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locutusofborg
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28 Mar 2010, 3:24 pm

Dear Wrong Planet,

I have Asperger's Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, and a few weeks ago, I had my IQ tested at the University of Missouri. I was administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence my scores were as followed:

Verbal: 118
Performance: 79

Full-Scale IQ: 98

I'm not sure how there is such a large disparity in my scores could exist in which I score at the range of "Above-Average" on the Verbal Test and "Borderline-Retarded" on the Performance Test. Do people with Asperger's/autism/nonverbal learning disorder have large disparities in Verbal and Performance scores? Or could my Wechsler IQ be an inaccurate measure of my intelligence entirely? Are there other intelligence tests that would be better at measuring my intelligence? Also, I know that the Verbal Test is supposed to measure my ability to express ideas in words, but what does my Performance IQ measure? If my IQ scores are accurate however, can they be increased? If so, then to what extent? And in what ways, specifically my Performance IQ?



TOGGI3
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28 Mar 2010, 3:34 pm

There is great disparity in my IQ score as well. My verbal comprehension is 122, perceptual reasoning 117, however my processing speed was 92 and my working memory was 86. I dont think IQ tests to be completely solid tests and scores do change moderately for some people between attempts.



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28 Mar 2010, 3:36 pm

That's a very typical result for an Aspie. Autistic people often have scattered skills--some very high, some very low. Closely related skills can even have a wide gap, such as being a natural at algebra, but horrible at geometry; or being able to write a great essay, but not a short story.

You might ask your neurologist about the concept of "non-verbal learning disorder". It's basically the neurologist's perspective on cases of autism with that particular verbal>performance IQ subscale gap. It's not on the list of official diagnoses; and because most people with NVLD can be diagnosed with Asperger's (and the rest with atypical autism), it probably will never be a category by itself. However, there have been some books and papers written on the specific instance in which autistic people have a large Performance<Verbal gap (Performance>Verbal often occurs with speech-delayed autism). It might make sense for you to study up on it, because other people have probably encountered some of the problems you've had to deal with and found solutions for them.

I have a Verbal>Performance gap myself, but the real oddity doesn't show up until you look at the individual subtests, which show the usual extreme strengths and weaknesses of the autistic brain. I don't know whether the "abbreviated" version is going to give you that level of detail, but it'd be nice if you did, because "Performance" and "verbal" are awfully broad categories, and you'd probably get more good out of knowing about your specific skills.


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28 Mar 2010, 4:01 pm

I took a sort-of IQ test recently, and I think my overall score was 108, which is average.


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28 Mar 2010, 4:28 pm

Your performance score is low because you have Asperger Syndrome. Our ability to process data and stimuli is impaired, thus our reaction time is off when it comes time to perform. We are by no means stupid, which is to say we can process data in prodigious amounts, just not at high speeds, especially under the pressure of being tested and observed. This is typical, I had a very similar result when I was tested for my AS diagnosis. When not timed or observed, with no pressure to perform quickly, my IQ tests at about 141 - when I'm under observation it drops by more than 25 points, but I cannot think clearly while someone is watching me and waiting for my answers. The need to watch for the observer's nonverbal signals causes a multitasking logjam, and my processor's data funnel can't shove all the cognitive stimuli through the portal fast enough - so all programs stop responding and I crash.



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28 Mar 2010, 4:40 pm

Like everyone says... it's just normal for aspies to have very strong strengths and strong weaknesses...

I think most aspies are good, if not superior at verbal, digit-span and block-design and then not so good at coding, picture arrangement, multi-tasking and sometimes arithmetic and matrix reasoning...

The worst test for me is not in the WAIS but that 'Eyes' test... that REALLY stressed me out! :colors:



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28 Mar 2010, 5:10 pm

That seems typical, to me.


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28 Mar 2010, 5:26 pm

My performance IQ would be that low too, especially with all the stress I was going through at the time I did my IQ test. Verbal is probably average.

My full scale IQ is probably around 98. I just got told it was in the high 90's.
IQ is just a number. Those with a high IQ just have something to boast about.


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28 Mar 2010, 6:31 pm

And I honestly think the type of test makes a difference. Because we are detailed focused, I find a multiple choice test becomes more difficult because I will analyze each choice and very often will come up with two possibilities.



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28 Mar 2010, 6:33 pm

That is typical for both NLD and AS. I have a 39 point different between my verbal-comprehension and perceptual-organizational indices on the WISC-III, and a 27 point PIQ-VIQ difference. And if you look at my individual subtest scores, they span fully half of the entire IQ spectrum measured by the test. Try not to worry too much about huge discrepancies- you are not alone. What you *can* do is to use your verbal strengths to compensate for your weaknesses in perceptual and performance skills. I agree with Callista that you might want to ask about "nonverbal learning disorder." You certainly have the IQ profile for it.


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locutusofborg
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28 Mar 2010, 7:28 pm

Callista wrote:
That's a very typical result for an Aspie. Autistic people often have scattered skills--some very high, some very low. Closely related skills can even have a wide gap, such as being a natural at algebra, but horrible at geometry; or being able to write a great essay, but not a short story.

You might ask your neurologist about the concept of "non-verbal learning disorder". It's basically the neurologist's perspective on cases of autism with that particular verbal>performance IQ subscale gap. It's not on the list of official diagnoses; and because most people with NVLD can be diagnosed with Asperger's (and the rest with atypical autism), it probably will never be a category by itself. However, there have been some books and papers written on the specific instance in which autistic people have a large Performance<Verbal gap (Performance>Verbal often occurs with speech-delayed autism). It might make sense for you to study up on it, because other people have probably encountered some of the problems you've had to deal with and found solutions for them.

I have a Verbal>Performance gap myself, but the real oddity doesn't show up until you look at the individual subtests, which show the usual extreme strengths and weaknesses of the autistic brain. I don't know whether the "abbreviated" version is going to give you that level of detail, but it'd be nice if you did, because "Performance" and "verbal" are awfully broad categories, and you'd probably get more good out of knowing about your specific skills.


I don't have a neurologist, but I have a psychologist who I have not told about my score as of now. But, I have reason to believe that my Performance test score might not be low as it is, and my Verbal might be higher. On the Performance test, there was a "Matrix Reasoning" Sub-Test, in which I was shown a group of pictures and asked to complete a sequence/find what's missing. I insisted on observing every aspect of the problem before I answered, even if I already knew the answer early into the problem I just needed to make dead-sure I was right, so I was probably slow, even though my answers were correct.

On the Block Design Sub-Test, I was anxious and my palms were sweaty as a result of the psychology technician getting the timer out to measure me, and on the Verbal, I know that even though I knew the meanings of a lot of words, but couldn't really express the meaning of them or at least not very easily. But yeah, the test only took 30 minutes to complete, hence the name so that might factor in as well.

Anyway, does anybody know of other tests that assess the intelligence, cognitive function and reasoning of Aspies? Did any of you have an experience in which you scored significantly higher on one test than another? I might bring it up to my psychologist.

By the way, I've read a lot of your blogs, you are a very nice writer.



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28 Mar 2010, 7:36 pm

Anxiety is a big factor when it comes to how well you score on performance. One day you could be fine and score higher, the next you have a bit of anxiety and score lower. On the second part of my test I was stressed because I got yelled at (f**king mother).

I did really well with the spot the missing object, or whatever it was. Or put the pictures into a proper sequence. I'm a very visual person. I did poorly at the memory tests and math, definitely definitely math.


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28 Mar 2010, 7:38 pm

It's fairly common. Another thing that can happen is a score like mine - PIQ is a little above VIQ, but not much. But then you look at the subscores within the test and some of those are incredibly low and some are higher. And in my case my lowest score (Digit Symbol) and highest score (Block Design) are both in Performance. So for some people it's more about the individual subscores than the two main divisions. (I have always found it strange the way they group the items into two sets like that. Then I found out the reason I find it strange is because it's not an accurate division of my skills.)


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28 Mar 2010, 8:00 pm

anbuend wrote:
And in my case my lowest score (Digit Symbol) and highest score (Block Design) are both in Performance.


Actually, I guess my scores are like that, too. I got a 10 on Performance subtest (my lowest), and a 19 on another Performance subtest (my highest score, although I also got a 19 on a verbal subtest). That 19 single-handedly brought my PIQ up by 12 points, since the rest of my PIQ subtest scores were 10-13. I really don't know why I scored freakishly high on that one subtest (Coding).


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locutusofborg
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28 Mar 2010, 9:08 pm

Well are there any other intelligence tests that might accurately measure my cognitive function? Or at least with lesser disparity between sub-tests?



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28 Mar 2010, 9:27 pm

Honestly, I doubt it. All those intelligence/cognition tests seem to be normed based on the neurotypical bell curve, and autistics seem to be off the curve entirely.

Like I said, though, your scores on very specific tasks can be useful--a great deal more useful than any overall score can be. For example, one of the WAIS sub-tests involves hearing a set of numbers and repeating them back. That would tell you how you are at taking numbers in through your auditory processing center, storing them in your short-term memory, and repeating them back (expressive language). That involves multiple tasks--only one of which you have to be really horrible at to be really bad at the test. You could be bad at listening thanks to concentration or auditory processing; you could have a bad short term memory; you could be bad at keeping things in your head while you were deciding how to say them; you could just be bad with numbers. But if you compare that to your scores on similar tasks, you can generally ferret out where the weakness is: If you score better on lists of nonsense words, you can assume the problem is with the nature of numbers; if you score better when reading the numbers yourself rather than having them spoken to you, you might have auditory-processing issues; if you find it easier to write or type the numbers rather than say them, the expressive speech might be the issue... If there's one or two big, glaring weaknesses, though, your lowest scores do tend to have that factor in common.

You already seem to have hit on one problem, though; you aren't very good at taking tests, to begin with, and you tend to spend cognitive effort on surviving the testing situation itself rather than on the tasks. That could mean that maybe you've got a lower score on the things that take a lot of concentration or a lot of effort than you would have if you weren't being tested at the time--yet another complicating factor.

Trouble with IQ tests is that people seem to think the overall number has some sort of mystic significance. It doesn't. IQ tests can still be quite useful, with their multiple sub-tests; but many professionals still have no clue how to take advantage of that. They just look at the "98" and say, "Oh, you're average; nothing remarkable here," missing what could be useful information.


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