Do Ed psych reports have IQ scores

[MathsQuery]

Has anyone had a recent Ed psych report it is an actual Ed psych? Just wondering if an IQ score would normally be included. I was asked for DS score today and he doesn't have it.

Those are standard scores, Alexander.

You do 10 little tasks and get raw scores (eg they got 5 points on the "block design" task).

These are then converted into scaled scores (on the WISC) which run from 1-19 and are age normed. For example if your child was 9y 2m old you look up what the raw score of 5 on block design converts to, eg a scaled score of 4 which is low. This allows us to use the same test on a wide age range as it compares age groups. If your child was only 8 and got 5 points on block design, they'll get a higher scaled score than if they were 15 and got 5 points.

The scaled scores are them put together into clusters which measure skills which are often related - eg verbally based tasks, spatially based tasks. This then gives you 3 scaled scores which are added and converted into a cluster score which is a standard score - on a bell curve distribution with average range (usually) of between 85-115 . You can only calculate clusters if there isn't a huge gap between your scaled scores. In other words if your scaled scores are 4, 5, 5 it's fine, but if they are 4, 5, 12 it's not ok and then you need to look at the possible reasons for the gap in results.

The full scale score takes all the clusters (if there is less than 23 points between lowest and highest cluster) to give an overall score which is an attempt to reflect the likelihood of learning facility in someone with the scores provided. It's by no means an exact science and can be affected very significantly by anxiety in particular - or attention, work speed, illness, etc.

AlexanderHamilton Cognitive test batteries are made up of various components. An IQ test my gut gave 10 subtests. Subtests are individual tests, which get quoted as scaled scores. These are put together and averaged out to calculate the indices ( e.g working memory index) which is quoted as a standard score and centile rank. The indices are then collated and plotted on a normal distribution (bell) curve to calculate a FSIQ. But standard scores, scaled scores and centiles can be mapped in to each other ( e.g scaled score of 9 is at the 36th centile). If course, a significant number in our profession would argue that all of this is nonsense anyway, as IQ tests lack demonstrable construct validity and are biased towards certain populations. In California school psychologists must not carry our IQ tests on children of Afro-American heritage, following a court case that upheld this view.

I thought they diagnosed dyslexia, by assessing IQ in various areas. Most people will be fairly even across all areas but a dyslexic brain will have areas of strenght and weeknesses.

Wow. That was a good response. I was asked by the admissions person at a specialist dyslexia school. They only deal with children of normal or above IQs and she asked me what my sons was. I couldn't see reference to an overall score so I'm confused.

Our independent ed psych gave dd's IQ score because the LA propose to place her is a school for MLD/SLD when there is no basis for it. Her IQ is 130 so in the superior range and she has always attended a mainstream school and been top set. She most likely wouldn't have done an IQ test had it not been necessary to demonstrate that the proposed placement was inadequate.

OK, I've had a look at his EP and he has a series of tests using WISC which I think is the cognitive tests. None of his results are amazing but to give you an idea he is as follows:
Verbal comprehension - average
NVR - very low
Visual spatial - low average to extremely low depending on which test.
Processing speed - extremely low
Visual working memory - average
Auditory working memory - very low.

Just had a look at his scaled scores and they vary from 1 - 12 so maybe that's why there's no overall score.

I'd send them a copy of what you have. The Average ones probably mean normal IQ.

Oh I hope so. Theres part of me that's afraid to send it in case they reject him. I think I'm just feeling a bit sensitive about him at the moment as I've had to plough through reports talking about all the problems he's got and just want someone to see what's great about him.

Fingers crossed he gets in. Will do him the world of good to realise he's not alone and specialist help has to be a good thing.

If there are any Ed psych about and don't mind, can you tell me if the scores I've put above are bad or typical for dyslexia. It's odd because I find he's fine at home. He watches lots of factual programs, plays board games etc. I wouldn't say he comes across as someone who can't do things.

It's just everyone else who's put scores on here seem to be alot higher. I am worried now. Should I be looking at specialist schools to start right away.

Hi
I don't think anyone on here can advise you specifically about your son's scores. However there is no reason why you couldn't call the EP who originally did the assessment and ask him/ her to explain it a bit more clearly, and whether the type of setting you are looking at might be suitable (there should be some sort of recommendation about school anyway, or how mainstream should be adapted).

I can't advise on specific meanings but I do know that the 'average' range is huge. My dd was on the 17th centile for mathematical reasoning which I thought was a major issue but the EP said that it was on the lower average range, but still average. I think she said under 11th centile could be indicative of SEN.

Speak with his existing school, the EP and the proposed school.

Clearly he must be struggling or you wouldn't be asking the question. So from that point regardless of figures, average or not average, he might be better with a specialist school or at least a specialist tutor to ensure their are no gaps in his learning.

The older kids are the harder it is to access the curriculum if they struggle with reading, ie you can't learn history if you can't read the books.

Like others have said, I don't think all eps necessarily state IQ scores. Certainly the ones who visit the school where I work tend not to. Instead they focus on areas of difficulty and strategies to help the child.
In fact, the only time I've actually seen an IQ listed, rather than the scores for individual parts of the tests, was on the report for my own dc. In that case, DCs school had requested the ep assess DC as they were finding it hard to give them work that would challenge them. The report for DC listed the scaled scores for each area that was tested along with the percentile and then it stated what the IQ score was, along with the percentile for that. There were also ideas and strategies to help the school ensure DC had suitable challenge.