USING THE WISC IV WITH THE WIAT II

Yvonne MorenoPsychology Department 2006-2007

Support ServicesASFM

Campus Huasteca

Agenda

Review WISC IV and WIAT II Structures

WISC IV and WIAT II Correlations

WISC IV and WIAT II Overview

Ability-Achievement Discrepancy Analysis

WISC IV (Full Scale Score)Core Subtests Age: 6:0-16:11

Verbal Comprehension Index

Similarities Vocabulary Comprehension Word ReasoningPerceptual Reasoning

Index Block Design Picture Concepts Matrix Reasoning Picture Completion

Working Memory Digit Span Letter-Number Sequencing Arithmetic

Processing Speed Index Coding Symbol Search Cancellation

WIAT IIGrades Pre Kindergarten through 16

Ages 4:0 to adulthood• Reading

– Word Reading– Reading

Comprehension– Pseudoword

Decoding • Mathematics

– Numerical Operations

– Math Reasoning

• Written Language– Spelling– Written

Expression

• Oral Language– Listening

Comprehension– Oral Expression

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II

at the Composite Level

VCI is highly correlated with Reading and Oral Language

PRI is highly correlated with Math WMI is highly correlated with Reading PSI is highly correlated with Written

Language

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II

at the Subtest LevelHigh correlations are reported between:

Vocabulary and Word ReadingInformation and Word ReadingArithmetic and Word ReadingArithmetic and Numerical OperationsSimilarities and Reading ComprehensionVocabulary and Reading ComprehensionInformation and Reading ComprehensionArithmetic and Reading Comprehension

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II

at the Subtest LevelHigh correlations are reported between

Similarities and Math ReasoningVocabulary and Math ReasoningL-N Sequencing and Math ReasoningArithmetic and Math ReasoningArithmetic and Written ExpressionSimilarities and Listening ComprehensionVocabulary and Listening ComprehensionComprehension and Listening Comprehension

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II

at the Subtest LevelHigh correlations are reported between Information and Listening ComprehensionArithmetic and Listening ComprehensionWord Reasoning and Listening ComprehensionVocabulary and SpellingInformation and SpellingArithmetic and Spelling

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II Subtest Level

Picture Concepts shows a low correlation to Oral Expression and a moderate correlation to Listening Comprehension

Letter-Number Sequencing shows a moderate correlation with Oral Expression and with Math Reasoning

Matrix Reasoning shows a moderate correlation with Oral Expression and with Math Reasoning

Cancellation shows minimal correlation with any WIAT II subtest

Word Reasoning shows a low correlation to Oral Expression

WISC IV and WIAT II Overview

Children identified as poor readers display deficits in auditory working memory and phonological short-term memory.

Children with poor reading comprehension, but not impaired decoding exhibit deficits in auditory working memory, but average phonological short-term memory.

WISC IV and WIAT II Overview

Auditory working memory predicts reading comprehension in both skilled and disabled readers and predicts components of writing ability.

Auditory working memory tasks that contain an element of storage and active manipulation of the information are good predictors of language comprehension.

WISC IV and WIAT II Overview

Verbal Intelligence has been found to predict reading, decoding, and comprehension abilities in children.

Verbal intelligence accounts for a large amount of discrepancies in a variety of language based skills.

Rates of response to intervention for reading comprehension relate to verbal ability.

Ability - Achievement Discrepancy Analysis

Public Law 94-142 specifies the following criteria:

1. The child does not achieve commensurate with his or her age and ability levels in one or more of the areas listed, when provided with learning experiences appropriate for the child’s age and ability levels; and

Ability - Achievement Discrepancy Analysis

Public Law 94-142 specifies the following criteria:2. The [multidisciplinary] team finds that a child has a

severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of the following areas:

Oral expression Listening comprehension Written expression Word reading skill Reading comprehension Mathematics calculation Math reasoning

Ability - Achievement Discrepancy Analysis

Two Basic Approaches:

Predicted - Achievement Method

Simple - Difference Method

Limitations of Ability - Achievement Discrepancy Analysis

Evidence separate from test results should indicate that the child has a “failure to achieve” or lack of attainment in one of the principal areas of school learning.

Clinical evidence and direct observations must indicate that the child may have some form of “psychological process disorder” such as attention and concentration difficulties or problems of conceptualization, information processing, or comprehension of written and spoken language.

Limitations of Ability - Achievement Discrepancy Analysis The examiner must ascertain that observed

behavior, symptoms, or deficits in the child’s learning are not due to other factors such as sensory incapacity (visual or hearing impairment), mental retardation, emotional disturbance, and educational and economic disadvantages.

Similarly, the examiner must determine that deficits do not result from factors in the medical or developmental history of the child. These factors include prenatal medical problems; delayed speech; hearing or visual development; brain injury or illnesses that cause neurological damage; difficulties with physical development or motor coordination problems; and many other risk factors.

Ability - Achievement Discrepancy Analysis

“Determining a severe discrepancy does not constitute the diagnosis of LD; it only establishes that the primary symptom of LD exists”.

Reynolds