Cognitive Functioning as Measured by the WISC-R

Abstract

Patterns of performance on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) have been proposed as useful tools for the identification of children with learning disabilities (LD). However, most of the studies of WISC-R patterns in children with LD have been plagued by the lack of a typically achieving comparison group, by failure to measure individual patterns, and by the lack of a precise definition of LD. In an attempt to address these flaws and to assess the presence of patterns of performance on the WISC-R, we examined data from 121 children with typical achievement (TA), 143 children with reading disabilities (RD), and 100 children with a specific arithmetic disability (AD), ages 6 to 16 years. The results indicated that the RD and AD groups had significantly lower scores than the TA group on all the Verbal IQ subtests. Many of the children with AD and RD showed a significant difference between Verbal and Performance IQ scores, but so did many of the typically achieving children. Although there were some children with LD who showed the predicted patterns, typically, 65% or more of the children with LD did not. Furthermore, a proportion of the TA group-generally not significantly smaller than that of the RD and AD groups-showed discrepancy patterns as well. Our results indicate that the patterns of performance on intelligence tests are not reliable enough for the diagnosis of LD in individual children. Therefore, it might be more profitable to base the detection of an individual's LD on patterns of achievement test scores.

Assessment for familial pattern and association of polymorphisms in KIAA0319 gene with specific reading disorder in children from North India visiting a tertiary care centre: A case–control study

“…In our study, the verbal IQ in the probands was lower than that of performance IQ, which support the hypothesis that verbal IQ is correlated more strongly with the reading ability than the performance IQ (Bishop & Butterworth, 1980). The conclusion from the studies is that verbal and performance IQ may show discrepancy pattern in children with learning disorder or controls (D'Angiulli & Siegel, 2003) Hence, IQ cannot be considered as a proxy for learning potential (Francis, Fletcher, Shaywitz, Shaywitz, & Rourke, 1996) and…”

Using Multisensory Phonics to Foster Reading Skills of Adolescent Delinquents

“…Another useful finding is that the performance IQ scores for all participants in this study tended to be approximately 10 points higher than verbal IQ, a pattern typically seen in reading-disabled subtypes (D'Angiulli & Siegel, 2003). A study exploring these subtypes identified a subgroup with a VIQ= PIQ difference of 4.5 points, which has often been associated with behavioral interference (Williams et al, 1992)-a finding relevant to this sample.…”

“…The WISC-III was used to determine participants' intellectual functioning and to evaluate whether verbal and performance scores correlated with gains in reading scores, as noted by previous researchers (Bow, 1988;D'Angiulli & Siegel, 2003;Rourke & Fuerst, 1992;Simpson et al, 1992;Williams, Gridley, & Fitzhugh-Bell, 1992). Reliability and validity evidence for WISC-III scores is found in the test manual.…”

WISC‐III Cognitive Profiles in Children with Developmental Dyslexia: Specific Cognitive Disability and Diagnostic Utility

“…Subsequent studies found support for Bannatyne's classification system on WISC and WISC-R (Clarizio & Bernard, 1981;Rugel, 1974;M. D. Smith, Coleman, Dokecki, & Davis, 1977), whereas others demonstrated its limited diagnostic validity (D'Angiulli & Siegel, 2003;Henry & Wittman, 1981;Kavale & Forness, 1984;McKay, Neale, & Thompson, 1985;Vance & Singer, 1979). Kaufman (1981) stated that although some studies reported statistically significant mean differences in the composite scores between LD and controls, the proportions of individuals in the LD group displaying the Bannatyne pattern are quite small and their contribution to differential diagnosis is limited.…”