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Intelligence is a difficult concept to define and equally
difficult to measure. It includes the ability to learn,
curiosity, adaptation, reasoning ability, problem solving ability,
attentiveness, memory, planning and organisational ability, analytic
skills and visual skills. With so many different components it is
not surprising that the measurement of intelligence has to be broad
and has to include diverse areas of functioning.
The Construct
of Intelligence
The broadest definition of
intelligence is the ability to act or think in goal directed and
adaptive ways within various domains of functioning. This
definition promotes the idea that intelligence is transferable
between different areas of functioning and
assumes adaptability when situational demands
arise.
Adaptive skills can be divided between
three categories. These categories are not mutually
exclusive, rather overlap and require the use of different
skill sets interchangeably. While intelligence is more complex than
mere adaptive skills, for easy understanding the following
categories serve as a good guideline:
Problem Solving
Ability
Problem solving involves the
analysis of a problem, collecting and correctly interpreting
relevant information, the ability to see different aspects of
the problem and logical reasoning skills.
Verbal
Ability
Verbal ability refers to skills such as reading
and writing skills, speaking clearly and articulately,
using language to deal effectively with people, sound
knowledge of one or more particular fields, reading widely and
having a good vocabulary.
Social
Competence
Social competence requires curiosity,
punctuality, sensitivity to the needs of others, empathy or the
accurate interpretation of others' emotional states and accurate
social judgments.
Measuring Intellectual
Ability
IQ refers to "Intelligence Quotient", or a
numerical representation of one's intellectual level. Preschool and
childhood IQ tests are developed
to measure children's performance on different type of
tasks that correspond with different developmental levels at a given
age. Generally IQ tests yield results within specific
categories, such as verbal and non-verbal abilities, working memory,
processing speed and reasoning abilities. Each category
contains different tasks that aim to test different aspects of the
same mental construct. When children's final results are analysed,
clinicians look for consistency and discrepancy between and within
these constructs. This way it is possible to determine
strengths and weaknesses and learning styles.
Regardless of
the type of intelligence test used, the two main categories are
always verbal and non-verbal abilities. Generally these two
categories provide relatively "pure" measures of children's
intellectual functioning because they are less susceptible to
attention, memory and speed of mental processing.
Verbal
Ability
The Verbal IQ measures general ability to reason,
solve problems and recall important information presented in a
verbal format (printed or spoken). The verbal IQ also
reflects children's ability to explain verbal concepts
clearly, provide rationale for their choices, and explain conceptual
information. Verbal ability, measured by the verbal IQ, is one
of the most accurate predictors of academic success in Western
cultures because of the strong reliance on reading and writing
in formal school programs.
Non-verbal Ability
Non-verbal IQ measures skills in solving abstract, visually
oriented problems, recalling facts and figures, solving quantitative
problems shown in picture form, assembling designs, and
recalling visual sequences. The non-verbal IQ measures the
ability to reason, solve problems and recall information presented
in pictorial and symbolic form.
IQ scores are
distributed evenly around a hypothetical concept, called the
"normal curve" (see drawing). It means that most children will
achieve scores around the center (the peak of the curve) and equal
proportion of children will achieve either below or above the
normal range. Only a very small percentage of children will
have extremely low and extremely high scores (the left and
right ends of the curve).
| Classification |
Range |
Percentile
Rank |
| Very
Superior/Gifted |
130
and above |
98
and above |
| Superior |
120-129 |
91-97 |
| High
Average |
110-119 |
75-90 |
| Average |
90-109 |
25-74 |
| Low
Average |
80-89 |
9-24
|
| Borderline |
70-79 |
2-8 |
| Extremely
Low/Intellectual Disability |
69
and below |
below
2 |
Can Children Practice for an IQ
Test?
Intelligence generally refers to
"innate" abilities that tend to be stable over time. Practicing for
an IQ test is not necessary and in most cases not possible.
Although some components of IQ tests rely on learned knowledge,
others measure conceptual thinking, reasoning ability, speed of
mental processing, attention, memory and visual-spatial
abilities. What we ask from parents is rather to make sure that
their child is well rested before the assessment session, had a
healthy breakfast, not overly anxious about the test and had an
opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns with the parent.
The Stability of Intellectual Ability Over
Time
Intellectual ability is relatively stable over
time. The most notable variation occurs early and late in life.
Children may show the largest discrepancy
between pre-school age and about age 7 years, after
which IQ scores tend to gradually stabilise. This means that
children tested at 3 years may show a notable difference if
re-tested at age 7 years, but less likely to demonstrate a
similar discrepancy between 7 years and their teenage years.
Once reaching adulthood, cognitive ability and IQ scores tend to be
stable and drop sharply after age 75 years.
Even if
variation is probable during the early years, it is
unlikely that the magnitude of difference will be large enough
to dramatically change a child's intellectual category. The
difference will still most likely remain within the same
or adjacent category, as in a child who performed within
the center of the Average range (IQ = 100) at age 3 years
may perform at the upper end of the Average range (IQ =
107) or within the High Average range (IQ = 111) at age 7
years.
What We Offer
At
CPAC we offer intellectual ability assessment for children over
2 years of age. We perform assessments for educational purposes,
eligibility for specific programs, to determine giftedness or intellectual disability, as part of testing for learning disability and to generally evaluate
children's intellectual functioning. We provide detailed
descriptions of intellectual strengths and weaknesses and make
appropriate recommendations.
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