Читать книгу Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology - Robert Weis - Страница 162

Academic achievement refers to the knowledge and academic skills that children learn through formal and informal educational experiences. Some clinicians distinguish between tests of intelligence, which measure a person’s intellectual ability or capacity to learn, and tests of achievement, which measure information that the person has already learned and retained (Flanagan & Alfonso, 2017).

Tests of academic achievement generally measure three broad skills: reading, math, and written expression. These three areas reflect the main types of learning disabilities recognized by public schools. Some tests assess a fourth dimension of academic functioning, oral language, which reflects the child’s listening and speaking skills (Katz & Brown, 2020).

The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV; Schrank et al., 2014) are the most widely used, comprehensive tests of academic achievement. The WJ-IV assesses academic achievement in reading, math, and written language. Within each domain, psychologists can assess children’s basic skills, fluency (i.e., speed and accuracy), and advanced applications. For example, children’s math skills can be assessed by asking them to calculate math problems (i.e., basic skills), to solve as many simple math problems as possible in a short period of time (i.e., math fluency), or to correctly answer increasingly more difficult math story problems (i.e., applied problem-solving).

The WJ-IV yields standardized scores on each of the three achievement domains with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15. Scores more than one standard deviation below the mean (i.e., <85) can indicate delays in a particular area of achievement, and scores more than 1.5 standard deviations below the mean (i.e., <78) might indicate a learning disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Usually, clinicians examine children’s intelligence and achievement scores together to obtain a more complete picture of children’s strengths and weaknesses (Benisz et al., 2018).

On the WISC–V, Sara earned a FSIQ of 104, which is squarely in the average range. Her scores placed her at the 60th percentile, which means her overall abilities exceed 60% of children her age. She showed a relative strength in verbal comprehension and a relative weakness in fluid reasoning; however, all of her scores fell within normal limits. On the WJ-IV, Sara’s reading and math scores were 94, also in the average range. Her scores placed her at the 35th percentile. Altogether, her scores were average and suggested that her school refusal is not due to a cognitive problem or learning disability.

Review

 Intelligence reflects children’s ability to adapt to their environments, to solve problems, and to learn and apply information accurately and efficiently. The WISC–V yields a FSIQ and measures of (1) verbal comprehension, (2) fluid reasoning, (3) visual–spatial reasoning, (4) working memory, and (5) processing speed.

 Academic achievement refers to knowledge and skills that children learn through formal and informal educational experiences. The WJ-IV yields achievement scores in reading, math, and written language.

 Scores on IQ and achievement tests are normally distributed with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15.