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Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI-II)
Availability
Please visit this website for more information about the instrument: Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI-II)
Classification
Basic: Acute Hospitalized TBI, Concussion/Mild TBI, Moderate/Severe TBI, Rehabilitation Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
 
Supplemental - Highly Recommended: Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (CMD)
  • Highly recommended for psychological and neuropsychological CMD studies for ages 6 years and up.
  • Recommended for other types of CMD studies as a way to characterize the study population.
 
Supplemental: Cerebral Palsy (CP), Epidemiology TBI, Epilepsy, Mitochondrial Disease (Mito), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Myotonic Dystrophy (DM), Neuromuscular Disease (NMD)
 
Exploratory: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Sport-Related Concussion (SRC)
Short Description of Instrument
The WASI-II, a revision of the WASI, is a quick, reliable measure of intelligence for use in clinical, educational, and research settings. The WASI-II revision maintains the format and structure of the WASI and provides greater clinical utility and efficiency by offering new content and improvements. Building on the WASI, the WASI-II provides updated versions of the WASI Vocabulary, Similarities, Block Design and Matrix Reasoning subtests; four- or two-subtest administration versions; and strengthened connections with both the WISC®-IV and WAIS®-IV.
 
The Two-Subtest Form includes Vocabulary and Matrix Reasoning. The form can be administered via paper-and-pencil, individually or face-to-face and requires examiner training. Time to complete the two-subtest form is approximately 15 minutes.
Comments/Special Instructions
The standardization of the WASI-II was conducted from January 2010 to May 2011 on a nationally representative sample of approximately 2,300 individuals aged 6-90.
Scoring and Psychometric Properties
Scoring/Interpretation: VCI, PRI, and FSIQ scores (FSIQ-4 and FSIQ-2)
Scoring Options: Manual or computer scoring
 
Psychometric Properties: The measures demonstrate very good test-retest reliability, with child and adult samples falling between high .80s and high .90s. Concurrent validity was established with full Wechsler adult and child IQ tests and KBIT-2. The range of items was specifically expanded in this update to provide broader ranges of items at the low and high end of the distributions.
Rationale/Justification
Strengths: This is a brief reliable IQ estimate that was normed on a nationally representative sample. Provides a quick, reliable and valid estimate of IQ when administration of a full battery is not feasible or necessary; particularly useful for research applications; easy to learn and administer.
 
Weakness: The WASI-II is considered a screening measure and should not be used for legal purposes like determination of disability.
 
Sport-Related Concussion-Specific:
Strengths: The four-subtest WASI-II FSIQ has been shown to be sensitive to neurological disease/injury in a heterogenous sample compared to typical controls (Ryan et al., 2021). It is much faster to administer than a full IQ battery and can be administered across a broad age group.
 
Weakness: It is likely more appropriate for a comprehensive brief battery rather than a brief screen for monitoring during the sub-acute period.
References
Key Reference:
McCrimmon AW, Smith AD. Review of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II). J Psychoeduc Assess. 2012;31(3):337-41.
 
Additional Reference:
Ryan JJ, Kreiner DS, Teichner G, Gontkovsky ST. Validity of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II) as an Indicator of Neurological Disease/Injury: A Pilot Study. Brain Inj. 2021 Nov 10;35(12-13):1624-29.
 
ME/CFS-Specific Reference:
Wortinger LA, Endestad T, Melinder AM, Øie MG, Sevenius A, Bruun Wyller V. Aberrant Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Salience Network of Adolescent Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. PLoS One. 2016;11(7):e0159351.
 
Document last updated March 2024
Recommended Instrument for
CP, CMD, Epilepsy, ME/CFS, Mito, MS, DM, NMD, SRC and TBI