Advantages of taking an IQ test
One good thing about IQ tests is that they can tell you important and unique things about a child's brain growth that family or professionals might not have noticed or been able to explain.
A child's performance on the tests can also tell you a lot about how they are doing with different mental tasks. This can help pros figure out what areas of a child's development are strong and what areas they aren't as strong.
The pattern of strengths and weaknesses can be mapped out, which can also help find unique learning difficulties. For instance, an IQ test might help find a child who is gifted but also has dyslexia or trouble understanding what they see (dual exceptionality).
Cons
IQ tests have some flaws that workers need to be aware of as well. The tests give a "snapshot" of how a child answered at the time of the test. Kids might not show their best potential on the test for a number of reasons. Young kids, shy kids, kids from poor or different ethnic or non-English speaking families, or kids who are very young may do worse on the test. On the day of the test, kids may be tired, sick, nervous, or unwilling to cooperate.
In addition, IQ tests are only interested in measuring a certain range of brain skills. So, they don't test a child's social skills or creative or artistic skills. Because of these things, the results of an IQ test for a young child should always be taken with a grain of salt. It is possible for a child who does not score in the gifted range to still be gifted, even if they get a high score on an IQ test.
Professionals should ask the family for permission before looking at the report, but if they do, it can be very helpful.
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