Lecture 11

Question 1

What are the positives and negatives of FSIQ?

Answer 1

• represents child’s overall intellectual ability
• useful if you need to establish eligibility for services or highlight the basis of learning difficulties

BUT
- no info on relative strengths/weaknesses, which are vital to guide intervention

Question 2

How do you report FSIQ and WISC-V results?

Answer 2

FSIQ 50-69: performing in extremely low range, consistent with mild degree of intellectual disability
FSIQ <50: performing in extremely low range, consistent with moderate degree of intellectual disability

• use ‘age-equivalent’ subtest scores to help parents/teachers understand child’s limitations (can help put into more concrete context)

Question 3

What are the clinical considerations of using the WISC-V?

Answer 3

AGE OVERLAP - USE THE WISC?

• strengths and weaknesses at either end of age scale
• ‘systems’ requirements (eg. Education Department requirements for funding)
• child-specific issues
• re-assessment using intelligence scales over time (save older for later date)
• complex tasks > what specific skills does the child require to respond?
• ‘developmental context’ NOT ‘smooth’ process but jumps (eg. 7yrs don’t get similarities)
• if you expect hx of developmental delay or suspected ID start before starting point (give child sense of success before they start to fail)
• continue past discontinuation is you think it will give useful info about strengths/weaknesses
• note down all interesting observations
• look at process/error scores if you wish
• administration time: says 1 hr but will likely take longer in a clinical setting with a child

Question 4

What are the 3 levels of the WISC-V test framework? How many subtests are they made up of?

Answer 4

• full scale > 7 subtests
• primary index scale (5) > 10 subtests
• ancillary index scale (5) > 6 secondary subtests

Question 5

What are the 5 primary index scales in the WISC?

Answer 5

• verbal comprehension (vocab, similarities)
• visuo-spatial (block design, visual puzzles)
• fluid reasoning (matrix reasoning, figure weights)
• working memory (digit span, picture span)
• processing speed (coding, symbol search)

Question 6

What are the 5 ancillary index scales in the WISC?

Answer 6

• quantitative reasoning
• auditory working memory
• non-verbal
• general ability
• cognitive proficiency

Question 7

Why would you use the secondary subtests of the WISC?

Answer 7

• broader sample of intellectual functioning
• yield more info for clinical decision-making
• can substitute for primary in calculating FSIQ if one of them is missing or invalid