The Performance Scale of the WISC-R was administered to 60 female and 65 male hearing-impaired subjects. The only significant sex difference found was on the Coding subtest, with females outperforming males by a mean scaled score difference of 1.77 points (t = −3.087, p<.01). Subtest intercorrelational results suggest that deaf females possessed significantly better visual-motor coordination and speed, while males demonstrated better spatial analysis and synthesis skills. A principal factor analysis procedure yielded only one factor for each sex. The high degree of factorial similarity between the female and male samples indicated that the underlying construct being measured by the WISC-R Performance subtests does not differ by gender.

Using a sample of 49 prelingually deaf youths, test results of the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (H-NTLA) and the WISC-R Performance Scales for Deaf Children were compared. The H-NTLA was administered using the standard demonstration and/or pantomine instructions, while a total communication directional set was used with the WISC-R. A Pearson product-moment correlation of .913 between the two instruments demonstrated overwhelming commonality and supported the hypothesis that the WISC-R Performance IQ may provide a conveneint alternative to the Hiskey-Nebraska when the score is computed using the Anderson and Sisco deaf norms and a total communication approach for administration.