Results from my assessments! (WCJ Achievement & Cognitive Abilites)

[anilyze]

Quick background: I was trying to get dxed for quite a while through the Psych Services at the university that I attend. They required some testing first, typically they use the WAIS and the Woodcock-Johnson III Achievement, but I had to take the Woodcock-Johnson III Cognitive Abilities instead because I have administered the WAIS.

So, here's what the tests showed:

Cognitive Abilities
normed by age (24 years, 7 months)

Overall Cognitive Ability: Broad Cog Ability--Extended Scale is a measure of overall intellectual functioning based on an average of seven different cognitive abilities (short-term memory, comprehension-knowledge, visual processing, auditory processing, long-term retrieval, fluid reasoning, and processing speed). Anilyze's development level is above the median for individuals at age 29. Her percentile rank (99) and standard score (133) fall in the very superior range of ability for her age.

Cognitive Performance: Cog performance, whether observed in a test or in real life, is influenced by four categories of cog abilities: acquired knowledge, short-term memory, thinking abilities, and processing speed.

Acquired knowledge (stores of info potentially available for cognitive processing is measured by comprehension-knowledge (Gc): Gc is the breadth and depth of knowledge, including the ability to communicate (especially verbally) and the ability to reason using previously learned procedures. Anilyzes devolopmental level on Gc was above the median for individuals at age 36. Superior range (95 percentile).

Short-Term Memory (Gsm) is the ability to hold info in immediate awareness and then use it within a few seconds. Anilyze's developmental level on Gsm is comparable to that of the average individual at age 17-19. Average range for her age (42 percentile).

Thinking Abilities (processing of information that has been placed in short-term memory) are measured by visual processing, auditory processing, long-term retrieval, and fluid reasoning.

Visual processing (Gv) is the ability to analyze and synthesize visual stimuli. Anilyze's devo level was above the median for individuals at age 29. High average range (86 percentile).

Auditory processing (Ga) is the ability to analysze and synthesize auditory stimuli. Average range for her age (72).

Long-Term Retrieval (Glr) is the ability to store information and fluently retrieve it later through association. Superior range at her age (96 percentile).

Fluid Reasoning (Gf) is the ability to reason, form concepts, and solve problems using unfamiliar information or novel procedures. Superior range at her age (98 percentile).

Processing Speed (Gs) is the ability to rapidly perform audotmatic cognitive tasks, particularly when under pressure to maintain forcused attention. Very suprior range at her age level (99.9 percentile).

I thought the next part was pretty cool... They tried to predict each cog ability score based on the scores on the other 6 ability scores and then looked to see if the obtained score was significantly different than the predicted score to identify significant strengths and weaknesses.

Intra-cognitive Discrepancies

Significant strength: Processing speed. She surpassed 99,9% of age peers who obtained the same prediced processing speed score.

Significant weeknesses: Short-Term Memory. She surpassed only the lowest 1% of age peers who obtained the same predicted Short-Term Memory score.

Auditory Processing. She surpassed only the lowest 4% of age peers who obtained the same predicted Auditory Processing score.

Summary: Did great on all sections, but scored significantly lower (relative to my other scores) on auditory processing and short-term memory. I have to add that my visual processing score was a little lower too, but not "significantly" lower.

The Achievement test wasn't as interesting, so I'm not going to post as much detail (also that information was not reported as clearly). Here's just the final summary.

Anilyze's English oral language skills (oral expression and listening comprehension) are average when compared to others at her grade level. Her academic skills are high average. Her fluency with academic tasks is average.
When compared to others at her grade level, Anilyze's performance is superior in written expression; high average in broad reading, basic reading skills, and reading comprehension; and average in math calculation skills, math reasoning, and basic writing skills. Her knowledge of phoneme-grapheme relationships is average.
To help determine if any ability/achievement discrepancies evist, comparisons were made between Anilyze's oral language and achievement scores. Anilyze's reading reading, mathematics, and written language achievement is within a range that is predicted by her oral language ability.


this didn't really reveal much except to show that my achievement scores aren't as high as my cognitive abilities. On average my performance was at the 85th percentile, but those scores that were average ranged from the 60s - 70s.

It was decided that this testing supported the ADHD dx in addition to the history (questionnaire and interviews), so they went ahead and made the dx. My problems were exactly where it would have been predicted based on my difficulties. I'll list my major complaints as well to give a more complete picture here.

I started a PhD program in Psychology (Cognitive w/ applied focus in Legal Psych) I was having difficulty reading research articles and textbooks required for courses and research. I couldn't get started on projects (this had been ongoing) and for the first time wasn't able to finish one on time and had to take an incomplete. My notes in class were terrible. I could follow what was being said and understand it (or i thought at the time...who knows), but when I'd go to write it down just a second later, it was gone. I couldn't remember what had just been said. Other memory issues were forgetting appointments, assignments, bills, etc... Mostly the typical stuff. I had managed to compensate somehow and make it up to this point with good As, but the demands of this program were a bit more than I could handle. It wasn't the level of difficulty though I think, so much as the amount of work and all of the assigments. When I was working on my MA, I didn't have nearly as many assignments, so I had the opportunity to put things off until I could do them or I was able to get by without doing it and no one found out.

I hope this is helpful to you guys. I know I was very confused and curious about exactly what they were looking for with the testing.