Using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with Children Having Difficulty Learning

This research examined differences between WISC and PPVT scores for children with learning problems who were patients in a multispecialty group medical practice. The sample was composed of 99 children seen by a psychologist and a pediatric neurologist: 77 showed significant evidence of diffuse neurological dysfunction, 25 had speech problems, and 20 were diagnosed as having learning problems only. Results support previous research which indicates that PPVT IQs are frequently higher than WISC IQs when both instruments are used with the same children. PPVT IQs were significantly higher than WISC IQs both for the total sample and by diagnostic classification.