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IQ tests provide numerous scores, but valid interpretation of those scores is dependent on how precisely each score reflects its intended construct and whether it provides unique information independent of other constructs. Thus, IQ scores must be evaluated for their reliability and dimensionality to determine their psychometric utility. As a tutorial, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) scores were evaluated and it was demonstrated that the WISC-V is multidimensional, but only the Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) was found to be sufficiently reliable for clinical use. WISC-V group factors were not well defined and WISC-V index (i.e., factor) scores were contaminated with variance from other constructs and insufficiently reliable for clinical decisions. Clinicians were encouraged to go beyond structural goodness of fit and evaluate IQ test scores in terms of their reliability and ability to provide information that is not available from the general ability score as well their predictive and treatment validity. Software was provided to assist in that evaluation. Impact Statement IQ tests provide numerous scores, but valid interpretation of those scores is dependent on how precisely each score reflects its intended construct and whether it provides unique information independent of other constructs. Thus, IQ scores must be evaluated for their reliability and dimensionality to determine their psychometric utility. This article describes an evidence-based approach that clinicians can employ to assess the psychometric utility of IQ scores, supplies software tools to assist in that analysis, and provides a tutorial example using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) scores.

This study aimed to explore the prevalence of learning disabilities (LDs) and the emotional–behavioral difficulties in 208 children from the Crete region in Greece, and who voluntarily presented themselves for study and were evaluated by a university-based interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals. The Greek version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V GR) was used, with its five Primary Index scores and full-scale IQ (Verbal Comprehension Index, VCI; Visual Spatial Index, VSI; Fluid Reasoning Index, FRI; Working Memory Index, WMI; and Processing Speed, PCI). Five diagnostic categories were established for the purpose of analysis: (a) no LDs (TD group), (b) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), (c) Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs), (d) Extremely Low FSIQ (below 79), and (e) Emotional/Behavioral difficulties. The results revealed a 25.5% prevalence of SLDs, 18.75% ADHD, 8.65% Extremely Low FSIQ, and 5.29% emotional/behavioral problems, suggesting that 58% of the study population struggled with some kind of learning difficulty. Statistically significant differences were observed between the “Extremely Low FSIQ” group, the “SLD”, the “ADHD”, and the “TD” diagnostic groups in terms of the “VCI”, “FRI”, and the “FSIQ” scales (p < 0.001). Likewise, the “Extremely Low FSIQ” group differed significantly from the “SLD” and “TD” groups in terms of the “VSI”, the WMI, and the “PSI” (p < 0.001). The “Behavioural/emotional” and “SLD” groups differed in terms of “VCI” and “Full scale IQ” (p < 0.001). The analysis indicated that the children with severe learning difficulties differed from the other groups in terms of their cognitive profiles and that they needed tailor-made educational programs and interventions in a typical classroom. This study offers comparative data from a community sample of children, as well as generated initial evidence from non-clinical settings on the usability and the diagnostic accuracy of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Further research is suggested. The present study was funded by the Crete Region (MIS 5162111).

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has a high comorbidity with specific learning disorders (SLD). Children with ADHD and children with SLD show specific cognitive deficits. This study aims to examine similarities and differences between cognitive profiles of children with ADHD + SLD, children with SLD only, and a control group to find out whether specific or shared deficits can be identified for the groups. We compared the WISC-V profiles of 62 children with ADHD and SLD (19 girls, M-age = 10.44; SD = 2.44), 35 children with SLD (13 girls, M-age = 10.21; SD = 2.11) and 62 control children without ADHD or SLD (19 girls, M-age = 10.42; SD = 2.39). The ADHD + SLD group performed worse than the control group in the WISC-V indices WMI, PSI, FSIQ, AWMI, CPI and worse than the SLD group in these indices and the VCI, NVI and GAI. Therefore, compared to children with SLD, children with ADHD + SLD did not show specific impairments in any particular cognitive domain but rather non-specific impairment in almost all indices. Hence, the WISC-V is suited to depict the cognitive strength and weaknesses of an individual child as a basis for targeted intervention.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is a widely used instrument for assessing cognitive abilities in children. While the latest fifth edition (WISC-V) has been adapted in various countries, Indonesia still relies on the outdated first edition, a practice that raises substantial concerns about the validity of diagnoses, outdated norms, and cultural bias. This study aimed to (1) adapt the WISC-V to the Indonesian linguistic and cultural context (WISC-V-ID), (2) evaluate its psychometric properties in a pilot study with an Indonesian sample, (3) reorder the item sequence of the subtests according to the empirical item difficulty observed in Indonesian children’s responses, and (4) evaluate the factor structure of the WISC-V-ID using confirmatory factor analysis. The adaptation study involved a systematic translation procedure, followed by psychometric evaluation with respect to gender, age groups, and ethnicity, using a sample of 221 Indonesian children aged 6 to 16 years. The WISC-V-ID demonstrated good internal consistency. Analysis of item difficulty revealed discrepancies in item ordering compared to the original WISC-V, suggesting a need for item reordering in future studies. In addition, the second-order five-factor model, based on confirmatory factor analysis, indicated that the data did not adequately fit the model, stressing the need for further investigation. Overall, the WISC-V-ID appears to be a reliable measure of intelligence for Indonesian children, though a comprehensive norming study is necessary for full validation.

This research evaluated the efficacy of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fifth Edition (WISC-V) for gifted identification. Our sample included 390 gifted, highly gifted, and twice-exceptional (2e) children, referred by parents for testing at seven U.S. sites. We examined de-identified scoring data to determine mean performance patterns across WISC-V indexes and investigated which robust scoring options (each summarizing four to eight subtests) were sensitive to gifted and twice exceptional strengths. We found discrepant WISC-V primary index scores (≥1.5 SD differences) in a majority of our sample, undermining interpretability of Full Scale IQ scores for gifted identification. WISC-V mean scores ranged from very superior in untimed high-g Verbal Comprehension to average in low-g Processing Speed (irrelevant to gifted identification). A similar pattern emerged in our 2008 WISC-IV study of 334 gifted children. We show that the WISC-V performs effectively within multi-dimensional gifted and 2e identification approaches provided that the Full Scale IQ is not required. Instead, we demonstrate that any of six robust, high-g scores (ancillary and expanded indexes; FSIQ) may be used to document global strength or individual strength areas, satisfy gifted identification requirements, and guide advanced programming—even for 2e children, whose correspondingly low scores warrant further evaluation for co-existing weaknesses. We recommend best practices for use of these WISC-V scoring options for ethical identification of a broad, diverse range of gifted and 2e students, many of whom would be missed by averaging discrepant scores. Our study data prompted NAGC position statements on the WISC-V and WISC-IV. Improving WISC-V Scoring for Entrance to Gifted Programs: How to Document Broad Strengths and Avoid Full Scale IQs When Index Scores are Discrepant We researched the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fifth Edition (WISC-V), a well-known individual ability test, to see how well it finds children who need gifted programs in school. We tested 390 gifted children and found their scores ranged from very high to much lower. This made their Full Scale IQ scores, which combine all the different skills tested, impossible to understand. The children did best when asked questions verbally, and also when doing mental math problems or copying designs. They were not as good at timed paper-and-pencil tasks. Yet, skills like handwriting speed are not important in gifted programs. Schools usually prefer a high Full Scale IQ score for entrance to gifted programs, but it was often too low to qualify these children. This pattern is not new; it happened earlier in our study of 334 gifted children taking an older version of this test: the WISC-IV (Gilman et al., 2008). Our research shows that the WISC-V is helpful for finding gifted children, but the Full Scale IQ should not be required. It is better to consider six possible broad scores, and report the ones that show the child’s strengths (e.g., strong verbal skills, advanced visual reasoning). This should be enough to meet the requirements of the gifted program. It also shows what the child’s strengths are so teachers can plan the child’s instruction. We provide a list of rules for using this test that make it easier to find the broad range of children who need gifted programs, without missing as many children. (See also NAGC WISC-V and WISC-IV position statements).

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital birth defects. As surgical and interventional techniques have improved, the mortality has been greatly reduced and the focus has shifted to quality of life and long-term outcomes. The impact of CHD on development and cognition is becoming increasingly recognized. However, more research is needed to understand how children with CHD perform across various cognitive and intellectual domains. This study explored the performance of children with CHD on the newest version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children compared to normative controls. Children with CHD performed more poorly than normal controls across all indices and most subtests with large effect sizes. Additionally, we explored the patterns of impairment across indices and subtests, as well as the relationships between heard disease variables and WISC-V performance. Block design, Digit Span, and Similarities were the most commonly impaired scores in children with CHD, while Symbol Search, Picture Span, Figure Weights, and Vocabulary were least likely to be impaired.

The French adaptation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children, 5th edition (WISC-V) was an opportunity to examine if some common representations of gender differences in intellectual abilities are supported by empirical evidence. The WISC-V standardization sample provided data on a wide range of cognitive tests in a large sample of 6- to 16-year-old children representative of the French population. This sample included 517 boys and 532 girls. The WISC-V data were compared to those of the French standardization samples of three previous versions of the WISC (WISC-R, WISC-III, and WISC-IV). These four standardization samples span a 35-year period. The data analysis of the WISC-V standardization sample and the three previous versions of this intelligence scale showed that the performance gaps on intellectual tests between girls and boys have gradually narrowed over time. Almost no gender differences were observed in the WISC-V standardization sample, not only in IQ but also in key facets of intelligence. Data do not support the stereotype that girls are better at verbal tasks and boys are better at visuospatial tasks. However, some statistically significant differences remain, but the magnitude was generally small with no practical implications. The only important difference is in favor of girls and concerns performance on processing speed tasks that require visual discrimination, attentional control, and writing.

Since the seminal work of Spearman, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis represents the standard method of examining the dimensionality of psychological instruments. Recently, within the network psychometrics approach, a new procedure was proposed to estimate the dimensionality of psychological instruments: exploratory graph analysis (EGA). This study investigated the structure of the French Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC–VFR) with five standardization sample age groups (6–7, 8–9, 10–11, 12–13, and 14–16 years) using EGA. The primary research questions include (a) how many WISC–VFR dimensions are identified in each age subgroup? (b) how are subtest scores associated within the dimensions? Because the number and the content of the dimensions identified by EGA could vary with samples, the secondary research questions include (c) is there evidence of reproducibility and generalizability of the dimensions identified by EGA? We used another procedure called bootstrap exploratory graph analysis (bootEGA). EGA and bootEGA suggested only three dimensions, which are consistent with processing speed, verbal comprehension, and the “old” perceptual reasoning factor. Results did not support the distinction between visual–spatial and fluid reasoning dimensions. EGA and bootEGA represent new tools to assess the construct validity of psychological instruments, such as the WISC–VFR.

Children born preterm (≤ 37 weeks) are at higher risk of developing cognitive problems and score lower on cognitive developmental assessments than full-term children. The objective of the paper is to analyse the impact of correction for prematurity on IQ scores amongst preterm born children at school age. A sample of 153 Spanish school-age children were assessed using the WISC-V (Full Scale IQ and all indexes). Assessments were re-scored based on corrected age. Pairwise t -tests were used to analyse the difference in mean IQ scores between corrected age and uncorrected (chronological) age. WISC-V IQ scores <70, <85 and <90 were used to define the cognitive impairment level. Age-corrected scores were significantly higher than chronological age scores, except for processing speed. The percentage of children whose scores could be classified as cognitively impaired was not affected by the correction. When evaluating the cognitive skills in preterm children it should always be indicated whether or not prematurity correction was used, even at older ages, in order to avoid possible biases in the interpretation of the results.

One important aspect of construct validity is structural validity. Structural validity refers to the degree to which scores of a psychological test are a reflection of the dimensionality of the construct being measured. A factor analysis, which assumes that unobserved latent variables are responsible for the covariation among observed test scores, has traditionally been employed to provide structural validity evidence. Factor analytic studies have variously suggested either four or five dimensions for the WISC–V and it is unlikely that any new factor analytic study will resolve this dimensional dilemma. Unlike a factor analysis, an exploratory graph analysis (EGA) does not assume a common latent cause of covariances between test scores. Rather, an EGA identifies dimensions by locating strongly connected sets of scores that form coherent sub-networks within the overall network. Accordingly, the present study employed a bootstrap EGA technique to investigate the structure of the 10 WISC–V primary subtests using a large clinical sample (N = 7149) with a mean age of 10.7 years and a standard deviation of 2.8 years. The resulting structure was composed of four sub-networks that paralleled the first-order factor structure reported in many studies where the fluid reasoning and visual–spatial dimensions merged into a single dimension. These results suggest that discrepant construct and scoring structures exist for the WISC–V that potentially raise serious concerns about the test interpretations of psychologists who employ the test structure preferred by the publisher.