Why am I being sent for IQ test???

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Hi all,

I need to know what is the significance of an IQ test in determining (or iliminating) if and what learning disabilities I have. I've recently been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD) and I was refered to a phychologist to do an IQ test. Did any of you need to do an IQ test in determining what learning disabilities you have? I cannot see the relevance of an IQ test??? I know I am not stupid (just appeared it to NT's sometimes) and I am not brilliant either! (can't do maths and complicated tasks that require good memory) As far as I know IQ tests reveal intelligence and thats it. So why am I being sent for an IQ test?

I do not have a diagnosis on Aspergers yet, but I've read a few books and biographies and heaps of internet resources and I'm convinced that im an aspie. I am in the process of preparing a detailed list of my aspie traits and I'll probably go to be formally diagnosed in 6 months or so.

The IQ tells the testers in no uncertain terms how good you are at basic problem solving. See, if you have trouble learning, they have no other method to test your intelligence but a general test. If you come up with an IQ of 80, they'll know you're learning abilities can only go so far, so maybe it's not your learning problems at all, just your general problem solving skills. If you come up with a 160 IQ, they'll know you have major learning difficulties, because you're not performing anywhere near your IQ level. Not perfect, but it's a decent benchmark.

Besides, if you're trying to get diagnosed as an aspie, you'll have to take an IQ test anyway. Think of it this wise: you'll have it out of the way and done!

Thanks GroovyDruid, thanks for your reply.

I went to http://www.highiqsociety.org and did a quick IQ test and scored 96. What would a score like that mean in terms of learning disabilities? A score of 96 just prooves to me that I have average intelligence and I can't improve on that. I still fail to understand the relevance of gettin an IQ test.

BTW, my audiologist who diagnosed the APD thinks that I have ADD but I did a search on google and read a few sites on ADD/ADHD and it is not me. I can concentrate when I have to. I can concentrate for long periods when it is interesting and in an environment that is quiet without distractions. Though I do get tired if it demands too much effort and confuses my senses.

The problem comes in when I don't understand something like maths or sequencial tasks and I can't figure it out but that is part of my APD problems. I am not hyperactive and the only time I APPEAR hyperactive is when I have sensory overloads due to too much noise, confusion, distraction, or too many lights or moving/flashing objects and I misinterprate what people are saying or only hearing partially.

I'm glad that getting an IQ test will assist in getting diagnosed as an aspie. The IQ test is very costly and we have to put off other important things to pay for it. [/u]

There is a full scale score but its composed of

a) The verbal IQ
b) the performance IQ

In someone with learning disabilities there is a significant discrepancy.

IQ tests don't really let you know about a person's true mindset. This is especially true for autistics.

This is what I'm afraid of. I said to my partner that I am not sure if going for an IQ test is going to proove anything. I would much rather spend the money on going directly for an AS diagnosis but I'm kind of in a catch22 as it might assist in getting a diagnosis for Aspergers.

As a female, I have become quite adapt at hiding my peculiarness from people who are not close to me and my audiologist almost instantly declared that I cannot possibly have AS.

I feel very confused!! ! My whole life it has been my objective to appear normal and fit in as best I can. Now that I've discovered that there is a collective name describing me, I find it hard to explain it to others.

Especially autistic savants, they may rate poorly on an orthodox IQ test but their abilities to do some extremely complex mathematical calculations would shame any PHD professor.

It is true that generally, IQ tests measure your potential for learning but there is one point that is missing.

When most people talk about IQ tests and scores, they only talk about the composite number. There is however a diagnostic ability given to psychologists by the test when the scores are broken down.

For most people, the graphing of the individual tests usually results in something that is close to a sin wave that is within one standard deviation of their composite score. This occurs even with people with general cognative disabilities (such as Down's Syndrome) only the range is lower.

A peculiar thing though happens with someone on the spectrum. When the individual scores are graphed, the graph shows peaks and troughs that are outside of standard deviation (think of this as the abilities and issues associated with ASDs).

This is why the IQ test is important. You are better off taking it. This may also show that effect which could give you more ammunition for a diagnosis of AS.

Thank you very much. I am looking forward to the test now!

That was certainly the case when I did one. It was about 8 hours, spread over 4 visits to a psychologist, and provided a detailed breakdown of my abilities; not just "Your IQ is THIS". There was more than a 3 standard deviation gap between my strongest and weakest areas (1 standard deviation is 15 IQ points, and I had a 50 point discrepancy).

In total, I was tested on:

Verbal IQ
Performance IQ
Full scale IQ (the "Your IQ is THIS" figure that everyone thinks of when they hear 'IQ test')
Verbal comprehension index
Perceptual organisation index
Working memory index
Processing speed index

A battery of memory tests that covered:

Auditory immediate
Visual immediate
Auditory delayed
Visual delayed
Auditory recognition delayed
General memory
Working memory

And miscellaneous other items of assesment that weren't all numerically scored:

Executive functioning
- Behavioural assesment of dysexecutive syndrome
- Hayling sentence completion test
- Brixton spatial anticipation test

Speech and language therapy assesment
- The awareness of social inference test
- Test of adolescent and adult language
- Written language

My IQ is 107
Verbal 118
Performance 92

Which means I have NVLD - basically an auditory or verbal learner. However that wasn't known when I did the test in 1993.

It can be worth doing to work out the best learning techniques, sadly at the time I did the test I was told to 'monitor my work more'

IQ tests are always inaccurate for Autistic people. My mom uses the excuse of my test results whenever she thinks I am talking bad about her intelligence, when really I am not. Don't worry about IQ tests, they will probably be disproved since Kim Peek "Rainman model" took several IQ tests and the test results were comparible to mental retardation.

I think it is funny that people think they are accurate.