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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
Similarities and differences in Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition (WISC-III) profiles: support
Susan Dickerson Mayes1, Susan L Calhoun
1Department of Psychiatry, The Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA. smayes@psu.edu
Abstract:
Our study supports the reliability and validity of profile analysis in children with neurobiological disorders. Three mutually exclusive WISC-III profiles were identified that characterized the majority of children with autism (low coding or Freedom from Distractibility Index with low Comprehension), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disability (low Coding or FDI without low comprehension), and brain injury (low Performance without low Coding or FDI). The profiles suggest attention, writing, and performance speed deficits in autism, ADHD, and LD; global visual-motor problems in brain injury; and specific difficulty with language comprehension and social reasoning in autism. Children with anxiety, depression, and behavior disorders did not exhibit distinct profiles. Our profile analysis is based on the simple rank ordering of standard scores. The profiles are clinically useful because they may alert clinicians to certain diagnostic possibilities, they reveal characteristic strengths and weaknesses that have implications for educational intervention, and they are consistent with preliminary WISC-IV data.
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