TracyP Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 :tongue_smilie: but I am curious. Is there any way for an adult to find out if they are "gifted"? I was in an "academically talented" program in school but I had to stop after one year because my parents couldn't afford to pick me up (vs. riding the bus). So many things I am reading ring true to me but I never really thought about it before. I see some signs of low level giftedness in my own kids and that makes me even more curious. I see some parents posting who are gifted. How do you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 How do you know? How do you ever know, for kids too? All you have are various imprecise tests which work on the principle of exclusion from the imagined "average" majority. There's no way to adequately measure giftedness in adults or in children. It's all putting people on an imaginary line based on where they stand compared to other people based on criteria and tests which, as any tests, can "measure" only so much. I can't really pinpoint what makes a person gifted, let alone think of a good enough measure instruments for the amount of that "quality", if it's a single quality at all. :D My personal suggestion to you is not to obsess the tests, scales and alike, both for you and the kids - ultimately they hardly mean anything - and to work on pursuing your talents and maximizing your potential. "Gifted" is just a label, after all. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Gifted Grownups by Marylou Streznewski is an interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I've never been tested, but I just assume that I am. Perhaps that sounds arrogant and presumptuous, but it helps me to explain a lot of things, both bad and good. It explains why as a child, I could never understand why we spent so much time learning things and why I was bored in school. It explains why I was getting in trouble for not doing my school work but instead was doing the work of the older kids (but not turning anything in). It explains why I had a hard time relating to other kids my own age. It explains why when I started dating and had my first boyfriend, we argued all the time about the vocabulary that I used and which he didn't understand. Most gifted grownups do not go around saying they are gifted or smart or whatever. But having these explanations can really help to put things in perspective. For years, my self-esteem really suffered due to a lot of these issues, and having this perspective really helps me now. I also think this knowledge will allow me to help my gifted daughter to avoid some of these issues herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaDSB Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I didn't know I was "officially" gifted until I was in my late 20's and got the idea of sending in my LSAT scores to Mensa. Until then, I struggled a lot with why it was so hard to find like-minded peers. You can look at the Mensa website and see how you go about sitting for a test. They accept people over 130, which is the top 2% and the generally accepted cutoff for "gifted". If nothing else, it might be sort of fun to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 If you took the SAT long enough ago, MENSA will accept your SAT scores, which you can correlate to their other tests and guesstimate where you would fall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 They were the only people who ever got my jokes. Nobody else EVER laughed and thought I was weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I don't see the purpose of joining Mensa, honestly I've always wondered what makes people do it. Saying this as somebody who did indeed pass their cutoff (took a test out of joke when I was younger). What's exactly the purpose of Mensa, what do you do as a Mensa member? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaDSB Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 I don't see the purpose of joining Mensa, honestly I've always wondered what makes people do it. Saying this as somebody who did indeed pass their cutoff (took a test out of joke when I was younger). What's exactly the purpose of Mensa, what do you do as a Mensa member? I dunno. I just wanted to see if I could get in. After that, I got the newsletters for awhile, but didn't see any opportunities for anything, so I stopped paying the dues. That's in Canada though. There might be more available for US members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 I dunno. I just wanted to see if I could get in. After that, I got the newsletters for awhile, but didn't see any opportunities for anything, so I stopped paying the dues. That's in Canada though. There might be more available for US members. Aaaah, I get the purpose now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted February 21, 2010 Author Share Posted February 21, 2010 I've never been tested, but I just assume that I am. Perhaps that sounds arrogant and presumptuous, but it helps me to explain a lot of things, both bad and good. It explains why as a child, I could never understand why we spent so much time learning things and why I was bored in school. It explains why I was getting in trouble for not doing my school work but instead was doing the work of the older kids (but not turning anything in). It explains why I had a hard time relating to other kids my own age. It explains why when I started dating and had my first boyfriend, we argued all the time about the vocabulary that I used and which he didn't understand. Most gifted grownups do not go around saying they are gifted or smart or whatever. But having these explanations can really help to put things in perspective. For years, my self-esteem really suffered due to a lot of these issues, and having this perspective really helps me now. I also think this knowledge will allow me to help my gifted daughter to avoid some of these issues herself. Thank you so much. This is really why I am curious. My "friends" made fun of the way I talked and I could never relate to my peers. I see this happening with my kids now. DD has more in common with older kids but they don't want her around because she is little. She doesn't notice but it bothers me. I want some reassurance that this is because something is "right" with us not "wrong" with us if that makes sense.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 I agree with pp about checking the Mensa website for test scores if you took the SAT long enough ago. You might also want to read the book Smart Girls - I found it enlightening. http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Girls-Psychology-Giftedness-Revised/dp/091070726X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266772967&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsacco Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 I'd never heard of MENSA yet I qualify based on my SAT scores - interesting. My kids are amused though - LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 I don't see the purpose of joining Mensa, honestly I've always wondered what makes people do it. Saying this as somebody who did indeed pass their cutoff (took a test out of joke when I was younger). What's exactly the purpose of Mensa, what do you do as a Mensa member? I've never bothered joining MENSA either, but I've heard good things about their HS subgroup so periodically I consider it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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