IQ Testing in Worcester, MA—Psychological Testing and Assessment

Katherine’s son has always been a little behind his peers. She always assumed it had to do with being slightly younger than his class. That was until she had a meeting with his second-grade teacher. She is realizing now that his inability to keep up with his classmates might be because of something deeper than just being younger. Katherine and her husband decide to take their son to get an IQ test and find out what is going on.

Jared had a hard time all the way through school. He always felt like he had to work twice as hard as his peers in order to do as well as them. When he started working full-time, things got a little bit easier for him as he understands his routine and tasks. When he overheard his co-worker talking about testing their IQ, he looked into it and thinks it might help him find the answers he has been looking for his entire life.

Whether your child is struggling to keep up at school or you are curious if there is a reason why you feel different than your co-workers or peers, Thriveworks Worcester Counseling has IQ testing services available for you. IQ testing can signify and help to diagnose intellectual disabilities. If you think that you or your child could benefit from taking an IQ test, reach out to our office. We have a team of psychologists who can conduct assessments, provide diagnoses, and provide a treatment plan moving forward. To get started, just call (508) 409-6134.

What Is an Intellectual Disability?

An intellectual disability is something that affects general mental abilities in two main areas:

• Intellectual functioning – learning, problem-solving, judgment
• Adaptive functioning – daily living and communication

Intellectual disabilities vary from person to person and can present itself in different ways. These symptoms present themselves in children and can cause problems in their development, however, sometimes you aren’t aware of the effects until they are older. Some signs that your child might have an intellectual disability include:

• Trouble speaking, walking, or getting dressed without help
• Have a hard time remembering things
• Have trouble solving problems
• Have a hard time understanding social rules
• Can’t see the results of their actions
• Develop noticeably slower than other kids their age

IQ testing can help assess which areas, adaptive or intellectual, play large factors when it comes to you or your child’s specific disability. When the areas of concern are properly identified you can help your child work on those areas to not only combat their struggles, but better help set them up for easier living as they grow older and begin to be working adults. Now IQ testing can also be used to find one’s strengths and in other circumstances, too. Sean Hayes PsyD of Thriveworks Counseling in Sterling, VA explains: “Intelligence testing can be part of many types of testing because finding strengths and weaknesses in different types of intelligence can help us understand a client better. For example, a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder is likely to score a bit lower on tasks involving language than on other tasks. Intelligence testing alone, though, can be helpful for finding areas where one excels in or needs extra support in. This can be helpful for learning how to be more effective at work or school or to find what might be a good career path.”

IQ Test: What is it and How Does it Work?

An IQ test is an assessment that measures a person’s intellectual and adaptive functioning as we mentioned before. This psychological test is performed by a professional who is trained to assess, debrief, and diagnose the information presented. There are many different types of IQ tests, mainly designed for children but some used for adults. Some of the more commonly used intelligence tests include:

• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
  • Designed for adults but also can be used for older adolescents, this scale measures both intelligence and cognitive ability
• Peabody Individual Achievement Test
  • This is designed for those between the ages of 5 and 22 and is used to measure one’s achievements in school and tells you their average grade range
• Cognitive Assessment System
  • Designed for kids and teens ranging from ages 5 to 17 to identify cognitive processing abilities to help instructional planning in school
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
  • This test assesses several different cognitive factors, including fluid reasoning, working memory, and quantitative reasoning
• Differential Ability Scales:
  • Designed for both kids and teens, it measure’s cognitive abilities that include other things like reading, math, and spelling level/skills

Average IQ scores are 100. Any score that is above 100 but below 130 is considered high intelligence, while a score of 130 or above is identified as extreme intelligence. On the flip side, scores that fall below 100 are considered to be below average. There aren’t serious concerns until scores reach 70-75 or below range. Most kids that are diagnosed with an intellectual disability fall between 55 and 70 on the scale.

If you or your child receives a below-average score, your Thriveworks Worcester psychologist can help guide you through additional testing and the treatment process. Receiving a low score can be hard to take sometimes but we promise to be by your side and provide you with as much support as you need when moving forward.

Schedule an IQ Test or Other Psychological Assessment at Thriveworks Worcester, MA

If you feel like you or your child could greatly benefit from knowing more about IQ scores, consider working with a Thriveworks Worcester Counseling psychologist. We want to help you find the answers you have been looking for.

We offer psychological testing both online and in-person. We also offer a wide range of scheduling availability so you can pick something that does not interfere with your daily activities. To get started, give us a call at (508) 409-6134 and we will get you set up right away. We look forward to working with you!