USING THE WISC IV WITH THE WIAT II

Yvonne Moreno Psychology Department 2006-2007 Support Services ASFM 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 Reasoning Perceptual Reasoning Index Block Design Picture Concepts Matrix Reasoning

Working Memory Digit Span Letter-Number Sequencing Arithmetic Processing Speed Index Coding Symbol Search Cancellation

Picture Completion

Grades Pre Kindergarten through 16 Ages 4:0 to adulthood Reading Word Reading Written Language Reading Spelling Comprehension Written Pseudoword Expression Decoding Mathematics Oral Language Numerical Listening Operations Comprehension Math Reasoning Oral Expression

WIAT II

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

High correlations are reported between:

Vocabulary and Word Reading Information and Word Reading Arithmetic and Word Reading Arithmetic and Numerical Operations Similarities and Reading Comprehension Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Information and Reading Comprehension Arithmetic and Reading Comprehension

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II at the Subtest Level

High correlations are reported between

Similarities and Math Reasoning Vocabulary and Math Reasoning L-N Sequencing and Math Reasoning Arithmetic and Math Reasoning Arithmetic and Written Expression Similarities and Listening Comprehension Vocabulary and Listening Comprehension Comprehension and Listening Comprehension

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II at the Subtest Level

Correlations Between WISC IV and WIAT II at the Subtest Level

High correlations are reported between
Information and Listening Comprehension Arithmetic and Listening Comprehension Word Reasoning and Listening Comprehension Vocabulary and Spelling Information and Spelling Arithmetic 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 childs 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 Simple

- Achievement Method

- 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 childs 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