musicmom

NiallNai

Generally, it is fairly true but there is room and causes for variance. Depending on the standards that are used during the scoring tests, there is a range in which the person's IQ is expected to fluctuate if they were give a test again. These tests are better seen as a snapshot of performance on a particular day and are sensitive to a number of things.

People with depression often score lower on tasks that involve reaction time and memory. So you might see a drop in IQ due to that.

Also, as the norms for tests age the average scores of the test takers increase due to the information on the test coming into greater use in the general population.

I've also seen IQs drop drastically when a new edition of a test comes out. When the WISC-IV (the IQ test used on the majority of school age children, at least in New Jersey) replaced the WISC-III, I saw a number of students scores drop by 5 to 10 points between the two tests. This is both because of the new norms and something else that I'm not sure about.

Also, as people age, different tests may be used. The WPPSI-III is for pre-schoolers and goes up to age 6 (If memory serves; I work largely with high school students); the WISC-IV is for about 6 to 17; the WAIS-III (soon to be IV) is for 17 to about 89+. So while the tests have been developed with an eye toward making them consistent since they are all created by the same company, there are some tasks on the WPPSI that aren't on the WAIS and vice versa, so you can't necessarily say with 100% accuracy all three tests are measuring the exact same things.

Now if you use the Stanford-Binet-V or the Woodcock-Johnson-III (I'm not making up the name here, let your dirty side run wild with this name, I know I have) Cognitive section, those tests are used from age 2 to 85+, so you might have a greater consistency in scores because the same test is being used throughout the life of the child.

Also, you need to take into account that these tests measure particular abilities that are theorized to be part of the what makes up intelligence. I like to say that if aliens landed on our planet tomorrow and said that you can measure someones IQ with this basic bloodtest, it might make our current IQ tests obsolete.

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musicmom

Here's the story. My daughter was tested for gifted but fell short on the IQ part of the test. They used the Aris test. I found this hard to believe because she seems as intelligent as her brother who is full time gifted. She is extremely intelligent.
I don't care to "label" my child so it really doesn't matter but it makes me wonder how she scored low. She has adhd but I refuse to give her meds and they said it would not matter that her IQ would never change that she would have the same IQ if she were 50.
I guess I don't understand how they come to this determination.

NiallNai

this was edited due to rereading and reinterpreting your post.

Has your daughter ever taken ADHD medication? Did you just not give her them medication on the day of the test?

ADHD can impact the results of an IQ test. Most IQ tests have portions of it that examine short-term memory and attention span. If impulsivity is at issue then it may impact other tasks.

I've never heard of the Aris test. Several googles haven't revealed anything.

What you are saying about labelling your child addresses one of the things that I mentioned. The theory of intelligence that a test subscribes to may impact the results. Howard Gardner has his theory of multiple intelligences and this ranges from book smarts to musical creativity. While at some point you have to say aren't we being too specialized, how do these things combine to create overall intelligence.

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NiallNai

If you get the email notification that you have a new message and you read the message in the you email before you respond, please go back and reread my post because I edited it.

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musicmom

NiallNai

If I'm reading your avatar section correct then your daughter is 6 years old. I think it is very difficult to diagnose a 6 year old with ADHD. My wife jokingly (and sometimes half-jokingly) asks me if I think out 11 month old son has bipolar disorder because he goes from laughing to crying so quickly. I keep telling her no. If I put it in Freudian terms, Brian is a walking Id. There isn't much in the way of controls over his emotions.

The same thought should be applied to children. Sustaining concentration is something that people need to be trained to do. That doesn't mean ADHD doesn't have anything to do with a chemical imbalance but when you have a young child it is a lot harder to say that it is a chemical imbalance or defect because the brain is still maturing and sustaining attention and putting off our impulses is something that also takes practice.

I don't blame you for being leery about putting your child on medication. Particularly at that age.

If you find out the full name of the test and/or the test publisher, I'd be interested in finding it out. Even if you felt more comfortable PMing it to me. There are a lot of intelligence tests out there. Some that are used more than others. If I were to say what the "industry standards" are, I would say the Wechsler series, the Stanford-Binet, and the Woodcock-Johnson. There are a few other ones that get high praise as well.

I've also seen some tests that I find rather shakey because they are really only testing one thing.

The ones I mentioned above require that the administrator/interpreter of those test have extensive training in giving those tests. There are also severe restrictions on who may purchase those tests from the publisher. Was this evaluation completed by the school district?

Again, if I'm asking too much, please feel free to say so.

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etceterae

IQ tests do not measure intelligence; they measure how well-versed you are with modernity. That's why many people who seem gifted and smart (and I know you love your child very much, but try to be objective!) can fail miserably at the IQ. In essence, if Thomas Edison took the current edition, he would most likely not score as a genius, though all may contest that he certainly was one and made significant contributions to our lives. =] Don't worry about a low test score.

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Want more advice from me and other teenagers? Go to teensonparenting.blogspot.com for cool challenges, projects, and help on communication.

Music-dad

I'm lead to believe it can MM, and music lessons are one way to do it
(mainly piano) here's a link mentioning increase in IQ:

Sorry, Kids, Piano Lessons Make You Smarter - Forbes.com

etceterae

Woo! I've been playing piano since I was 5! Lol. I do find that having an appreciation for music helps you a lot with liberal-arts related assignments.

__________________
Want more advice from me and other teenagers? Go to teensonparenting.blogspot.com for cool challenges, projects, and help on communication.