Validity of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II) as an Indicator of Neurological Disease/Injury: A Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Although the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition is commonly used by neuropsychologists in the assessment of intellectual functioning, there is a paucity of published literature examining its utility in detecting neurological disease/injury. This study constitutes an attempt to validate the four-subtest WASI-II (4-FSIQ) for use with patients with neurological disease/injury. METHOD: Participants were 59 patients referred for outpatient neuropsychological evaluation. Thirty-two individuals with diagnoses of dementia, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other neurological disorders constituted the neurological group. A control group was comprised of 27 individuals with diagnoses of psychiatric disorders or age-related cognitive decline. RESULTS: The WASI-II subtest and composite scores of the neurological group were all significantly (ps < .0001) lower than those of the control sample, but pattern differences between the groups were absent. When premorbid IQs and WASI-II IQs were compared, neurological patients with neurological disease/injury displayed evidence of intellectual deterioration; whereas, control participants did not. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the 4-WASI-II is sensitive to the biological condition of the brain and provide preliminary validation for its use in the neuropsychological assessment of a diagnostically heterogeneous sample of patients with neurological disorders.