Michael F. Shaughnessy
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales , New Mexico

1) What prompted you to write a book about Intelligence and I.Q. Testing?

As a school psychologist and a parent who had been through the testing process with my own child I saw there was a lot of misinformation out there. Parent who need to understand giftedness or gifted programming often do not understand IQ testing or what gifted education is about. And many parents are reluctant to ask questions - maybe for fear of coming across as pushy or overly concerned. Yet, parents need to understand how the system of testing and special programming for gifted kids work so they can make informed decisions. Some gifted kids can do well in a regular program - but some need a special program to blossom. My feeling is that parents should be just as informed as teachers, psychologists, or anyone else when it comes to recognizing their child's learning needs and understanding how to find the right educational programs for their children.

2) I must compliment you. I have not seen such a thorough book since John Glover's book back in the 1980's. How long did it take to write this book?

Working on the book part time, it took about two years from conception to the final edit.

3) Why should parents know about intelligence and I.Q. testing?

IQ testing is pervasive in most school districts - and it's often used as a main criteria to make important decisions about our kids. Parents should be aware of their uses and limitations - what these tests measure and what they can't measure. They should also be aware of how to interpret the results so that they come to the table with enough background knowledge to make informed decisions about their kid's education.

4) Why should teachers know about intelligence and I.Q. Testing?

For the same reasons as above. Teachers are also advocates for the children they teach. Sometimes they'll have a child that doesn't seem to fit in with the other kids - does not respond to the curriculum or perhaps is showing social difficulties that can't be easily explained. Teachers should understand IQ testing and know how to recognize giftedness - and learning disabilities in otherwise capable kids - so they can better advocate for the students they teach and help them get the services they need.

5) Why and what should administrators know about intelligence and I.Q. Testing?

One important thing to know is that some gifted kids may not do well on IQ tests - particularly the group tests often used with whole classrooms of children as one of the screening devices used to select kids for a more comprehensive, individual evaluation. For this reason, most districts use multiple screening methods to identify those kids who qualify for gifted programs.

6) Most teachers know about the WISC-IV and the Stanford Binet 5. But whywould a test like the K-ABC-II be given or the Reynolds or the Leiter?

While IQ tests measure certain skills that have been found to be strongly related to school achievement, each test publisher goes about measuring those skills in a different way, and may even measure quite different aspects of learning ability. The specific cognitive skills measured by each of these publishers may also change a bit every few years, as they periodically revise their tests to reflect current research and new ideas. The WISC and the Stanford Binet are the most commonly used tests in the schools - but there are several others that are well-standardized and accepted. What test is given really just depends on what test the district has adopted.

Some districts that have a large bilingual population may choose to use a nonverbal IQ test such as the Leiter or the Universal Nonverbal IntelligenceTest so that kids just learning English are not put at a disadvantage.

7) How can a good I.Q. test be helpful to parents of children with learning disabilities? To parents with kids who are hyperactive or have attention deficit disorder?

One way IQ tests are used is to get an idea of the student's learning "potential." The idea is that if a child does well on an IQ test then he or she should be able to do well in school - since IQ tests measure many of the same skills, such as memory and problem solving, needed to do succeed academically. So if a parent discovers that their child's IQ is average or above - and their child is still doing poorly in one or more school subjects - that can be an indication that there is a "specific learning disability" getting in the way of learning.

In other words an average or above IQ test score can let us rule out that the child is doing poorly in school due to a general lack of ability and allow us to focus on specific problems - like an attention or memory or language processing - that may be getting in the way of learning.

10) How concerned should parents be when there is a lot of " scatter " or variance among subtests?

An individually administered comprehensive IQ test is made up of many different "subtests," usually 10 or so. It is not unusual for there to be a lot of variance among and between these scores. In fact, most gifted kids show quite a bit of "scatter." Some may be exceptionally bright in verbal areas for example - and not as gifted in visual or perceptual problem solving. Others may show quite different patterns. Ellen Winner in her book, "Myths of Giftedness" talks about this.

However, if there is an unusual amount of scatter - that is if the child does extremely well in one or more areas and has scores significantly lower in others that may be an indication of a specific learning disability. There are lots of bright kids with learning problems out there - these kids are often referred to as "2E" kids - or "twice exceptional." I have a special section in Parents' Guide to IQ Testing and gifted Education that deals with identifying and finding support for these kids.

11) In this age of No Child Left Behind, is I.Q. testing becoming more or less important?

I'm not sure that the prevalence of IQ testing has been affected by the No Child Left Behind era. IQ tests are usually given to assess kids for gifted programs or special education programs. I know that standardized testing overall has become much more prevalent. And it can be argued that standardized tests like high school exit exams, state achievement tests, and certainly college entranced exams are just different versions of IQ tests.

12) What about I.Q. testing for kids whose first language is not English. What are the problems there?

Comprehensive individually administered IQ tests used in the schools are made up of both verbal and nonverbal subtests. A child with a second language who has not mastered English would of course be at a disadvantage on the verbal portion of these tests. For this reason, districts may only use the nonverbal portions of the tests when assessing for eligibility for special programs - or they may use a completely nonverbal test such as the Leiter or the Universal Intelligence test.

13) Should parents ask for a formal written report when their child is given an IQ.test?

It depends. Many districts do not do a formal write up on an IQ test if the test was given for the purpose of assessing for a gifted program. There are no federal laws stating that parents must be given a written report of a gifted assessment. However, since there is a federal law governing special educating evaluation procedures, parents will receive a formal write up if the test was done to assess for special education eligibility. Also, most private practitioners will develop a written report with the test results that the parent can keep or give to the school to help in the assessment process.

14) Does I.Q. change from say age, six to sixteen?

It definitely can. IQ scores tend to be pretty stable after age seven or so - but before this scores can change dramatically. This is because younger kids can show great differences in the rate of cognitive skills developments - with some taking longer for all the "wires" to get connected. By the time a child is eight or so many of the neurological puzzle pieces are in place. If a child is testing before age seven, he or she should probably be tested again later in the elementary years to confirm the first test scores.

15) What other books would you recommend for parents and teachers to read?

Other notable books which expand on topics covered in Parents' Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education:

Gifted Children; Myths and Realities by Ellen Winner
Explores traditional misconceptions about giftedness and gifted children.

Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner
The book that introduced the idea of multiple intelligences.

Magic Trees of the Mind by Marian Diamond and Janet Hopson
A look at how a child's abilities can be nurtured through early experiences.

Misdiagnoses and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults by James Webb, Edward Amend, Nadia Webb, Jean Goerss, Paul Beljan, and F. Richard Olenchak.

Considers similarities between giftedness and such conditions as ADHD, mood disorders, Asperger's disorder, Autism, and certain emotional problems.

16) Do you have a web site where parents can get more information? Or an 800 number?

Yes - parentguidebooks.com. This site includes a question and answer page - parents can email me questions which I try to answer within a week. Some of these questions and answers are then posted on the site.

The book can be ordered through the web site or through 1 - 800 247 6553