BEYOND THE COMPOSITE SCORE: A MULTI-SOURCE ASSESSMENT SYNTHESIS OF COGNITIVE, MOTOR, AND ADAPTIVE PROFILES IN A STUDENT WITH MILD INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

Abstract

This paper presents a case-based synthesis of six converging assessment sources for a seven-year-old student with a chromosomal abnormality and mild intellectual disability, interpreted through Berman and Graham's (2018) educational casework framework and the ATRiUM capability domains. While three independent cognitive instruments administered across four years converge on a stable Full-Scale IQ estimate, subtest-level analysis reveals marked heterogeneity, with verbal knowledge in the average range contrasting sharply with impaired nonverbal reasoning and working memory. Cross-source evidence identifies fine and gross motor delay as a systemic barrier to curriculum access, one that suppresses adaptive behaviour scores independent of conceptual ability. Attentional difficulties emerge as an under-assessed but functionally significant concern. Findings are situated within Australian legislative obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Disability Standards for Education 2005, and the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data. The synthesis argues that rigorous, multi-method interpretation is essential to avoid deficit narratives and to support legally defensible, strengths-based, barrier-removing instructional adjustment.