CNL 523 Wk 7 DQ 2
Simon, a 16-year-old male, has always performed adequately in school. This semester his math scores dropped from Bs to Fs, but his other grades have remained Bs. IQ testing with the WAIS-IV revealed that he has an average overall IQ without any major deficiencies. Do these normal findings provide useful diagnostic information? How so? What might be happening with Simon?
CNL 523: Week 7 DQ 2
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WAIS-IV is an assessment scale used to assess intelligence among adults. Generally, the test has ten main subtests that assess verbal comprehension, working memory, perceptual reasoning, and processing speed scale. WAIS-IV is often used for educational planning among adolescents and young adults mainly because it helps to identify any learning disabilities (Tallberg et al., 2021).
In the case study, Simon’s math scores reduced significantly from Bs to Fs although all other grades remained Bs. An IQ test revealed that he had an overall IQ with no major learning or intelligence deficits. The WAIS-IV test provided useful diagnostic information because from the test results, it is clear that Simon does not have an arithmetic-related learning deficit. Therefore, Simon’s performance may have been affected by other factors that are not associated with cognitive deficits. For instance, he could be less motivated to put more effort into his math class or he could have problems with the teacher or other students in the class. He may also be experiencing other issues at home that impacted his performance.
The best strategy that could be used to handle Simon’s case is to interview Simon and separate interviews with the teacher, some peers, and his parents. It would also be important to conduct behavioral observation which according to Cohen and Swerdlik (2018) involves watching a targeted client’s activities to identify any behavioral deficits, absence or presence of specific behaviors, behavioral excesses, and situational antecedents or impacts of specific behavior. The information obtained from a behavioral observation may help identify why Simon’s math scores dropped drastically. Simon may also benefit from the help of a tutor in case he is having a hard time understanding new mathematical concepts.
References
Cohen, R. J. & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Tallberg, P., Rastam, M., Perrin, S., Hallin, A. L., & Gustafsson, P. (2021). A longitudinal investigation of cognitive functioning and its relationship to symptom severity and academic functioning in treatment seeking youth with AHDH. Scandinavian journal of child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology, 9, 52–63. https://doi.org/10.21307/sjcapp-2021-007