Hi Lurker Here- Question

LillyGrrl

Hi I'm a long time bumpie but I usually just lurk on this board. I have a 3.5yr old DD and I have a question regarding giftedness.

1. Has anyone here had their child tested for or been told that their child is gifted?

2. What was the process? Did you have to have the child independently tested? What were the characteristics he/she exibited that made you believe he/she was gifted? Did your child's teacher address the issue with you?

3. If your child was identified as gifted what was your next step?

I have no idea if our DD is gifted or not. She displays a lot of "gifted" qualities but she may not necessarily be identified as such. Her teachers at her pre-school have never mentioned this but my aunt (a teacher for over 30 years) recently told me to have her tested. I am not sure if my aunt (who I am very close to) is showing bias (I think she is) or if she has identified in my daughter something that our pre-school is currently missing.

I don't want to make a big deal out of this and I won't be disappointed if she's "normal" but I am concerned that if she is "gifted" that we should consider an elementary school with a program for gifted children.

I really don't want to be flamed-I am asking a serious question. I would like to hear from other parents who have gifted children so I can identify more definitively with whether mine is. As I said, my only concern is that if she is that she's in a program designed for her (no different than a child with a learning disability).

Thanks for the serious responses.

pea-kay

My kids are just normal (ha ha) but there was a mom in our triplet group who had a 3 year old who just spontaneously started reading one day, so yeah, I think he was gifted. But I digress. I know locally there are public and private testing services for three year olds, because some of the schools require it. Maybe call some local schools and see what they say?

Andrewsgal

Okay I have to ask what makes you think your three year old is gifted? 

LillyGrrl

Yeah, that's not a bad idea. As I said it is my opinion that she may have a few "gifted" qualities but that her actual intelligence level may be normal. I will say though that my husband was tested at a very high degree of intelligence when he was about 5 years old. I am normal in every way (lol) so it would stand to reason that she would also test at normal levels of intelligence.

I don't want to leave any stone unturned for her. She's always had issues sleeping, she tells me she can't turn off her brain. She is very focused but extremely active and has a very high emotional IQ (this is something her teachers have identified in her). I am wondering if her sleep issues are related to anything. *shrug*

I am in the process of finding an elementary school outside of our district (closer to where my husband works) so that in and of itself is a process. I'll call around the schools I am looking into and find out how they identify gifted children.

LillyGrrl

I don't really- I think she has some qualities of giftedness. And I just knew one of you guys would ask this so that you can tell me your child displays the same behaviors, and he/she is just normal. Well thank you. I am not getting into it. I had a serious question about testing because I don't want to overlook anything with her.

The thought of testing was never a thought in my mind until my aunt mentioned it (as I said I believe she has a bias) and I put the notion out of my head. But lately I've been thinking about it.

What a shame it would be if she were gifted and I didn't have her tested. I don't really care if she is or isn't. But if she is I'd like for her to be in a place that challenges her. My husband was lucky they tested him early because he would have languished in school had it not been for that, and it was mostly his parents that sought the testing.

I know everyone wants their kid to be the next nobel prize winner, I have no interest in that. My only interest is getting my daughter the education she needs to succeed at life.

ridesbuttons

I'd consider going to the special needs board and paging Auntie on this.

 

Aimathy

I definitely can't speak about any school district other than the one that my children attend (16, 12 and 4)....but I've heard that many districts are similar to ours in that they don't really identify "gifted" anymore and they just use differentiated instruction.  They will teach a child at the level they are on, or give them the opportunity to get enrichment as need be, but they will always leave the child in their age appropriate class.  They feel that the children need to function socially with others their own age in a "mix" of kids (from the gifted to the academically needy) and then their work is based on what they are capable of.  Most of the time it just means that a group they are in is doing more advanced work, or they are participating in academic activities as part of a small, specialized group that will focus on things that the general class couldn't handle.  There are times that they will send a child to another grade for a class.  For example, my son is in advanced math for 7th grade but he has a child that is in his class AND is sent to the high school each day for one period to take an advanced class, and then returns to the middle school. 

Sorry to make this so long, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that many districts don't offer "gifted" classes the way they once did.  I would say check with your local education department first and see what they tell you.  If your daughter is off-the-charts gifted, there may be private schools or groups she could be associated with or maybe you'll be lucky and your district will provide a separate program for the gifted children.  But start first with what is offered in the school and ask them what they recommend for having her classified as such.  Good luck!

LoveEeyore

My DH and I differ on our opinions here.  I think DD is not gifted, but certainly bright.  Dh's IQ is reportedly off the chart (MIL won't let me forget because I am certainly not as smart as he is) so he thinks she's a genius.  But she was reading at 3.  Haven't been able to lie about what wasn't available on on-demand in a year and a half.  She is mature, and plays with numbers and language by counting to 10 by counting evens in one language, odds in another.  I love languages, Dh loves numbers- she's a dream- LOL!

We are testing her now.  We want to have the facts before we decide what to do for kindergarten.  We may go private, may homeschool for 1-2 years, may push for her to go straight to first grade.  Don't know.  Everyone is red-shirting these days, so we question pushing.  But she holds herself back to help her siblings, or at school she holds back to help the special needs students.  I am leary of her being the oldest in school.  Some days I think she is a cool adaptable kid who will thrive wherever, other days I think letting her go the typical route will hold her back and affect her entire educational career (my giftedness is in drama). But getting a professional opinion will help.  She is being evaluated through a psychologist who works through our pediatrician.  SO I would recommend you start with your pedi.

 

jlw2505

My sister just moved and as part of the testing for placement for both her kids (6th grade and 3rd grade) they tested the kids and had both test for their advances (giftd) programs.  If I recall correctly, my niece only tested for the English (reading,etc) program and my nephew tested for a special program at their elementary school and was a point below in one subject only so he didn't get into the program.  Everything was just done in the school as part of the regular process of testing the kids.  At my kids elementary school, they just observe the kids during the school year and place the kids in different groups based on their levels in that subject - it is not an all or nothing thing and it works the same as the kids who need special ed.  Parents can request that their kids be tested but I have no idea how that process works (my kindergarten gets some special ed so I only know it from that side of the process).  The program is just part of the normal programs that the school offers and they teach the kids at the level they are at by breaking out into small groups.