IQ scores must be current to be used to meet or medically equal the requirements of listing 112.05. IQ scores stabilize after age 16 and are generally considered current after that time. For younger children, consider the child's age at the time of test administration and the test results themselves when determining whether IQ test results obtained before age 16 are sufficiently current for adjudication. The general guidelines are:

Intelligence test results obtained at age 16 or older may be considered current indefinitely, provided they are not inconsistent with the person’s current functioning.

NOTE: IQ scores that are not current may still provide useful information about whether a person’s intellectual disorder began during the developmental period. For example, a full scale IQ score of 88 obtained when the person was age 15 may provide evidence the intellectual disorder did not begin during the developmental period.

When a child has not attained age 16, the IQ scores may sometimes be only slightly past the requirements for being current. Consider how much time has passed since the test in the claim file was administered and whether the same test would be given currently. Do not use IQ scores that are more than 6 months beyond what is considered current to determine whether the child has an intellectual disorder that meets or medically equals listing 112.05.

EXAMPLE: An 8 year old child was administered the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales: Fifth Edition (SB-5) and received a full scale IQ score of 65 on June 22, 2014. The scores are considered current for program purposes until June 21, 2016. The claim is being adjudicated on August 15, 2016. Because the score is less than 6 months beyond what is considered current and the SB-5 would still be the appropriate test, updated testing would generally not be required to make a determination about whether the child has an intellectual disorder that meets or medically equals listing 112.05.

EXAMPLE: A 15 year old child was administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and received a full scale IQ of 65 on June 22, 2014. The scores are considered current for program purposes until June 21, 2016. The claim is being adjudicated on August 15, 2016. Although the score is less than 6 months beyond what is considered current, the WISC-IV is no longer the same test that would be given because the child is now 17 years old and the WISC-IV is only appropriate for children through age 16 years and 11 months. Updated intelligence testing is required to make a determination about whether the child has an intellectual disorder that meets or medically equals listing 112.05.

NOTE: We do not endorse, prefer, or require any specific intelligence test. Tests are programmatically acceptable when they satisfy the requirements set out in DI 24583.050B and DI 24583.050C.

The Wechsler series of intelligence tests have overlap in the age range for each test. For example:

When deciding which test to purchase for children in the overlap age ranges, test developers recommend choosing the test with the lower minimum age if the child is suspected of being of below average cognitive ability.

EXAMPLE: A child is 6 years and 9 months old and has suspected low cognitive ability. Purchase the WPPSI-IV and not the WISC-V for this child because the WPPSI-IV is the test with the lower end of the age range.

NOTE: We do not endorse, prefer, or require any specific intelligence test. While the Wechsler series of intelligence tests are frequently seen in our program, there are other intelligence tests that satisfy our program requirements for acceptable intelligence tests and may also be purchased when appropriate.

Age- and grade-equivalent scores represent average scores and are not standard scores that can be converted to standard deviations. Because we compare the child to other children their age, an age- or grade-equivalent score by itself has limited usefulness since it does not indicate how well the child did in comparison to other children their age who do not have impairments. Do not rely on any test score alone. Consider the information from the test along with all the other evidence. These scores, along with other information, may give a picture of the child's overall progress in development or learning.