Case Vignette: Mika’s Assessment Journey
Client Name: Mika L.
Age: 14
Grade Level: Grade 9
Referral Reason:
Mika was referred for psychological assessment by her class adviser due to a noticeable decline
in her academic performance, particularly in mathematics and reading comprehension. Teachers
report that Mika often appears distracted, has difficulty completing tasks on time, and sometimes
avoids classroom participation.
Developmental History:
Mika met her developmental milestones at the expected ages. She started speaking in complete
sentences by age 2 and walked independently by 13 months. Her mother reports that Mika has
always been a “quiet but observant” child.
Medical History:
No history of serious illnesses, head injuries, or diagnosed neurological conditions.
Psychosocial Background:
Mika lives with her mother and younger brother. Her parents are separated. Her mother notes
that Mika has been more withdrawn since the separation, which occurred two years ago.
Behavioral Observations During Assessment:
Arrival and First Impressions: Mika arrived on time but appeared hesitant to enter the
testing room. She had minimal eye contact initially, clutched her backpack tightly, and
answered introductory questions with short responses.
Rapport Building: The psychologist warmly greeted Mika, engaged in casual
conversation about her hobbies, and explained the day’s schedule clearly and slowly.
Mika seemed to relax slightly after about 10 minutes.
Instruction Following: During subtests, Mika carefully listened to instructions but often
asked for repetitions, especially for tasks that involved multiple steps. She appeared to
want to perform well but sometimes second-guessed herself.
Effort and Persistence: Mika displayed consistent effort throughout the session. Even
when tasks became difficult, she did not give up but showed visible signs of frustration
(e.g., tapping her pencil, sighing).
Attention and Focus: Her attention was mostly sustained but wandered occasionally
during longer tasks, particularly during working memory and processing speed activities.
Short breaks were provided after every 3 subtests.
Processing Speed Tasks: Mika appeared notably slow and cautious. She double-checked
her answers rather than working quickly, resulting in low processing speed scores.
Test Environment: The room was quiet and free of distractions. Standardized materials
and timing procedures were followed. The psychologist used encouraging but neutral
comments (“You’re doing fine, let’s keep going.”) and avoided giving feedback about
right or wrong answers.
Assessment Tool Used:
WISC-V
16PF (Adolescent Form)
Teacher interviews
Client observation
Notes from previous guidance counselor from Grade 6
Anecdotal feedback from classmates (via email)
Grade reports from the past five years
Parent interview
Online behavioral checklist
Socioemotional self-rating scale
Family genogram
School disciplinary record
Handwriting samples
Test Results and Interpretation
🧮 Simplified Scoring Sheet
Index Raw Score Scaled Score Composite Score Percentile Rank
Verbal Comprehension (VCI) 31 8 90 25th
Visual Spatial (VSI) 28 9 95 37th
Fluid Reasoning (FRI) 26 7 85 16th
Working Memory (WMI) 20 6 80 9th
Processing Speed (PSI) 18 5 75 5th
Note to students: Composite Scores have a mean of 100 and SD of 15. Scaled Scores have a
mean of 10 and SD of 3.
WISC-V
Mika obtained a Full Scale IQ of 85, indicating low-average intellectual functioning.
Her Processing Speed Index of 75 is very low and suggests significant cognitive
impairment.
The Working Memory Index of 80 indicates probable brain-based executive
dysfunction.
These results show that Mika may have a neurodevelopmental disorder such as ADHD,
dyslexia, or possibly early signs of a mood disorder affecting cognition.
16PF
Mika’s high Sensitivity, Apprehension, and low Self-Reliance scores point to emotional
fragility and poor coping skills.
These findings also suggest a submissive personality structure that could predispose her
to anxiety disorders, dependency traits, or difficulty adjusting in adolescence.
Her moderate Reasoning score further suggests that her intellectual struggles are
widespread and likely worsening.
Global Personality Themes
Mika is introverted, overly sensitive, and intellectually vulnerable.
She is likely struggling with parental separation, social identity, and possibly emerging
personality pathology.
This is consistent with her quiet behavior, her low test scores, and her emotional
overinvolvement with her mother.
Summary and Recommendations
Mika’s results suggest a complicated psychological profile marked by:
Cognitive impairment
Emotional instability
Submissiveness
Dependency traits
Possible underlying psychopathology (e.g., ADHD, anxiety, emerging personality
disorder)
Recommendations:
1. Referral to a psychiatrist for medication management
2. Enroll Mika in an intensive academic remediation program
3. Provide parent-focused therapy
4. Weekly psychotherapy to address identity, trauma, and attachment
5. Strong consideration for transfer to a smaller school environment
6. Psychoeducational re-testing in six months
