The WISC-III ACID profile does not efficiently separate children with disabilities from those without, nor does it robustly predict academic achievement among children with learning disabilities.
Observational (n=612)
Does the WISC-III ACID profile efficiently separate children with learning disabilities from those without and predict academic achievement?
The WISC-III ACID profile lacks empirical evidence for its clinical utility in diagnosing or predicting academic achievement in children with learning disabilities.
Clinical interpretation of subtest score profiles on intelligence tests is a common practice. The ACID profile found on Wechsler's scales has been widely accepted as a clinical indicator which has both diagnostic and treatment implications. However, this practice has been based on clinical rather than empirical evidence. This study examines the discriminant and predictive validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) ACID profile among 612 students with learning disabilities. Analyses included diagnostic utility statistics (sensitivity, selectivity, etc.) and ROC methods as well as correlational and descriptive statistics. Results indicated that the ACID profile does not efficiently separate children with disabilities from those without disabilities, and further, there is no ACID cutting score which significantly exceeds chance discriminatory power. Likewise, the ACID profile did not robustly predict academic achievement among children with learning disabilities. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Watkins et al. (Wed,) conducted a observational in Learning disabilities (n=612). WISC-III ACID profile vs. Children without disabilities was evaluated on Discriminant validity (separating children with disabilities from those without) and predictive validity (academic achievement). The WISC-III ACID profile does not efficiently separate children with disabilities from those without, nor does it robustly predict academic achievement among children with learning disabilities.