Tests that shove that round peg,
right down that square hole!


OK weird title. Like I said, will never win any awards for eloquence here. BUT this just has bugged me to no end. We recently did Ellie’s 30 day IEP update and for the most part all went well. I really like everyone working with her and they seem to like her. The resource teacher who has been out on maternity leave and returned just a few days before the IEP, observed Ellie either the day before or day of the IEP. Ellie saw a “different” person in the doorway and marched on up and held out her hand to “shake it” and introduced herself. THIS is why I’m kept SOOO BUSY advocating for my sweet and very bright girl!

But as a pre-cursor to the meeting, the school psychologist had me fill out a ton of paperwork and also spent much time on the phone with me. Since Ellie hadnt had any in depth psych testing (which is another word for “cognitive functioning” testing), a fairly decent battery was completed these past few weeks. The results had me somewhat livid for a few days (well you know how up in arms I can get, when I feel things arent being done appropriately and children are involved!... Esp when the “children” includes my “child”). AND I want to preface.. I realize school districts/personnel are over-worked, under-paid, under-appreciated and many are burnt - remember I’m an RN.. I think outside the “pay” issue - many sentiments are similar. I also recognize that anyone doing “testing” has a battery of “tests” available and sometimes the “right” test is not available. What bothered me however, was that given my dd’s history, it should have been recognized from the get-go that the test used was pretty much garbage “for her”. It was discriminatory, based on her disability. How do you measure cognitive function when the subject is being penalized for not working fast enough (when they have fine motor issues). To me, it’s like telling a blind individual that they’re cognitively deficient because they can’t read a passage in a book. Perhaps that’s way going overboard, but.....

I wanted to share.... I’ve gotten spoiled and lazy these past few years being in one system with folks I loved. I think we’ll ultimately find that harmony here too but we all have to get used to one another.

The test administered to Ellie was the : Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Let me further preface that academic testing showed Ellie performing at the very least at grade level with exception of one or two things (which werent surprises - abstract type things) BUT mostly at a 2nd - 4th grade level. The Wechsler is a highly regarded psychological assessment and one of the most frequently used diagnostic instruments.
However, because of its design (1/2 performance i.e.
motor and spatial, and 1/2 verbal) it might not be the best
assessment to get an intelligence score for a child on the spectrum.
A child with poor fine motor skills and poor verbal abilities is
going to score poorly on the Wechsler.

Furthermore, IQ testing is *not* a required part of the triennial (psych testing is generally done every 3 years). You can simply
refuse it, esp. if there are clear mitigating factors (lang. dx, fine
motor issues, etc.). You can also request non-verbal IQ testing (Matrix, Analogies Tests, C-TONI, etc.) to bypass the lang. dx barriers.

I re-wrote the Summary paragraph at the conclusion of the WISC. Ellie tested in the “low average” learner arena. This is inaccurate and the test invalid as a means to test her. I’m frustrated as I dont want her pigeon=holed into the “dumb kid” category. You know, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and I dont even like using that term “dumb kid”.. so I apologize BUT do think there’s a stereotype there. *If* appropriate testing had shown my dd’s scores to be “low average” then so be it.. We’d be working harder on her “challenged areas”, but it irks me that poor testing created a score that can go into her file and bias folks.

I need to follow up, BUT for those of you who perhaps havent gotten here yet, I urge you to look at your child’s challenges, decide if you want to have the IQ testing done (I wished I’d not signed off) and if you do, educate yourself on the various types of tests. Theres’ a great book called: “Special Educator’s Complete Guide to 109 Diagnostic Tests”: how to select, interpret, etc.. By Roger Pierangelo, Ph.D, and George Giuliani, Psy D.

Sorry so long, but I get so irritated when folks try to lump all kids together/all folks together. We’re NOT all the same.. we all have our strengths and weaknesses and I’ll be damned if I have my dd lumped into a place she doesnt belong based on a test that was inappropriate to start.. OK off my bandwagon!