A Conversation About Intellectual Assessment:
What Parents Need to Know
(or: I.Q. numbers are bad until we need them)
Pamela J. Ryan, M.A., CAGS
Licensed Educational Psychologist
Perkins School for the Blind/Deafblind Program
Why are we gathered here?
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To raise awareness around issues related to intellectual assessment and IQ numbers;
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“IQ numbers are bad until we need them”;
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To share personal experiences working with families—what has been learned and why this topic
needs to be addressed;
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Provide the parent perspective on this topic;
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Provide the perspective of the school psychologist whose job it is to provide information for
program planning, transition planning, and as it relates to guardianship;
•
Help parents better understand the federal mandates for the need for IQ testing v. more informal
information gathering such as Person Centered Planning, Portfolio Assessments, Reach for the
Stars, etc.
Some background….
My job: I am a School Psychologist….
That said, let’s talk about the... dun dun dunnnnn…..
The triennial evaluation
(pretty much the reason for my job)
…Words that can strike fear into the hearts of the hardiest of parents. The triennial
evaluation is a part of all special education student’s lives. It is done for these reasons:
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To see if the child is a “child with a disability,” as defined by IDEA
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To gather information that will help determine the child’s educational needs
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To guide decision making about appropriate educational programming for the child.
Formal testing is usually the goal of the triennial evaluation and done by your child’s
team (i.e., OT, PT, SLP, Psych, Behavior, O+M): all the specialty services your child may
get as part of his or her IEP. For our purposes here, we are talking specifically about the
psychological evaluation part, done by the School Psychologist.
How does a triennial
happen?
(focusing on the School Psychologist’s part)
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Parent permission
•
Team discussion re: questions/needs
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Identify specialists for evaluation areas
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Review of records
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Discussion with parents about the process
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Formal sessions with the student and using appropriate, formal materials
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Formal report with descriptions, recommendations
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Presentation of information to parents, Team
• So, I am now going to focus on the materials and the
outcomes, most specifically, the IQ score and how it
can be helpful to us as your child nears 18 years old.
• Also, a delineation that you might not be aware of:
Developmentally Delayed v. Intellectual Disability
• Developmentally Delayed: 0 to 9 years old
• Intellectual Disability: 9+
Typically Used Materials
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Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-4th Edition
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Wechsler Intelligence Sale for Children—4th Edition
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Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—4th Edition
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Stanford-Binet 5th Edition
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Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities
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Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition
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Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales;2nd Edition
But wait…..
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We have tests, but these tests don’t include your children! These tests,
the ones used by pretty much everyone, everywhere do not include
children with more than one disability. The tests do make
considerations for vision impairment OR hearing impairment OR
motor interference, but not for hearing, vision, balance,
communication, fatigue, low muscle tone. Not to mention other
interfering issues such as OCD, anxiety, physical limitations (missing
limbs, digits, scoliosis) that can hinder access, and cognitive delays.
•
What’s a school psychologist to do?? Especially a school psychologist
that has limited experience with our kinds of kids.
So, I.Q.:What is it and how do we find it?
• I.Q. is an abbreviation for the term, Intelligence Quotient. Over
the years, the meaning has changed and more recently the work
of Howard Gardner from Harvard University introduced the
theory of multiple intelligences that sheds a broader lens on the
idea of I.Q. Multiple intelligences are defined as: Spatial;
Linguistic; Logical-mathematical; Bodily-kinesthetic; Musical;
Interpersonal; Intrapersonal and Naturalistic.
• But the I.Q. itself is a number….a number that you may have as part
of your child’s assessment. The number is what we talk about; the
number is what we worry about and often, what we disagree with.
• In it’s simplest form, an IQ is a number from 0 to 200+ that
rates a person’s cognitive ability in comparison to the general
population.
Current Wechsler (WAIS–IV, WISC–IV, WPPSI–
IV) IQ classification
• IQ Range
IQ Classification
• 130 and above
Very Superior
• 120–129
Superior
• 110–119
High Average
• 90–109
Average
• 80–89
Low Average
• 70–79
Borderline
• 69 and below
Extremely Low
•
Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition (SB5) classification
•
IQ Range
•
145–160
Very gifted or highly advanced
•
130–144
Gifted or very advanced
•
120–129
Superior
•
110–119
High average
•
90–109
Average
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80–89
Low average
•
70–79
Borderline impaired or delayed
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55–69
Mildly impaired or delayed
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40–54
Moderately impaired or delayed
IQ Classification
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But those things---those numbers--- are not what you really want to hear about when your child’s triennial
assessment is reported on at the IEP (or a separate meeting).
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You want to hear the things that make your child stand out and at the very least, you want to know that the
evaluator KNOWS your child.
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You want to make sure the evaluator knows how to BE WITH your child to get the very best results. You want to
know that the results will form a good picture of your child and that recommendations will be helpful for continued
educational planning.
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You also want to know that things you know about your child are included and that his or her strengths,
personality, interests, sense of humor, fears, joys are part of a complete package. You want someone to know that
your child, while reading and math might not place him on an honor roll, his work ethic; his independence in his
vocational training activities; his ability to make friends and be a friend; and his overall zest for life are shown and
honored.
•
When your child is younger, the need for this information is for current educational planning to further one’s goals
and objectives as they move through curriculum and have access to learning THEIR way.
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As your young adult (now) is approaching 18, you want and need all of this information to be included and you
want others to know it in preparation for applying for guardianship and including adult service agencies (for group
living, for work, for recreation and leisure options) if those are part of your family’s goal for your child.
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Alan S. Kaufman, a leading psychologist and researcher at Yale University wrote in the
book, “Assessing Adolescent and Adult Intelligence” (2006):
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“IQ classifications from IQ testing are not the last word on how a test-taker will do in life,
nor are they the only information to be considered for placement in school or job-training
programs. There is a dearth of information about how behavior differs between persons
with differing IQ scores. For placement in school programs, for medical diagnosis, and for
career advising, factors other than IQ must also be a part of an individual assessment. The
lesson here is that classification systems are necessarily arbitrary and change at the whim
of test authors, government bodies, or professional organizations. They are statistical
concepts and do not correspond in any real sense to the specific capabilities of any
particular person with a given IQ. The classification systems provide descriptive labels that
may be useful for communication purposes in a case report or conference, nothing more.”
(Kaufman, Alan S.; Lechtenberger, Elizabeth O. (2006) Assessing Adolescent and Adult Intelligence (3rd ed.).
Hoboken (NJ); Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-73553-3)
In addition to the numbers….
“ factors other than IQ must also be a part of an
individual assessment”.
An IQ number alone is not an appropriate way to
evaluate, and thus, categorize an individual. Under
IDEA, “it is inappropriate and unacceptable to base
any eligibility decision upon the results of only one
procedure”.
Closing thoughts…
• Testing will be inevitable, so your child’s ENTIRE
team should be working together to get the best
overall picture for moving forward
• IQ scores will be inevitable as special needs students
head toward 18 years old, most especially if adult
service agencies will be involved.
• The IQ score can be our friend if we understand
why it is being used and it will provide good
outcomes for your children.
Resources
CHARGE Syndrome, A Volume in the Genetics and Communication Disorders Series, Hartshorne,
Hefner, Davenport, Thelin Plural Publishing, Inc. 2011
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Parenting Perspectives…Ideas to help your child succeed; "Understanding Test Scores: A Handout for
Parents" by Andrea Canter, (National Association of School Psychologists, 1998). Copyright © 2002 by
The Source for Learning, Inc. • All rights reserved. www.teachersandfamilies.com
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www.aidd.com
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www.wrightslaw.com
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http://thearc.gov
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http://idea.ed.gov
Resources, cont.
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Position Paper: Intelligence Testing of Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually
Impaired, Stephen Goodman, Carol Evans, Marnee Loftin, 2011, American
Printing House for the Blind
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May Awareness Theme: www.chargesyndrome.org
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www.nichy.org: Evaluating Children for Disability