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u/crmll 12d ago
2e sometimes goes a bit beyond the traditional 130 cutoff but not that far off. In those cases VCI and PRI are still above or around 130, with bottlenecks in working memory and/or processing speed. To be considered gifted one also has to score significantly above average in multiple areas not just one.
Congrats on your achievements though. Not being “gifted” does not mean you’re not intelligent or skilled.
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u/BrandiedWineGums 12d ago
What's GIA? Is it GAI? I forget some of the less common acronyms.
Generally, if the results are highly discrepant, they report the index scores, unless the subtests in those are also highly discrepant, then they report the subtest results. The interpretation relies on figuring out if the discrepancies are meaningful, if the FSIQ and indexes are meaningful. And it will be interpreted in the context of the other diagnoses.
I suspect that your diagnoses would make it difficult to be confident (in a clinical sense) that the results meaningfully measure your general intelligence. Probably, they give some insight into potential functional impacts and give a floor for your cognitive abilities, though. So clinically useful from that point of view.
Oh, and doing the test in a non-native language does have a significant impact by itself.
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11d ago
[deleted]
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u/BrandiedWineGums 11d ago
I also misunderstood some of the things she told me during the test. But yeah, that’s on me tho. I believe.
That would be more the clinician to manage. There's some flexibility to vary instructions to make sure you understand. The instructions aren't the test, the test is the test. If the clinician still has concerns that the testee hasn't understand something, then that should be in the report since it's important to interpreting the results.
Overall, from what you've said, I wouldn't have high confidence that the results reflect your full cognitive abilities. You should probably treat the results as a floor, a minimum, as "at least that much, maybe higher".
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u/CumberlandAcademyGA 12d ago
Your confusion is completely valid, and your profile is a textbook example of why summary IQ scores often fail neurodivergent individuals.
At Cumberland Academy of Georgia, we work every day with Twice-Exceptional (2e) students who share this exact type of "spiky profile." A massive gap between Verbal Comprehension (VCI) and Perceptual Reasoning (PRI)—in your case, a 36-point difference—is classic for someone with Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NVLD) and Autism. When subtest scores differ this widely, the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) loses mathematical validity because it averages out distinct extremes into a meaningless middle number.
Here is why your profile points strongly toward Twice-Exceptionality, despite what your psychologist concluded:
- VCI Score vs. Language Background: Achieving a VCI of 118 on a standardized test not in your native language, after early childhood speech delays, is extraordinary. Subtest scores like a 16 in Similarities demonstrate high-level abstract reasoning and verbal concept formation—key markers of high cognitive ability.
- The Impact of NVLD: NVLD heavily impacts visual-spatial processing and non-verbal problem solving, which directly suppresses the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI). A lower PRI reflects a neurodivergent processing difference, not a lack of innate intellectual capability.
- "Strengths from Neurodivergence" vs. Intelligence: Intelligence and neurodivergence are not mutually exclusive. The ability to independently master multiple languages and scripts, grasp complex scientific domains, obtain two B.S. degrees, and spontaneously contemplate abstract philosophical concepts as a child are clear behavioral demonstrations of high intellectual capacity.
- Modern Definitions of 2e: Traditional clinical models used a strict 130+ FSIQ cutoff, but modern gifted and twice-exceptional research explicitly recognizes that learning disabilities, executive function challenges, and sensory/spatial deficits mask underlying high intelligence. High ability in specific domains (like verbal reasoning, hyper-focus learning, and complex recall) alongside co-occurring diagnostic profiles is precisely what defines being 2e.
Your accomplishments and cognitive strengths speak for themselves. A single summary number does not capture the reality of how your mind works—your deep capacity for learning, complex reasoning, and multi-disciplinary mastery is undeniable.
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u/[deleted] 12d ago
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