Psychologist specializing in IQ tests for children and adolescents

What is an intelligence or IQ test?

There are several intelligence tests, but the most internationally recognized and validated as the best test for analyzing intelligence is the WISC, the latest version of which is the WISC V or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and Adolescents. 

The intelligence scale is used to calculate the Total Intelligence Quotient (T.I.Q.), which represents the child's general intellectual ability and reflects his or her academic and learning skills.

- The 5 main indices reflect the child's level of performance in each of the major cognitive functions:

• Verbal comprehension ;
• Fluid reasoning;
• Visuospatial skills;
• Working memory ;
• Processing speed).

The breakdown is as follows:

- 2.5% of the population has a Total IQ ≤ 70 and therefore mental retardation (of which 0.13% has a Total IQ ≤ 55)

- 95% of the population has a Total IQ between 70 & 130 (from low intelligence to superior intelligence, via the norm, which can be medium-low or medium-high)

- 2.5% of the population has a Total IQ ≥ 130 & therefore high intellectual potential (of which 0.13% has a Total IQ ≥ 145, qualifying as Very High Intelligence Quotient. That's just over 1‰. This rate then drops to 0.025% for a score of 150 or above, i.e. only just over 1 in 5000 people.

The WISC V is therefore currently the most efficient test for providing a precise picture of a child's cognitive abilities and intelligence in general.

Why give your child an intelligence test?

There are many reasons to have your child take an IQ test. The test may be requested by the school following academic difficulties, or on the contrary by teachers noticing that a particular pupil seems to have superior abilities to the children in his or her class.

At school, it's vital to be able to identify where a child is in terms of learning at school, and to be able to pinpoint the child's strengths and weaknesses, so as to be able to provide help adapted to the child's needs.

The request may also come from parents who find that their child has more existential preoccupations than those of his age, which may be a sign of intellectual precocity. Or, on the contrary, difficulties that cause problems and stigmatize the child in the school environment.

As a general rule, it is vital that these children are assessed for their cognitive functioning by IQ testing, as this will enable them to receive appropriate care both at school and at home.

Intellectual precocity or gifted children. 

It's important to bear in mind that a child with above-average cognitive abilities may be struggling at school in terms of academic performance or even behavior. And it is precisely this discrepancy that is at the root of these difficulties.

The child may then sense a difference which he or she cannot verbalize, and which will reveal itself in hypersensitivity, difficulty in socializing with children of the same age group, or behavioral problems.

His difficulties in integrating will subsequently lead to a feeling of rejection, and may cause self-esteem problems: "I'm rejected", "I'm not like the others", "nobody loves me".

If this difference goes undiagnosed, it could prove highly detrimental to the child, who, not feeling understood, could gradually become de-socialized and completely disengage from the school system. How many gifted children have ended up in parallel school streams due to a lack of understanding on the part of the uninformed school environment?

Children in difficulty

A child may have attention problems, with or without hyperactivity; mild, moderate or severe mental retardation. They may also have difficulties with reading, writing or arithmetic. Cerebral trauma and autism spectrum disorders can also be the cause of a significant discrepancy. The intelligence test will provide an assessment of the child's difficulties, so that the most appropriate help can be found to overcome these deficits or any other pathologies affecting learning.

If you have the slightest doubt about the above-mentioned problems, the WISC-V or intelligence test is a precise and comprehensive diagnostic test that will give you the relevant elements to be able to set up appropriate care for your child, which will help him/her throughout his/her school career and adult life.