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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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