Special Services

PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

Examinee: TC Date of Birth: 6. 2000

Testing date: 1.8.2018 Age: 17 years 6 months
Grade: 12
Evaluator: Keri Anacker

REASON FOR REFERRAL:

A Psychological evaluation is being conducted to assist with post high school programming and planning.

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES:
Review of Records
Testing Observations
Student Interview
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV)

BACKGROUND & OBSERVATIONS:

T is a 17-year, 6-month old male in 12th grade. He is currently eligible for special education and related services under the
category ‘Emotionally Disturbed’ due to displaying inappropriate types of behaviors or feelings under normal
circumstances. T is placed in an In-Class Resource setting for Mathematics and a Pull-Out Replacement setting for
English. He receives the following modifications: modified tests and quizzes, utilize graphic organizers, edit written work
with teacher guidance, and additional time for tasks/assessments.

T met the examiner during school hours on one occasion. He presented as a friendly and polite young man. T was
cooperative; however, during a few subtests, T was quick to give up. For example, on the Vocabulary subtest, he was
asked to define several words to which he responded “I don’t know.” When asked if he wanted to take a guess, T said,
“No.” During the Coding subtest, using a key, the examinee is required to copy symbols that are paired with numbers
within a specific time limit. However, for the first few lines of the task, T didn’t use the key and instead used the practice
line to refer back to.

T’s teachers describe him as coming to class prepared with the necessary materials and working well with peers. He
benefits from graphic organizers and guided notes, but sometimes lacks motivation to complete tasks in class. T’s
teachers feel he needs to work on focusing in class, making inferences from text, and completing assignments in class.

STUDENT INTERVIEW
T describes himself as being good at basketball, being a good friend, and treating people well. When asked how he learns
best, T explained liking to work in small groups. His favorite subject is science because he enjoys the topic, and his least
favorite is math because he finds it difficult. In his spare time, T likes playing basketball and has played on the team for
school every year. At home, he lives with his mother, older brother, and older sister. When asked what makes him angry,
T stated, “getting lied to.” Something that makes him happy is passing his tests. A few of T’s goals include: becoming
more mature, going to college, and getting a job. After high school, he would like to attend a 4-year college to study
physical therapy. If he could have three wishes he would ask 1) to be rich 2) to live on an island and 3) to make the
NBA. T has already taken the SAT, obtained his driver’s license, and would eventually like to live
independently as an adult.

ASSESSMENT RESULTS:
T was administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). The WAIS-IV is an individually
administered clinical instrument administered to assess the intellectual ability individuals aged 16 through 89. The
WAIS-IV consists of several subtests each measuring a different facet of intelligence. The WAIS-IV yields four Indexes -

Privileged and Confidential

Verbal Comprehension (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning (PRI), Working Memory (WMI), and Processing Speed (PSI), as
well as a Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ). All of these scores summarize an individual’s performance and are
considered to measure such abilities as general intelligence, scholastic aptitude, and readiness to master a school
curriculum. Intelligence tests such as the WAIS-IV cannot determine motivation, curiosity, creative talent, work habits,
study skills, or achievement in academic subjects, which also must be considered when evaluating results.

The Verbal Comprehension and Working Memory scores indicate how well T did on tasks that required him to listen to
questions and provide spoken responses to them. These tasks evaluate his skills in understanding verbal information,
thinking with words, and expressing thoughts in words, and provide information about language processing, reasoning,
attention, and verbal learning. The Perceptual Reasoning and Processing Speed scores, on the other hand, indicate how
well he did on tasks that required him to examine and think about things such as designs, pictures, and puzzles and to
solve problems without using words. These tasks evaluate his skills in solving nonverbal problems and working quickly
and efficiently with visual information, and provide information about visual processing, planning and organizational
ability, attention, and nonverbal learning.

The highest possible score for Indexes is 160, and the lowest possible score is 40. Scores from 90 to 109 are average.
Subtest scores range from 1 to 19 with scores between 8 and 12 considered average. A percentile rank is also given for
all scores. This rank shows how high each person ranks in the national comparison group. If the percentile rank were 45,
for example, it would mean that T scored higher than approximately 45 out of 100 individuals his age.

T’s general cognitive ability is within the Low Average range of intellectual functioning, as measured by the Wechsler
Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition. His overall reasoning abilities exceed those of approximately 9% of
individuals his age (Full Scale IQ = 80; 95% confidence interval =76-84). His ability to complete tasks in a timely manner
is within the Average range as indicated by a Processing Speed score of 97 (42 nd percentile). His score on the nonverbal
reasoning tasks comprising the Perceptual Reasoning Index falls within the Low Average range as indicated by a score of
84 (14th percentile). T’s ability to attend and concentrate to orally presented information is within the Low Average range
as well as indicated by a Working Memory score of 83 (13 th percentile). T scored within the Borderline range on the
verbal reasoning tasks comprised of the Verbal Comprehension Index as indicated by a score of 76 (5 th percentile).

There was a significant discrepancy between T’s ability to attend and concentrate to orally presented information as
indicated by his Working Memory score (WMI= 83) and his ability to complete tasks in a timely manner as indicated by
his Processing Speed score (PSI=97). This 14-point difference suggests that T will better retain information that he sees.

There was a significant discrepancy between T’s Processing Speed (PSI= 97) and Verbal Comprehension (VCI= 76)
scores. This discrepancy is found in less than 14% of the population and indicates that T’s ability to process visual
information is stronger than his verbal analysis skills.

Another significant difference was found between T’s Processing Speed (PSI=97) and Perceptual Reasoning (PRI=84)
scores. This discrepancy is found in less than 25% of the population and suggests that his speed and efficiency of
processing visual information is stronger than his nonverbal reasoning skills. While he quickly and accurately processes
simple visual information, his ability to analyze and apply deductive reasoning is less developed.

Verbal Comprehension

The Verbal Comprehension tasks measure an individual’s facility with verbal reasoning, verbal expression, and retrieval
of information from long-term memory. The Information and Vocabulary subtests are the two more academically oriented
verbal subtests of this index and assess stored, factual information while the Similarities subtest assesses abstract, logical
reasoning. This index was a weakness for T when compared to peers his age. Performance on subtests within this Index
did not vary considerably.
The Vocabulary subtest is a measure of T’s verbal fluency, word knowledge, and word usage. This task required T to
explain the meaning of words presented in isolation and is one indication of his overall verbal comprehension and
expression. Performance on this subtest also requires the ability to verbalize meaningful concepts as well as to retrieve
information from long-term memory (Scaled Score =5, 5th percentile).

The Information subtest assesses general knowledge and the ability to recall factual information from long-term memory.
Performance on this subtest indicates one’s foundation of general information and ability to retrieve such information
from memory (Scaled Score =7, 16th percentile).

The Similarities subtest is a measure of abstract, logical thinking and associative reasoning. On this subtest, T was
required to tell the examiner how two words or ideas were alike. This task assesses higher level thinking skills and ability
to identify relationships and commonalities between and among ideas. It requires cognitive flexibility, the ability to draw
connections and conclusions, and recognition of the multi-dimensional nature of ideas (Scaled Score = 5, 5th percentile).

Working Memory

The Working Memory tasks measure short-term memory for verbally presented information, the ability to attend and/or
concentrate, and the degree to which performance is affected by distractions. Performance on component subtests was not
highly variable.

On the Digit Span subtest, T was orally presented with a series of numbers in random order with which he was required to
repeat back in forward sequence, reverse sequence, and arrange in numerical order (Scaled Score = 8, 25 th percentile). T
was able to repeat a series of 8-digits forwards (scaled score = 11), 3-digits backwards (scaled score = 6), and was able to
numerically sequence 6-digits (scaled score = 7). The 5-point discrepancy between digit span forwards and digit span
backwards is significant and rare; this difference is found in less than 6% of the population. Similarly, the 4-point
discrepancy between digit span forwards and digit span sequencing is significant and found in less than 14% of the
population. This difference in abilities suggests that T is stronger at simple rote memory tasks rather than remembering
and then manipulating information.

The Arithmetic subtest is more complex and looks closer at an individual’s ability to mentally manipulate verbal
information or problem solve with complex material without the benefit of pen and paper. With this task, T was orally
presented with mathematical word problem which he was required to solve mentally (Scaled Score = 6, 9 th percentile).
This area is a weakness when compared to peers his age.

Perceptual Reasoning

The perceptual reasoning subtests measure an individual’s ability to reason with visual stimuli such as pictures, blocks,
and puzzles. It also assesses perceptual and organizational abilities, as well as interpretation and/or organization of
visually presented material. Performance on component subtests was not highly variable.

The Block Design subtest required T to use two-color cubes to construct replicas of two-dimensional, geometric patterns.
This subtest assesses the ability to use problem solving skills with visual material. Spatial analysis, visual-motor
integration/coordination, dexterity, logic, nonverbal reasoning, and nonverbal concept formation are involved (Scaled
Score = 7, 16th percentile).

The Matrix Reasoning subtest is a measure of fluid, nonverbal reasoning skills. The task is novel and draws on visual
processing skills without the requirement of a motor response, differentiating it from the Block Design subtests. On this
subtest, T was required to examine a series of patterns with a portion removed and determine which solution of several
provided was the best “fit” (Scaled Score = 8, 25th percentile).

On the Visual Puzzles subtest, T viewed a completed puzzle and selected three response options that, when combined,
reconstruct the puzzle. Further, he was asked to respond within a specified time limit. This subtest is designed to
measure the ability to analyze and synthesize abstract visual stimuli. Performance on this task may be affected by visual
perception, fluid intelligence, simultaneous processing, spatial visualization and manipulation, and the ability to anticipate
the relationship among parts (Scaled Score = 7, 16th percentile).

Processing Speed

The Processing Speed Index assesses an individual’s ability to quickly process simple or routine visual material without
making errors. Performance on subtests within this Index did not vary considerably. This index was a normative and
personal strength for T when compared to peers his age as well as his other abilities.

The Coding task assesses speed of organizing, integrating, and processing visual material. The Coding subtest required T
to form paired associations between numbers and shapes and copy symbols from one area to another under timed
conditions (Scaled Score=9, 37th percentile). This subtest was a personal strength for T when compared to his other
abilities.

The Symbol Search subtest required T to determine whether a target symbol appears among the symbols shown in a
search group under timed conditions. Skills measured include perception and recognition in addition to speed, accuracy,
attention, and concentration. Unlike the Coding task, the Symbol Search subtest does not involve copying, instead it
relies more on visual discrimination skills and attention to visual details (Scaled Score = 10, 50th percentile). This score
was a personal strength for T when compared to his other abilities.

SUMMARY:
T is a 17-year, 6-month old male currently in 12th grade at John P. Stevens High School in Edison, NJ. He is eligible for
special education and related services under the category ‘Emotionally Disturbed’. T is placed in an In-Class Resource
setting for Mathematics and a Pull-Out Resource setting for English.

T’s teachers describe him as coming to class prepared with the necessary materials and working well with peers. He
benefits from graphic organizers and guided notes, however, he sometimes lacks motivation to complete tasks in class.
T’s teachers feel he needs to work on focusing in class, making inferences from text, and completing assignments in class.

T’s general cognitive ability is within the Low Average range of intellectual functioning, as measured by the Wechsler
Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition. His overall reasoning abilities exceed those of approximately 9% of
individuals his age (Full Scale IQ = 80; 95% confidence interval =76-84). His ability to complete tasks in a timely manner
is within the Average range as indicated by a Processing Speed score of 97 (42nd percentile). His score on the nonverbal
reasoning tasks comprising the Perceptual Reasoning Index falls within the Low Average range as indicated by a score of
84 (14th percentile). T’s ability to attend and concentrate to orally presented information is within the Low Average range
as well as indicated by a Working Memory score of 83 (13 th percentile). T scored within the Borderline range on the
verbal reasoning tasks comprised of the Verbal Comprehension Index as indicated by a score of 76 (5th percentile).

There was a significant discrepancy between T’s ability to attend and concentrate to orally presented information as
indicated by his Working Memory score and his ability to complete tasks in a timely manner as indicated by his
Processing Speed score. This discrepancy suggests that T will better retain information that he sees.

There was a significant discrepancy between T’s Processing Speed and Verbal Comprehension scores indicating that his
speed of processing of visual information is stronger than his verbal analysis skills.
Another significant difference was found between T’s Processing Speed and Perceptual Reasoning scores. This
discrepancy is found in less than 25% of the population and suggests that his speed and efficiency of processing visual
information is stronger than his nonverbal reasoning skills.

T achieved his lowest scores on tasks requiring verbal comprehension and analysis. He performed slightly better when
reasoning with nonverbal information. T excelled when required to accurately and efficiently process visual information.

IQ SCORE SUMMARY

SCALE SCORE PERCENTILE CONFIDENCE CLASSIFICATION

RANK INTERVAL
FULL SCALE IQ 80 9 76-84 Low Average
Verbal Comprehension 76 5 71-83 Borderline
Perceptual Reasoning 84 14 79-91 Low Average
Working Memory 83 13 77-91 Low Average
Processing Speed 97 42 89-106 Average

SUBTEST SCORE SUMMARY

VERBAL COMPREHENSION SUBTESTS

SUBTEST SCORE PERCENTILE RANK
Similarities 5 5
Vocabulary 5 5
Information 7 16

PERCEPTUAL REASONING SUBTESTS

SUBTEST SCORE PERCENTILE RANK
Block Design 7 16
Matrix Reasoning 8 25
Visual Puzzles 7 16

WORKING MEMORY SUBTESTS

SUBTEST SCORE PERCENTILE RANK
Digit Span 8 25
Arithmetic 6 9

PROCESSING SPEED SUBTESTS

SUBTEST SCORE PERCENTILE RANK
Coding 9 37
Symbol Search 10 50
Scaled Scores 8-12 are considered Average.