty convinced that my son is not even remotely close to those symptoms.
I am extremely worried and was wondering if you can give your thoughts on above scores of my son and what follow-ups if any would you recommend.
I would greatly appreciate a reply from you.
Hi Andy and welcome here,
While we have these terms Verbal and Non-Verbal.
We actually have 3 different thinking processes.
Auditory, Visual and Spatial.
So that the Verbal IQ test, shows that he has exceptional auditory thinking.
Then if we come to Performance IQ, which is a test of Non Verbal thinking.
It is combined test of Visual and Spatial thinking?
But the problem with a combined test, is that it doesn’t clarify whether it is a Visual or Spatial difficulty, or both?
Yet most often it is a Spatial difficulty, rather than Visual.
Where it is important to understand what he actually has a difficulty with?
A crucial role that Spatial thinking does, is as the organizer and ordering of our thinking. So that we can think through a process, and recall a series of directions.
Spatial thinking is also how we concieve of numbers, where it gives numbers a quantity.
So perhaps you could talk a bit about what sort of difficulties your son actually has? Where given that he is 5 years old. My recommendation would be to become a bit of an expert on your son’s difficulty.
So that you will be able to identify what would be helpful for him, and avoid trying out things that aren’t helpful?