Comparison of oral, written, and pointing responses to WAIS-IV digit span

The Digit Span (DS) subtest cannot be administered to individuals who are unable to effectively vocalize their responses. This study determined the feasibility of altering DS response requirements to accommodate such individuals. A total of 78 healthy adults served as participants. Twenty-six completed the DS using the standard oral response format, 26 wrote their responses to each DS item, and 26 were instructed to point to their responses on a stimulus board. Results indicated similar performance on all DS components regardless of whether responses were given orally, in writing, or by pointing. Research with vocally impaired clinical populations (e.g., stutterers) appears warranted.