IQ VARIABILITY IN CHILDREN WITH SLI - IMPLICATIONS FOR USE OF COGNITIVE REFERENCING IN DETERMINING SLI

The practice of cognitive referencing assumes that IQ scores can be us ed as a measure of intellectual potential from which language scores m ay deviate. To test the validity of this assumption the WISC scores of children with specific language impairment were compared over time. T he variability of WISC scores from children with SLI from their initia l evaluation and from the federally-mandated three year reevaluation w as analyzed. Significant differences in the performance scale scores w ere found. This indicates that the IQ scores of these children are mor e properly interpreted as reflecting current abilities rather than pot ential for language learning. This further calls into question the pra ctice of cognitive referencing as a method of determining the presence of a language impairment, eligibility for services, and the service d elivery model for which a child qualifies. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Scienc e Inc.