Intelligence Testing for Children

Children's intelligence is tested through the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test. It is often performed after a child has reached school age. The two most common types of individual tests are the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and the Stanford Binet Intelligence Test. There are also group tests available.

  1. Types

    • The two most common individual IQ tests given to children, according to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), are the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and the Stanford Binet Intelligence Test. While a child generally does not receive the same score if given both tests, both tests provide accurate and similar results. In addition, while there are group intelligence tests available, the scores from group tests are not as accurate as scores from an individual test.

    Significance

    • A child's individual IQ test is scored by a psychologist, and a composite score is determined from the result of subtest scores, notes the NAGC. Scores between 90 and 110 are typically considered average, with roughly 50 percent of the population scoring within that range. Scores above 110 are considered above average and those below 90 are considered to be below average.

    Considerations

    • While an IQ score gives an idea of a child's intelligence, it does not take into account skills such as creativity, social ability and emotional or physical strengths. In addition, there are flaws in the test which may cause children who are part of a low socio-economic group, a minority ethnicity or who speak English as a second language to score lower, according to the NAGC.

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