Administering the WISC-IV

[neuropsyance]

Well I'll be administering the WISC-IV in a few days, and I'm FREAKED! Any tips for success? I've been going over the manual, queries, and scoring like crazy!

Though I must say, I've never been more thrilled to be so stressed and so busy with the whole grad school gig

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[erg923]

yea...offer your kid a lollipop

 

[neuropsyance]

yea...offer your kid a lollipop

I'll have to do so inconspicuously before I walk into the room with the camera recording. Wouldn't want the supervisor to see me bribing the kid.

 

[erg923]

Why not? Its reinforcement. Nothing wrong with that. I have had supervisors use token economy such as suckers, stickers, etc. in order to keep the kid motivated and as an incentive to cooperate with the assessment (and stay in the damn chair).

 

[neuropsyance]

Why not? Its reinforcement. Nothing wrong with that. I have had supervisors use token economy such as suckers, stickers, etc. in order to keep the kid motivated and as an incentive to cooperate with the assessment (and stay in the damn chair).

Yeah I'd have to agree with you. Well we give the kids gift cards (at least to bait them into the clinic), but looks like we don't do much else aside from verbal praise to keep them moving along. Obviously there is no, "You answered the exactly right", it's more of a, "You really work hard don't you?"

The kid we watched in the administration video was petrified! It was kind of funny.

 

[TuTuPsychL]

Just relax! The child is going to be as nervous as you lol... In our program, the WISC is contained in a huge briefcase so I draw attention to how ridiculous I look carrying it. Breaks the ice, starts to build rapport, and helps you and the child relax.

Make sure you have all of your materials before you go in- all manuals, pencils, stopwatch, clipboard, booklets. Good luck! It gets easier after the first administration, promise!!

 

[aagman01]

You really should not need to offer any tangible rewards when conducting a WISC. There is actually quite a bit of evidence out there that tangible rewards hamper motivation. Building good rapport normally suffices. If it does not, look for the meaning behind the behaviors of the child. Use clinical judgement in offering breaks and what not with the child who is jumpy/hyperactive/etc. And remember to have fun! You can't expect a child you are working with to be on-task and motivated to take the WISC (or any sort of similar task) if you are anxious/rigid/etc.

Just relax! The child is going to be as nervous as you lol... In our program, the WISC is contained in a huge briefcase so I draw attention to how ridiculous I look carrying it. Breaks the ice, starts to build rapport, and helps you and the child relax.

Make sure you have all of your materials before you go in- all manuals, pencils, stopwatch, clipboard, booklets. Good luck! It gets easier after the first administration, promise!!

 

[neuropsyance]

So the kid I'm doing assessments with all semester seemed like she was about to die of boredom. I have to give her the WJ III next, just wondering how long it is (generally)?

 

[erg923]

the achievement or cognitive battery?

 

[aagman01]

What is the purpose of the assesssment. If you are using the WJ for an actual, live case, you will often use only specific subtests (depending on what you are examining or hypothesizing).

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

What is the purpose of the assesssment. If you are using the WJ for an actual, live case, you will often use only specific subtests (depending on what you are examining or hypothesizing).

Agreed. I typically pick and choose because of time constraints, though admittedly I don't use the WJ-III much.

 

[FadedC]

What do you think is a reasonable estimate of how long the Wisc takes when given to a young child? I have to give a bunch of practice assessments for one of my classes and I'm a little worried about whether some of the children of my friends and family will be able to concentrate through the whole thing.

 

[thewesternsky]

This is in the manual, in case you wonder about other tests. It's about 65-80 minutes of testing time (sometimes longer for very bright children). Breaks, of course, are key with young kids, and this will add to the administration time.

 

[FadedC]

This is in the manual, in case you wonder about other tests. It's about 65-80 minutes of testing time (sometimes longer for very bright children). Breaks, of course, are key with young kids, and this will add to the administration time.

Thanks, it will be a few weeks before I will have the testing kit (we are doing the WJ III first and can only borrow one kit at a time) so I didn't have the manual yet. I'll be sure to schedule a break or two and maybe some snacks.

 

[aagman01]

how old is the "young" child? WPPSI can be more useful for younger kids (WPPSI can be used for kids 2.5-7 years 3 months). Often can be completed in 30-45 minutes depending on the child.

What do you think is a reasonable estimate of how long the Wisc takes when given to a young child? I have to give a bunch of practice assessments for one of my classes and I'm a little worried about whether some of the children of my friends and family will be able to concentrate through the whole thing.

 

[FadedC]

I think the three children I'll be working with are in the 5-7 age range. However this is part of a class designed to teach you how to use various forms of cognitive assessment. We have to use the WISC for this assignment because that is what we are learning about for that segment of it.

how old is the "young" child? WPPSI can be more useful for younger kids (WPPSI can be used for kids 2.5-7 years 3 months). Often can be completed in 30-45 minutes depending on the child.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

It is definitely necessary to learn it, though once you get farther along you'll be able to find what works best. I haven't tested kids in a number of years, though from what I remember breaks are important and being able to have solid rapport goes a long way in getting them to finish. I am SOOOOO thankful there are psychometricians that handle that assessment stuff for me. One of my rotations gives an 8hr battery with complete WISC/WAIS, WMS, etc. Ugh.