Gifted Testing and Intelligence (IQ) Testing & Evaluations

Our doctors require that a child be at least 6 years-old for gifted testing.  Before age 6, there’s a higher likelihood of false-negative and false-positive results. False-negative results suggest that a kid isn’t gifted when they really are! No one wants that. On the other hand, false-positive results suggest that a kid is gifted when they really aren’t.

You’re probably thinking, “What’s the harm in that? My kid will be in a smaller class with all the smart kids and a better teacher!” Well, yeah, BUT there’s a downside to this. Your child’s academic performance and self-esteem may suffer when they realize they can’t perform as well as their classmates. It’s common for these children to begin to feel stupid, sad, or anxious about school. Their grades drop and things just snowballs from there. 

#1 Time  By doing private gifted testing, you won’t have to wait for the understaffed school district to get around to your child. And you’ll get results within 7 days which is pretty much unheard of with the overworked school district’s school psychologists or other psychologists in the area. This could make your child eligible for a gifted classroom sooner. 

#2 Fairness In public and charter schools, you have to depend on a teacher to recommend your child for gifted testing to start the process. But what if your child’s teacher doesn’t make this recommendation? There are a lot of reasons a teacher might not make this recommendation, like behavior problems or difficulties with attention. Or maybe your child is quiet and shy and goes largely unnoticed by the teacher in a large classroom.

#2 Optimized Performance  Is your child more alert and focused in the morning or just the opposite? Say your child gets sleepy, is just getting or recovering from a cold, or has a stomachache during the evaluation. All of these factors can negatively affect your child’s performance. Our psychologists can schedule testing on a day, at a specific time of day, or to stop testing and reschedule the remainder of the testing for another day when your child is more alert, focused, and feeling better. School psychologists don’t have this luxury.

#3 Attention to Detail Our psychologists are able to take more time assessing your child and analyzing the results. In some cases, they are able alert parents of areas of concerns that may impact future academic performance, such as early signs of reading and math difficulties and problems with attention and focus. This doesn’t happen when the school district’s school psychologists test your child for gifted. 

At our office, the cost of gifted testing is $350 USD and it is performed by licensed psychologist with years of experience.  It’s comparable to the prices at local teaching clinics where doctoral students are still learning to perform these evaluations.

We’re also able to able to have your report completed within 7 days as opposed to others that can take up to 14 business days (or more).  You also have the added benefit of working with Dr. Erika Martinez or Dr. Frank Martinez-Mesa, who have both worked for the public school system and are up-to-date with its requirements for gifted placement.

Not usually. Gifted testing is for educational purposes and your healthcare insurance is for health/medical purposes. However, we can give you a special receipt called a superbill. You can submit the superbill to your insurance company and see if they’ll accept the claim. 

Traditionally, an IQ of 130 or more qualifies as gifted.  For kids that score above 112 but below 130, Miami-Dade County Public Schools offers “Plan B”, which are alternative criteria for gifted placement.

Our doctors use the same IQ tests that Miami-Dade County Public Schools school psychologists use. The use of a specific test is at the psychologist’s discretion and depends on whether your child was tested for gifted in the last 12 months.

Yes, they will as long as the gifted evaluation is performed by a licensed psychologist in the state of Florida.  You can check whether a professional has an active license using this link. 

Consumer Alert!

Some psychologists will have their testing technician administer the IQ test to cut down on time and cost.  This may account for the difference in cost when you’re calling around to get prices and one place charges $200 and another place charges $500. Please note that MDCPS will not accept gifted testing performed by technician even if the final results are signed off by a licensed psychologist. 

You’re probably thinking, “Fine, I’ll just have my kiddo re-tested,” and sure you can do that, BUT remember that IQ tests cannot be re-administered for one year. 

We recommend that you don’t tell your child anything about the test until a day or so before their appointment so they don’t get nervous.  Avoid saying that it’s a test or mentioning anything about “gifted” or “passing or failing”.  It’s important that you remain calm, too, because your child will know something’s up if you’re anxious. If they ask, tell them they’re going to meet with Ms. Erika who will be helping you make important school decisions so that he or she can do their best in class.  That’s it – keep it simple! 

Make sure your kiddo gets a good night’s rest and a healthy, well-balanced meal before testing. That’s all the prep he or she needs. IQ test measure potential, not learned information so there’s no way to really prepare or study for them. 

Online test prep companies like TestingMom.com or Testprep-online.com and gifted prep workbooks are a waste of time and money. We’ve tested children that prepared for weeks (sometimes even months) with these materials and the kids didn’t qualify for gifted. And vice versa. Kids qualify for gifted without any special training or preparation.

It depends.  If your child scores between 112 and 129, he or she may be eligible for gifted placement through Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Plan B criteria.  If your child scores below 112, you can try re-testing in one year when your child has developmentally matured more. 

Sorry, no, you can’t be in the room. Here’s why:

• The results are more accurate when the testing environment closes approximates the school environment.
• How your kiddo behaves in your absence provides important information that is part of the evaluation.
• The testing questions and materials are highly confidential and the licensed psychological has an ethical responsibility to maintain their confidentiality.

Yes, our doctors have all licensed psychologists in the state of Florida. You can verify their licenses with Florida’s Department of Health using this link.  Dr. Erika Martinez and Dr. Frank Martinez-Mesa have both worked for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and have a comprehensive understanding of the school system’s requirements for gifted placement.