University of Calgary Applied Psychological & Educational Services (UCAPES)

Assessment, Intervention and Professional Development

Director: Kelly Dean Schwartz, Ph.D., R.Psych.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2nd Floor, Education Block (Room 281) 2500 University Drive NW

Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
Tel: (403) 220-2851

Fax: (403) 210-8712

Email: UCAPES@ucalgary.ca

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CLIENT NAME: Ariel

BIRTHDATE:
AGE: 8-8
SCHOOL: Underwater School, Calgary, Alberta
GRADE: Two
DATES OF ASSESSMENT:
DATE OF REPORT:
ASSESSED BY:

Charlene Bradford, BA
Heidi Clayards, BSc, BEd
Kelly DeCoste, BSc, BEd
Tim Baragar, Registered Psychologist

France Goulard, BSc

Lynne Cox, BEd
Kristina Baglo, BSc, Bed

Statement of Confidentiality
All psychological assessments are confidential in nature as they contain private information, which
may be used inappropriately by others. To protect the privacy and ensure confidentiality of the
persons involved, please ensure that this report is only circulated to those who are considered
essential to related judgments and decision-making. The intent of this report is to provide opinions
and recommendations in the context of psychological intervention, educational and vocational
decision- making, and any use of this report outside of that purpose should only be done with the
informed consent of the parties and in consultation with the writer.

FACULTY OF EDUCATION
2 5 0 0 U n i v e r s i t y D r i v e N . W. , C a l g a r y , A l b e r t a , C a n a d a T 2 N 1 N 4

w w w. u c a l g a r y. c a

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REASON FOR REFERRAL:
Ariel was referred by her parents due to reading difficulties that she has been experiencing for the
past two years.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Background information was obtained from a developmental history and background form
completed by Ariels mother and from interviews with Ariel and her mother.
Family Functioning and History
Ariel lives with her mother, MOM and her father, DAD, and six year-old brother in the ocean. Her
mother reports that the family does many activities together, including watching movies, playing
games, having meals, playing sports, and talking together. She describes her daughter as caring,
loving, considerate, and artistic.
Developmental and Medical History
Mrs. LASTNAME reported a healthy pregnancy followed by a planned cesarean section delivery.
She commented that Ariel was a healthy baby who met her developmental milestones at appropriate
times. Her hearing and vision have been checked recently, and her hearing is normal. However, she
was prescribed glasses for reading, which Ariel states do not help her to see better. Two
optometrists also recommended vision therapy for Ariel; however, her mother has unofficially
spoken with an ophthalmologist who does not feel this is necessary. Mrs. LASTNAME was unable
to say whether Ariels current vision issues affect her reading ability. She also reported that Ariel
was slow to master fine motor activities, such as cutting and printing and continues to have
difficulties with gross motor activities, e.g., jumping rope.
Education History
Ariel was enrolled in a Francophone School for Kindergarten and grade one. According to her
mother, she was retained in grade one due to reading difficulties. For her second year of grade one
Ariel was enrolled at the Underwater School, a French Immersion school and had recently
completed grade two there. Her teacher reported that she is able to set learning goals and can work
hard to reach them, is easy to please and rarely complains. Mrs. LASTNAME reported that she,
herself, has auditory-perceptual problems for which she received reading help during Grades 2 and
3 and that her husband was a late reader due to possible dyslexia.
Social-Emotional and Behavioural Functioning
Ariels mother describes her daughter as a polite girl with a good sense of humour. She enjoys
playing with other children, riding her bike, swimming, and skating. Also, she is very artistic and
loves to paint and draw. Her parents do not report any major behavioural concerns. Her grade two
teacher reported that Ariel tends to forget what she has learned and is easily distracted.
This was Ariels first formal psychoeducational assessment.

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ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS:
Developmental History and Background Form
Parent/Child Interview
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 4th Edition (WISC-IV)
Wechsler Individual Achievement Tests 3rd Edition (WIAT-III)
Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement 3rd Edition (WJ III-ACH) selected subtests
Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration 5th Edition (Beery VMI)
A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment 2nd Edition (NEPSY-II)
Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF): parent scales
The Process Assessment of the Learner Second Edition: Diagnostic Assessment for Reading and
Writing (PAL-II RW)
Behaviour Assessment System for Children 2nd Edition (BASC-2): parent and teacher scales
Conners Rating Scales 3rd Edition (Conners-3): parent and teacher scales
ASSESSMENT OBSERVATIONS:
Ariel presented as a polite, cooperative and compliant girl who worked hard throughout the
assessment process. She found the reading components of the assessment particularly difficult, but
satisfactorily attempted all readings tasks and applied useful strategies to support her reading. She
would ask the assessor to repeat items so that she would know which answer she wanted to select
from a list, and she would use context clues to answer comprehension questions. During the
writing tasks, she asked the assessor to repeat items several times so that she could remember what
the written words were in order to use them to write her own sentence. When asked to remember a
string of digits, she employed a rehearsal strategy. 2012984 was observed mouthing the numbers to
herself as the assessor spoke them in order to help herself to remember them. She also had many
interesting strategies for helping her during visual-perceptual tasks. For instance, she would lay her
head on the desk in order to have a better angle to view the page or she would cover one eye. Also,
she often squinted when reading, even though she was wearing her glasses, and would sometimes
put her face right up to the page she was reading. There were several occasions during the two
days of assessment where she would mix up her letters. These behaviours were consistently
observed throughout the reading and visual-perceptual tasks. Additionally, she often confused g
with j, while writing and pronouncing words. Towards the end of the second day of assessment,
and after she had been asked to complete several reading activities, Ariel showed signs of
inattention, including making faces in the mirror, tipping her head back behind her, and checking
her hair. These signs of inattention were only seen towards the end of her reading tasks and ended
when she was moved away from the mirror. Throughout the activities, Ariel appeared to put a great
deal of thought and effort into her responses and, as such, it is believed that the results of this
assessment are an accurate reflection of Ariels current level of functioning.
ASSESSMENT RESULTS:
Cognitive Assessments:
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Canadian Edition (WISC-IVCDN)
The WISC-IVCDN is a standardized intelligence test consisting of a series of ten core subtests and
five optional subtests designed to measure the intellectual functioning of an individual as compared

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to others of the same age. A Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) is derived from the combined
results of the core subtests. The WISC-IVCDN also provides four factor-based scores, including
Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory and Processing Speed. Canadian
norms were used to score this measure.
Ariels performance on the WISC-IV indicates that her cognitive abilities are varied, ranging from
the Extremely Low to Average range. Due to the discrepancy between results, the General Ability
Index (GAI) is a more accurate indication of Ariels true cognitive abilities. This index examines
performance on intellectual reasoning tasks within the Verbal and Perceptual Reasoning domains
and does not include her performance on the Working Memory or Processing Speed Indices. Her
cognitive abilities were estimated to be in the Average range at the 37th percentile.
Verbal Comprehension. The Verbal Comprehension Index examined Ariels ability to understand
and use verbal language to communicate and engage in verbal reasoning. These abilities are
essential for success within an academic environment as the ability to think about many key
concepts requires the ability to access related ideas, determine the essential components of each
idea, understand the logic or reasons behind abstract verbal concepts, and be able to verbally
communicate these ideas clearly. Ariel performed within the Average range at the 66th percentile.
On a task that measured verbal reasoning and assessed Ariels ability to identify a common concept,
she performed in the High Average range, at the 84th percentile, while on a task that examined her
understanding of general principles and social situations, she performed in the Low Average range,
at the 16th percentile. Further, on a task measuring her ability to provide the definitions for words
she performed in the Average range, at the 63rd percentile, and on a task measuring her basic
knowledge she also performed in the Average range, at the 37th percentile.
Perceptual Reasoning. The Perceptual Reasoning Index evaluated Ariels ability to engage in
perceptual and fluid reasoning, which is the capacity to perceive, organize and reason with visually
presented, non-verbal material. The ability to process information spatially and through imagery is
important for school success and optimal understanding, especially in mathematics, science, and in
a variety of artistic, motor, and mechanical activities. Her overall perceptual reasoning skills are
within the Low Average range, at the 19th percentile. Compared to the other tasks in this index,
Ariel showed a relative strength, at the 63rd percentile, when asked to identify a missing part of a
picture. On two of other tasks within this area that asked her to reason with visual information and
use visual spatial cues to recreate a design with blocks, she performed within the Average,37th and
25th percentile, respectively. Lastly, her ability to find the conceptual grouping among pictures was
in the Low Average range, at the 16th percentile.
Working Memory. The Working Memory Index examined Ariels ability to retain and manipulate
auditory information in short-term memory. These tasks also require concentration and sustained
attention, cognitive flexibility, and numerical awareness. Working memory enables an individual to
consciously hold information in the mind long enough to complete an activity, such as
understanding directions or remembering part of a math problem while working on another aspect
of the problem. Working memory is also used when holding in mind what to say next in a
conversation while attending to what a person is saying or remembering information read from a
whiteboard long enough to write it down. Ariel performed within the Average range at the 42nd

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percentile on both working memory tasks. On the first task which required her to remember a
string of digits and repeat them forwards and backwards she performed at the 37th percentile, while
on a second task requiring her to manipulate a string of letters and numbers and repeat the a
specified order she performed at the 50th percentile.
Processing Speed. The Processing Speed Index examined Ariels ability to quickly and efficiently
complete simple, visually based, cognitive tasks. These tasks represent a students ability to fluently
and automatically perform cognitive tasks, especially when under pressure to maintain focused
attention and concentration. She performed in the Extremely Low range at the 2nd percentile across
tasks, although there was variance between the subtests. It was more difficult for her to learn
combinations of symbols and shapes in order to write a code (<1st percentile), than it was to scan a
search group and find a target symbol (16th percentile). In this latter task, there were fewer
demands on her motor skills.
Crystallized Intelligence (Gc)
This area reflects the long-term integration of past learning and experience. It includes the
retention of facts and tends to be related to age, becoming stronger as a person becomes a young
adult. Measures included in the Gc definition are Vocabulary (63rd percentile) and Information (37th
percentile). This indicates that Ariel has average general knowledge and has integrated previous
knowledge into her cognitive schema. This domain is a measure of long-term memory and
retrieval capacity.
Fluid Intelligence (Gf)
Fluid intelligence is the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous practice or
instructions and the ability to think flexibly, reason and problem solve at a visual processing
level. On the two subtests that measure this capacity Ariel scored in the 16th percentile and the 37th
percentile. These scores indicate that Ariel is performing where expected for her age in fluid
reasoning.
Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)
The BRIEF is a questionnaire for parents and teachers of school age children that enable
professionals to assess executive function behaviors in both the home and school environments.
Executive functions are a collection of processes that are responsible for guiding, directing, and
managing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functions. Each form contains 86 items within
eight theoretically and empirically derived clinical scales that measure differing aspects of
executive functioning. The clinical scales form two broader Index categories, Behavioral
Regulation and Metacognition, and an overall score, the Global Executive Composite.
Mrs. LASTNAME completed the BRIEF parent form to assess Ariels current capabilities in
executive functions. She indicated concerns with her daughters metacognitive skills (96th
percentile) in that she struggles with sustaining working memory (96th percentile), planning and
organizing (96th percentile), and self-monitoring (93rd percentile). She rated Ariel within the
Average range for all other areas, indicating that she can appropriately initiate an activity and can
organize her environment and materials. Furthermore, Mrs. LASTNAME rated her daughter within
the Average range for Behavioural Regulation, indicating she has an appropriate ability to self-

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regulate, including the ability to inhibit impulsive responses, adjust to changes in routine or task
demands and regulate her emotions.

Academic Assessments:
The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition (WIAT-III)
The WIAT-III is a standardized test of achievement and functioning and is an individually
administered measure that examines performance in the areas of Reading, Mathematics, Written
Language, and Oral Language. Scores in each of these domains are then combined to provide an
overall achievement score.
Ariels ability to perform academically was assessed using the WIAT-III. Overall, she
demonstrated academic abilities that were in the Below Average range (3rd percentile), with some
variability across subject areas. As such, Ariels academic achievement can be best understood by
examining each domain individually.
Reading
Ariels overall reading performance was within the Low range (0.5 percentile). On a task that
required her to identify beginning sounds, ending sounds, and rhyming words, she performed
within the Low range (1st percentile). Her sight word vocabulary and phonological awareness skills
were measured using tasks that required her to read a list of words and to phonetically decode nonwords, Low Average range (0.5 percentile) and Below Average range (2nd percentile), respectively.
When required to answer comprehension questions based on specific passages that she had read,
and that remained available for reference, Ariels performance was in the Below Average range (2nd
percentile). Given her difficulties with earlier WIAT-III reading tasks, the grade 1 item set was
used to assess her oral reading fluency which was in the Very Low range (<0.1 percentile). Her
reading was slow and laborious and was characterized by frequent re-reading as she struggled to
sound out and make sense of words.
Mathematics
Ariels overall mathematics performance was within the Average range (18th percentile). While her
understanding of numerical operations was within the Average range (27th percentile) and
commensurate with her age, her fluency in completing computational problems was only within the
Below Average range (4th percentile).
Written Expression
Ariels overall written expression performance was within the Below Average range (3rd percentile),
though there was variability in her performance within this domain. Specifically, she had difficulty
printing letters of the alphabet quickly, correctly forming only five letters within the 30-second time
limit (Below Average range, 4th percentile). Her ability to combine sentences into one sentence that
maintained meaning, and her ability to build sentences around a target word, was in the Average

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th

range (27 percentile). She referred to the sample sentences for proper spelling, and her attention
to capitalization and punctuation was inconsistent. On a task that measured her spelling abilities,
Ariel performed in the Low range (1st percentile). She sounded out each word as she attempted to
spell them phonetically (e.g., cac for cake).
Oral Language
Overall, Ariels oral language performance was within the Average range (61st percentile),
indicating age appropriate oral language and oral expression skills.
The Process Assessment of the Learner Second Edition: Diagnostic Assessment for Reading
and Writing (PAL-II RW)
The PAL-II RW is designed for measuring reading and writing skills and related
neurodevelopmental processes in children from Kindergarten through Grade 6. It is a flexible
assessment tool for pinpointing why a child struggles in reading and/or writing and how to design
instruction to overcome the reading and/or writing problems.
Selected subtests from the PAL-II RW were administered in order to further explore Ariels basic
reading skills and underlying processes.
Ariel demonstrated an Average ability to store written words into memory and then recognize the
whole word or letters within the word following a short delay. She also obtained Average to High
Average scores on tasks where she was required to use knowledge about grammar and syntax to
identify correctly written sentences. These skills influence vocabulary learning and reading
comprehension, as well as reading and spelling of longer, more complex words in the upper
elementary grades.
Ariel demonstrated Average to Very Superior abilities across tasks that required awareness of
individual sounds within words (i.e. phonemes) and syllables within words. These tasks required
her to store and manipulate phonologically based information that was orally presented to her.
Unlike the phonics task on the WIAT III, she did not have to read the phonemes, which could
explain her improved performance. Ariels scores indicate that she has an understanding of how
words are made up of individual sounds and syllables. Conversely, her scores were in the
Extremely Low range for naming a list of written words (e.g., the), letter groups (e.g., ch, th), single
letters (e.g., n, t), and for switching between naming words and numbers (e.g., the, 19). Her
average working memory abilities, as demonstrated on the WISC-IV, suggest that her difficulty is
related to the manipulation of letters and sounds within her phonological loop and not working
memory per se.
Ariel struggled with a task that required automatic printing of lowercase letters, which was
commensurate with her Below Average performance on an alphabet writing fluency task on the
WIAT-III. Ariel indicated that she did not know how to form a lowercase a (which she
subsequently omitted) and she substituted g for j. She proceeded to write the remainder of the
alphabet in either upper or lowercase letters, writing twenty of twenty-six letters in the three-minute
time limit.

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As a whole, Ariels performance on the PAL-II RW suggests that she has a basic understanding of
how grammar and syntax can influence meaning and possesses some of the more basic and
foundational reading skills. However, she has difficulty quickly accessing letter names and sounds
from her memory. These results are consistent with the reading subtests administered from the
WIAT-III, in which Ariel had difficulty reading real and nonsense words, with oral reading fluency,
and with understanding what she has read.
Visual-Perceptual Assessment:
Selected subtests from three assessment measures were administered in order to examine any visualperception issues.
Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration - Fifth Edition (Beery VMI)
The Beery VMI is a standardized test that examines a childs ability to accurately integrate visual
skills, visual perceptual skills, and motor skills to produce visual models using paper and pencil.
In order to assess her visual-motor integration skills, Ariel completed the Beery VMI which
examined the degree to which her visual perception was coordinated with her finger-hand
movements by requiring her to copy basic, visually presented images such as lines, circles and
arrows. Overall, Ariels score was in the Low Average range at the 9th percentile. She was able to
draw simple line drawings but had difficulty replicating more complex shapes. When her visual
processing ability was examined in a task that required her to match identical visually presented
images, Ariel scored in the Average range at the 61st percentile. During the motor coordination
subtest, she was required to recreate numerous shapes by staying within the road of each item.
On this subtest, Ariel scored within the High Average range at the 86th percentile. Taken together,
these scores indicate that, although she is able to visually identify similar items and is able to trace
the shape of these items with her pencil when provided with a guide, she has difficulty integrating
her visual and motor abilities together successfully.
A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment Second edition (NEPSY-II; selected
subtests):
The NEPSY-II assessment is a measure of an individuals neuropsychological functioning and
incorporates six domains: Attention and Executive Functioning, Language, Social Perception,
Visuospatial Processing, Memory and Learning, and Sensorimotor. Often, a clinician chooses to
only administer the subtests most relevant to the individual clients needs.
Visual-Spatial Processing
Ariel completed two tasks to assess her capacities to judge line orientation and recognize partwhole relationships. She performed At Expected Level for both tasks, demonstrating that she could
effectively process visual tasks.
Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III COG)
The WJ III COG are divided into two batteries: the Standard Battery (tests 1 through 10) and the
Extended Battery (tests 11 through 20). This assessment instrument provides a comprehensive set
of individually administered tests for measuring intellectual abilities. Depending on the purpose of

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the assessment, the examiner can administer the Standard Battery alone or in conjunction with the
Extended Battery. The clusters or grouping of tests are the primary source for interpretive
information to help identify performance levels and individual strengths and weaknesses. Norms
are provided for individuals ranging in age from 2 to over 90 years.
When Ariel completed two visual spatial thinking tasks on the WJ III COG, she scored in the
Average range for both. She was able to identify pieces to form a target shape, as well as recognize
pictures within a field of distracting pictures, indicating accurate and visual spatial thinking
abilities.
Social-Emotional Functioning Assessment:
Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2)
The BASC-2 is an assessment tool that evaluates the behavior and self-perceptions of children ages
4 to 18 years. It measures numerous aspects of behavior and personality including positive
(adaptive) as well as negative (clinical) dimensions. The BASC-2 provides information about a
student from a variety of sources, allowing for a more complete understanding of the student. On
the BASC-2, scores that fall in the Clinically Significant range suggest a high level of
maladjustment. Scores in the At-Risk range identify either a significant problem that may not be
severe enough to require formal treatment or the potential of developing a problem that needs
careful monitoring.
Ariels current social and emotional functioning was evaluated with the BASC-2 completed by
Ariels mother and classroom teacher. Any marked discrepancies between the teacher and parent
reports may be due to differences in demand characteristics of the environment, the presence or
absence of other children, differences in the degree of stimulation in the environment, differences in
the respondents tolerance and their views of normative behavior, and/or differences in the nature
and quality of their relationship with the child.
Both her teacher and mother rated Ariel within the At-Risk range for attention problems. Her teacher also
rated her within the At-Risk range for school problems, specifically her study skills and for somatization.
Additionally, her mother rated her within the At-Risk range for activities of daily living, conduct problems
and depression.
Conners Third Edition (Conners -3)
The Conners-3 uses observer ratings to help assess a childs behaviour related to inattention,
hyperactivity/impulsivity, learning problems, executive functioning, aggression, and peer relations.
In addition, the scale provides a total score indicative of an attention or behavioural disorder.
Scores in the Very Elevated range indicate a possible significant problem and scores in the
Elevated range indicate a possible concern.

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Ariels attention concerns were further queried with the Conners-3 rating scales, which were
completed by Ariels mother and classroom teacher.
Both her mother and teacher rated her within the Very Elevated range in the area of learning
problems. In the area of executive functioning, she was rated within the Very Elevated range by her
mother and within the Elevated range by her teacher. With respect to inattention, her teacher rated
her in the Very Elevated range and her mother rated her within the Elevated range. In the area of
hyperactivity/impulsivity, she was rated within the Elevated range by her teacher and the High
Average range by her mother. Additionally, her mother rated her within the High Average range for
defiance/aggression and peer relations. Her mother indicated that she felt her daughters difficulties
very frequently impaired her in the academic setting. The teacher felt that this was often the case.
Within the symptom scales, her teacher rated her within the Very Elevated range for ADHD,
predominately inattentive type, while her mother rated her within the Elevated range. In this area,
Ariel only met the symptom count by her teacher, indicating that she does not have enough
symptoms of ADHD, predominately inattentive type to meet the diagnostic criteria. Within the area
of ADHD, predominately hyperactive/impulsive type, her teacher rated her within the Elevated
range, and her mother rated her within the Average range. She did not meet the symptom count for
this type of ADHD by either rater.
SUMMARY & DIAGNOSIS:
Ariel is an eight year old girl who is struggling with the development of grade level reading skills.
Current assessment results indicate that her overall cognitive abilities are in the Average range, and
that she is much stronger when reasoning with verbal information than visual. She demonstrated a
keen eye for detail in visually presented material, adequate working memory and slow processing
speed, indicating that she will have difficulty understanding and responding to instructions and
tasks, especially if she is required to write her answers. Executive function weaknesses impact her
ability to sustain working memory, plan task and organize herself quickly. And self-monitor.
In regards to academics, Ariels performance indicates that, while her basic readings skills are
within the Average range, she is having difficulties in translating these skills into an ability to read.
In particular, she struggles with the rapid automatic naming of letters, letter sounds and words.
This skill requires Ariel to access the phonological loop of her working memory which helps her
put together the sounds and letter formations in order to read words. She also has difficulties with
spelling, which is understandable given her challenges with reading and visual-motor integration.
Ariel has age appropriate oral language skills, which can help to support her reading and writing
difficulties. As noted in the assessment observations section, she has developed some good
strategies for understanding written text, including looking for contextual cues and applying her
oral language skills. In the area of mathematics, Ariel showed that, while she understands the
process of addition and subtractions, she has not yet developed the automaticity of these facts.
Ariels performance on tasks of visual-perception indicate that she does not seem to have
difficulties in perceiving or manipulating visual information but struggles with visual-motor
integration. In the classroom, this means that she may have difficulty copying visual stimuli, like

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notes or directions from a blackboard or overhead, and that she may struggle with handwriting and
pencil-paper tasks.
With regard to Ariels social, emotional, and behavioural functioning, both her mother and her
teacher indicate that she has some attention concerns, specifically with inattention. Within the
clinic environment, we noted some inattention behaviours when she was struggling to complete her
reading activities towards the end of the second day. It is very likely that her inattention and some
of the depressive and defiant symptoms reported by her mother are the result of being unable to
complete the tasks being asked of her. Additionally, some of her inattention may be due to her
slower processing speed concurrent with her executive functions difficulties. Often when a child
has a slower processing speed, they will look as though they are not paying attention when, in fact,
they are using their cognitive resources to understand the directions and formulate a response. Both
her mother and her teacher noted executive functioning difficulties which impact her learning.
Given the results of the current assessment and the behavioural patterns demonstrated, Ariel meets
the criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition Text
Revised (DSM-IV-TR) for the following diagnostic categories:
Axis I
Axis II
Axis III
Axis IV
Axis V

315.00

Reading Disorder
No Diagnosis
None
None
GAF = 89 (current)

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Based on the current assessment the following suggestions are offered for consideration:
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Specialized Supports
Ariel would benefit from participation in an intensive literacy instructional program.
She would also benefit from working with a Speech-Language Pathologist to help
support the development of phonemic awareness skills.
Furthermore, it may be worthwhile for Ariel to visit an ophthalmologist for a thorough
vision examination.
2. Remediation: Word Reading Strategies
Application of a systematic and multisensory phonics program is necessary to help
her improve her reading decoding skills.
Word identification strategies that emphasize systematic, explicit teaching methods
and that keep returning to specific skills until they are clearly mastered will also be
important.
Word reading curricula, such as Letterland and Jolly Phonics, that are not only
systematic and explicit but also multisensory in nature would be helpful.

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Ariel may benefit from the program Earobics, which is a multisensory approach to
teaching critical areas of literacy. More information is available at
www.earobics.com/
Clicker 6 is another program that may also benefit Ariel. It is a talking word
processor that combines graphics, text and speech that may aid in developing her
reading skills. More information is available at www.cricksoft.com
It may be useful to allow Ariel to read books on online websites. Many sites have
a voice that reads the text, highlighting the word as it is read, allowing the student to
listen or to read along. Reading material is generally available at a wide range of
reading and interest levels. Some examples include: www.starfall.com,
www.tumblebooks.com/,
www.teacher.scholastic.com/products/bookflixfreetrial/index.htm
Ariel may also benefit from the program Read, Write, & Type. The sequential
curriculum provides instruction and games with all 40-speech sounds while students
learn to use the keyboard. More information is available at www.talkingfingers.com

3. Supports for Executive Functioning

Break larger assignments into small, manageable units. Be specific about project
steps and set deadlines for each. For daily writing activities, clearly separate the
stages of the writing process and require Ariel to complete one portion each day.
Supplement oral directions with clearly worded written instructions that divide tasks
into a series of discrete steps.
Minimize the arithmetic facts that Ariel must hold in her head while she solves
applied problems (e.g., provide her with math fact tables during these activities).
Frequent adult monitoring of Ariel's attention, with attentional prompts (agreed upon
verbal or nonverbal signals) when she goes off task.
Maintaining predictable routines at home and school.
Providing many opportunities for guided, extended practice of skills (e.g., math
facts, sight words) to help build fluency and automaticity.
Developing clear organizational systems and adhering to them will likely benefit
Ariel, as will the use of the same or similar organizers and templates for school
assignments. For example, repeated practice with using the same graphic organizer
may help her approach writing tasks in a more structured way and help her
remember what to do.
Anticipate the aspects of tasks that Ariel may find threatening or frustrating and
model strategies to manage these challenges when they occur. For example,
defining key words and concepts, which may be unfamiliar to her before she is
required to read.

______________________________

_____________________________

Charlene Bradford
UCAPES Clinician

Cheryl Chase, MSc

Registered Psychologist

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NOTE: Due to the developing and changing nature of an individuals skills and abilities, the
results and recommendations contained in this report are intended for current use. Care must be
taken not to characterize an individual on the basis of statements in this report, and not to assume
that such statements apply indefinitely. Any reference to these results and recommendations in the
future should be made with caution.

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Appendix 1.A. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4 Edition

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) is an individually
administered, comprehensive clinical instrument for assessing the intellectual abilities of children
ages 6 years, 0 months through 16 years, 11 months. The WISC-IV provides composite scores that
represent intellectual functioning in specified cognitive domains (i.e., Verbal Comprehension Index
(VCI), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), Working Memory Index (WMI) and Processing Speed
Index (PSI)). Lastly, the WISC-IV provides a composite score that represents a childs general
intellectual ability (i.e., Full Scale IQ (FSIQ)). Percentile scores, scaled scores, and confidence
intervals are also provided to assist in interpretation. The IQ and Index scores have a mean of 100
and a standard deviation of 15. Each of the subtests has a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3.
The subtests can be broken down as follows:
Full Scale IQ (FSIQ): is a standardized composite score comprised of four factors verbal
comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed and represents a
measure of general intelligence.
Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI): is composed of subtests measuring verbal abilities utilizing
reasoning, comprehension and conceptualization. Similarities, Vocabulary and Comprehension are
the three core subtests that comprise the VCI, and Information and Word Reasoning are the two
supplemental subtests of the VCI.
Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI): is composed of subtests measuring visuospatial perception,
nonverbal fluid reasoning and perceptual organization. Block Design, Picture Concepts and Matrix
Reasoning comprise the three core subtests of the PRI, and Picture Completion is the sole
supplemental subtest of the PRI.
Working Memory Index (WMI): is composed of subtests measuring attention, concentration and
working memory. Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing comprise the two core subtests of the
WMI and Arithmetic is the sole supplemental subtest of the WMI.
Processing Speed Index (PSI): is composed of subtests measuring the ability to process simple or
routine visual material. Coding and Symbol Search are the two core subtests that comprise the PSI,
and Cancellation is the sole supplementary subtest of the PSI.
The results of the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ), Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning
Index (PRI), Working Memory Index (WMI) and Processing Speed Index (PSI) are reported in the
following tables. The scores on the WISC-IV have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.

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Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)
Composite Scale Scores Summary
Composite Scale
Verbal Comprehension Index
Perceptual Reasoning Index
Working Memory Index
Processing Speed Index
General Ability Index (GAI)

S.S.

95% CI

102
87
97
68
95

95-109
80-97
89-105
63-80
89-101

Percentil
Classification
e
55
Average
19
Low Average
42
Average
2
Extremely Low
37
Average

Subtest Scores (S.S.) Summary

Subtests
S.S.
Percentile Classification
Verbal Comprehension Index
Similarities
13
84
High Average
Vocabulary
11
63
Average
Comprehension
7
16
Low Average
(Information)
9
37
Average
Perceptual Reasoning Index
Block Design
8
25
Average
Picture Concepts
7
16
Low Average
Matrix Reasoning
9
37
Average
(Picture Completion)
11
63
Average
Working Memory Index
Digit Span
9
37
Average
Letter-Number Sequencing
10
50
Average
Processing Speed Index
Coding
1
0.1
Extremely Low
Symbol Search
7
16
Low Average

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Appendix 1.B. Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, 2 Edition

The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Second Edition (WIAT-II) is a rich and reliable source of
information about an individuals academic skills and problem-solving abilities that can be used to
guide appropriate intervention. It is a comprehensive yet flexible measurement tool useful for
achievement skills assessment, learning disability diagnosis, special education placement,
curriculum planning, and clinical appraisal for preschool children through adults. The WIAT-II
provides composite scores that represent academic ability in several domains (i.e., Reading,
Mathematics, Written Communication, and Oral Communication). Percentile scores, scaled scores,
and confidence intervals are also provided to assist in interpretation. The Composite and Scaled
scores have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. The composites can be broken down as
follows:
Reading Composite: is composed of subtests measuring pre-reading, reading, and decoding skills.
Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, and Pseudoword Decoding are the three subtests in this
area.
Mathematics Composite: is composed of subtests measuring the ability to evaluate and write
numbers, to solve written calculation problems, identify geometric shapes, solve multi-step
problems, and identify mathematical patterns. Numerical Operations and Math reasoning are the
two subtests in this area.
Written Language Composite: is composed of subtests evaluating spelling and written
communication including sentence and paragraph construction. Spelling and Written Expression are
the two subtests in this area.
Oral Language Composite: is composed of subtests measuring the ability to listen for details,
generate a word that matches a given picture and oral description, generate stories from visual cues,
and generate directions from visual or verbal cues. Listening Comprehension and Oral Expression
are the two subtests in this area.

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APPENDIX B. Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (WIAT-III)
Composite Standard Scores Summary
Composite Scale
Reading Composite
Mathematics Composite
Written Language
Composite
Oral Language Composite
Total Achievement

Standard Score
61
86
72

95% CI
57-65
79-93
64-80

104
71

Percentile Classification
0.5
Low
18
Average
3
Below Average

94-114
67-75

61
3

Average
Below Average

WIAT-III Subtest Scores Summary

Subtest Scores
Reading Composite
Early Reading Skills
Word Reading
Pseudoword Decoding
Reading Comprehension
Oral Reading Fluency
Mathematics Composite
Numerical Operations
Math Problem Solving
Math Fluency
Written Language Composite
Alphabet Writing Fluency
Spelling
Sentence Composition
Oral Language Composite
Listening Comprehension
Oral Expression

Standard Score

Percentile

Classification

67
61
70
70
50

1
0.5
2
2
<0.1

Low
Low
Below Average
Below Average
Very Low

91
84
73

27
14
4

Average
Below Average
Below Average

73
62
91

4
1
27

Below Average
Low
Average

105
102

63
55

Average
Average

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