IQ Testing in Fort Lauderdale, FL—Psychological Testing and Assessments

Shelly teaches at a local elementary school and finds her job to be very rewarding. She loves making an impact on the lives of her students and finds joy in making long-term connections. Sometimes her job can be a little more challenging than coloring and learning addition and subtraction. Sometimes she has to make tough decisions about the academic route some of her students take based on their performance in school. If one of her students is falling behind, she often recommends that the student’s parents seek out testing to learn more about their intellectual abilities. While these can be tough conversations to have, she knows that by understanding her student’s specific needs and challenges, it can help her and all of their future teachers better work with them to meet their academic goals.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

Whether your child is falling behind at school or you are struggling to keep up at work, you can find answers through psychological testing. Specifically, IQ tests can help diagnose intellectual disabilities or measure your intellectual potential. At Thriveworks Fort Lauderdale Counseling, we have a great team of mental health professionals who offer IQ testing to their clients. In general, having more knowledge about you or your child’s ability is important. Whether you want to know how to help your child more in school or just need some answers about your life path, consider getting an IQ test. When you are ready, you can reach out to our office at (754) 400-5514 to schedule an appointment.

What Is an IQ Test?

IQ tests are assessments that measure a range of cognitive and intellectual abilities and potential. “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,” explains Sean Hayes PsyD of Thriveworks Counseling in Sterling, VA. “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.”

These tests are administered by a trained mental health professional through a series of questions, scenarios, and images. Following the end of an IQ test, you will be given a number score which determines what your IQ is. With your results, a psychologist can assess, debrief, and diagnose the information presented.

Breakdown of IQ Score Classifications

After receiving a score, you may be wondering what you can do with the information provided. First, you must understand where your score ranks on a level from very superior to an intellectual disability.  Here is a score breakdown:

• 130+ = very superior
• 120-129 = superior
• 110-119 = high average
• 90-109 = average
• 90-89 = low average
• 70-79 = borderline intellectual disability
• 69 and below = intellectual disability

Types of IQ Tests

To receive your IQ score, there are several different tests that can be performed. Each is designed to help you understand whether your child has an intellectual disability or not and how to help you move forward. Different types of IQ tests include:

1. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale: Designed for adults and older adolescents. This scale measures both intelligence and cognitive ability.
2. Cognitive Assessment System: Designed for kids and teens ranging from ages 5 to 17 to help identify cognitive processing abilities. This helps instructional planning in school for teachers like Shelly in the situation above.
3. 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. This test can also describe their average grade range.
4. Differential Ability Scales: This scale is designed for both kids and teens. It measures their cognitive abilities including other topics such as reading, math, and spelling.
5. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: This test assesses several different cognitive factors. These factors include fluid reasoning, working memory, and quantitative reasoning.

Why Is It Important to Understand Intellectual Disabilities?

Intellectual disabilities affect someone’s general mental abilities in two main areas – intellectual functioning and adaptive functioning. Intellectual functioning is based on learning, problem-solving and judgment whereas adaptive functioning determines daily living and communication skills.

These disabilities range from person to person and can be presented in many different ways. It’s important to catch intellectual disabilities early only so preventative treatment measures can be put in place. If not treated early on, it can cause more problems in their development. In other instances, someone may not be aware of a disability until they are older when the effects of it are causing issues. There are signs that parents can look for to help determine if their child might be struggling with an intellectual disability. Those signs are:

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

IQ testing is meant to help you or your child understand the struggles you are facing and help you come up with a plan of action for moving forward. A mental health professional at Thriveworks For Lauderdale Counseling will be able to help set you and your child up with a custom treatment plan based on you or your child’s needs.

Take an IQ Test at Thriveworks Fort Lauderdale, FL Now

Whether you’ve always been curious about what your IQ score is or your child is showing signs of struggle at school, IQ testing is a great way to help you find the answers you have been looking for.

We offer both in-person and online psychological testing. We also have a wide range of scheduling flexibility and can help you find a testing time that works best with your schedule. If you’re ready to get started or have any other questions about our services, reach out to our office today. A scheduling specialist can get you set up and answer any questions you may have.

We look forward to working with you on this journey!