Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III)

Concerned about your child’s intellectual functioning in verbal, reading or mathematical abilities?

The WIAT-III is designed to assess an individual’s skills in these areas, and the test can be taken by children, adolescents, and even adults. There are 16 subtests, covering 8 domains. Oral language, total or basic reading, reading comprehension and fluency, written expression, mathematics and math fluency. Subtests in each domain will combine to give a standardised score for each domain.

Clients or the child psychologist can be flexible, choosing to administer only certain domains’ subtests that best reflect the relevant concerns. It isn’t a must to complete all 16 domains. If you’re concerned about reading abilities, it is fine if you do tests only in the domains of reading comprehension and fluency, basic reading and total reading.

The length of time taken to administer the test depends on the child’s current education level, performance and the number of subtests administered.

Composite scores in specific domains can help identify strengths, weaknesses, or flag out possible learning disabilities in children. This can assist child therapists who are determining if a student has a learning disability or is eligible for special education services. It may also be useful for crafting instructional aids, objectives or interventions.

To allow for a more comprehensive understanding of your child’s intellectual and general functioning, we recommend using this scale alongside Weschler Cognitive Assessments such as WPPSI-IV and WISC-V as this can better aid your decision on what you can do to best support your child moving forward.