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A Developmental Index Using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Implications for the Diagnosis and Nature of ADHD

Thomas G. Bowers, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychology at Penn State Harrisburg. He is also a clinical psychologist. Address: Thomas G. Bowers, Department of Behavioral Science, Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057.

Marcia G. Risser

Marcia G. Risser, MCP, provides clinical services for Tranzact Health Systems. John F. Suchanec, BA, is completing his graduate work at Loyola University.

John F. Suchanec

Dorris E. Tinker

Dorris E. Tinker, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist at the Hershey Medical Center.

Jeanette C. Ramer

Jeanette C. Ramer, MD, is a physician at the Hershey Medical Center, with specialties in developmental disabilities and genetics.

Mark Domoto

Mark Domoto, MEd, provides psychological services at the Hershey Medical Center, specializing in early childhood education.

The possible utility of Wechsler's Deterioration Index (WDI) in analyzing children's Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) results was explored in this study. Clinical records of children with learning disabilities (LD) and children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were reviewed to determine if the WDI predicted the presence or severity of the disorders. The ages of the children ranged from 6 to 14. In two independent samples of children with LD (n=35 and n=26), the WDI did not predict LD status or severity. The LD samples were mostly male—85% and 57%, respectively. However, the WDI scores did significantly distinguish children with ADHD (n=10) from nondisabled children (n=10). The results were cross-validated on an independent sample of children with ADHD (n=17) when compared to non-ADHD children (n=22) who experienced significant behavioral difficulties. The ADHD samples were also mostly male—90% and 89%, respectively. The WDI classified only 59% of the children with ADHD and 86% of the non-ADHD children correctly. It is recommended that the WDI be considered a developmental index rather than a deterioration index in children. It is also recommended that significant WDI elevation (>.20) be considered to raise the question of ADHD, rather than simply yielding a diagnosis of ADHD.

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 25, No. 3, 179-185 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/002221949202500305


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