If Your Child Is Struggling at Home or School, an IQ Test Could Be the Answer

Dear Friends and Families,

Is your child having a hard time with homework or refusing to go to school? Do mornings feel like a battle?Do you wonder, “Why is this so hard and that is so easy?”

You are not alone. Many parents feel this way!

IQ testing is typically the most helpful approach for understanding children's behaviors.

Alas, the only first steps typically recommended to parents are therapy, screeners at the pediatrician’s office, or trial-and-error supports at school. While these can be helpful in some situations, they often leave parents with more questions than answers. 

After nearly twenty years of working with kids and families, I have learned that IQ testing (or what we call cognitive testing) is typically the single most helpful approach (or at least the best first step) for understanding children’s thinking, learning, and behaviors.

This surprises most people due to the many myths and misconceptions about what IQ testing is, what it tells us, and how valid and useful the results are. Let’s look at the top five myths I frequently encounter in my work with parents and educators.

Top 5 Myths About IQ Testing

Myth #1: IQ testing is just about how smart a child is.

Nope. It is not about getting a “smart” score. When administered and interpreted by a clinical psychologist who specializes in children and development, this process creates something like a car manual. It shows how your child’s brain works, or their "operating system"— how they learn, think, and solve problems. It helps explain why things feel easy or hard. 

Myth #2: An IQ is a single score that explains your child. 

Not true. The overall score (full scale IQ) is just a small piece of your child’s complex reasoning nad processing profile. The real value comes from understanding the patterns behind this full score. Keeping in mind the car manual analogy, this is like knowing not only your car’s top speed, but how its engine, brakes, and steering all work together – how to maintain and optimize its performance.

An IQ test provides ten individual scores and five areas of ability that make up the overall score. Beyond the standardized scores, a qualified psychologist finds valuable nuggets in the raw scores, performance patterns, and subtle behaviors that occur during testing. If all this information is not provided in the evaluation report, you are only getting a small piece of the bigger picture.  

Myth #3: IQ tests label kids and limit them.

Actually, a good evaluation does the opposite. It helps adults better understand a child so they can support them in the right way. It opens doors instead of closing them. It separates “can’ts” from “won’ts.”  It provides clarity, comprehension, and the language for what you are seeing and trying to find a solution to.  Importantly, it should also identify your child's strengths!

Myth #4: Only kids who are “behind” or “gifted” need IQ testing.

Not true. Kids who are struggling, bored, frustrated, or even doing “fine” can all benefit from IQ testing. Sometimes bright kids or good students struggle in ways that are easy to miss. A cognitive profile that is skillfully interpreted can offer insights that are otherwise unattainable. Results from dyslexia, autism, and ADHD evaluations that do not include IQ testing are incomplete, sometimes result in the wrong diagnosis, and too often lead families on a wild goose chase.   

Myth #5: Schools already test everything that matters

Schools can deliver helpful testing, but without an IQ test, this can be like trying to understand a car without its manual. You may see what is happening, but not always why. For a variety of reasons, IQ testing is not routinely completed in school settings.  When it is provided by the school, typically only the overall score is considered. Also, IQ testing at school is focused on classroom performance; it does not help your child at home. 

In closing, when completed by a specialist, IQ testing is not scary or limiting. Rather, it is hugely beneficial for delivering clarity, solutions, and the relief that parents seek.  IQ testing helps you finally understand your child — and this knowledge can change everything.

If you would like to explore how IQ testing might help you and your child – or if your child has already been evaluated and you still have questions – don’t hesitate to contact my office.  I am here to help!  My passion is transforming data into real-life solutions. 

All my best,

Dr. Katen

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