Curious about something

[newlifemom]

How do you tell if your child is gifted? Is it just performing above grade level? Is it standardized testing? Is it some other type of testing?

 

I have always heard that there is a difference between being ahead of subjects and being truly gifted. How does one quantify that?

 

The reason I ask is b/c my 7 1/2 dd is currently doing 3rd grade material and sometimes I am overwhelmed by her intelligence, while other times I think she is a typical slightly precocious child. How do I tell? Should I even try to tell?

 

Thanks for taking the time to read and/or answer this.

[2smartones]

This is a good article on the subject. http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/What_is_Gifted/learned.htm Also click the "what is giftedness" link on the left of the page.

 

It's very hard, if not impossible, to tell if a child is gifted without testing. A gifted child with no motivation may be an underachiever. A bright child with a lot of motivation may be at the top of their game in every situation they encounter (school, contests, and later even job). Some kids are accelerated because they're very interested in a particular topic, while some are accelerated because they soak things up very quickly without effort and already know all there is to know about a topic (whether they want to know it or not).

 

I would rather have a motivated child than a gifted-only child. I love my children equally, but my oldest is much easier to teach than my youngest. They're equally gifted, but the oldest is very motivated. The youngest is very care-free and lazy.

Edited March 19, 2011 by 2smartones

[Crimson Wife]

Take a look at Deborah Ruf's "Levels of Giftedness". Personally, I do not consider what Dr. Ruf terms Level 1 to be gifted, just garden variety bright.

[Embassy]

I've found that this statement from http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/What_is_Gifted/whatis.htm does a good job differentiating a bright academically advanced child and a gifted child.

 

Gifted children and adults see the world differently because of the complexity of their thought processes and their emotional intensity. People often say to them, “Why do you make everything so complicated?†“Why do you take everything so seriously?†“Why is everything so important to you?†The gifted are “too†everything: too sensitive, too intense, too driven, too honest, too idealistic, too moral, too perfectionistic, too much for other people! Even if they try their entire lives to fit in, they still feel like misfits.

[momma aimee]

our son has some noteable SN -- mostly emotional and slef-regulation -- we had a full assessment done on him, and part of that was time with a PhD (we all looove her) and not only mental health but IQ testing adn so other skills testing. She talked to us about it. "he is very gifted, and i suspect the test is artifcally low due to his speech issues" :001_huh: so that is how we 'know'

 

but you'd NEVER guess it to see him :lol::lol: you'd guess the other end of the bell curve.

 

Hopeing as the SN stuff settles we can reach some of the gifted

[2smartones]

Take a look at Deborah Ruf's "Levels of Giftedness". Personally, I do not consider what Dr. Ruf terms Level 1 to be gifted, just garden variety bright.

 

I agree. I wouldn't really think of level 1 as gifted either.

 

The book goes into much more detail, and while I agree with a lot of what Ruf says at all levels, I also know that her book is not a cut & dry answer. Life experience plays a big role in some of the milestones she says children will make at certain levels. The higher the level, the more likely she's right ... at least, that's what I've seen.

[newlifemom]

So funny. I think I must come over here and ask this question about once a year and then forget about it. Thank you all so much for indulging me.

 

I read that one link and am now wondering about a couple of my kids. I have always been of the camp that, "yeah, they're bright, but that's b/c I am homeschooling them, reading to them, letting them explore their interests, etc"

 

Should it be pursued? Does it matter if there is a label or not. I mean, my ds has been initially dx'd with PDD-NOS. I have not followed up with that other than 3 years of speech and 1 1/2 years OT. He is flourishing at home and my dh and I are always working on behavior ourselves. I am open about it, but don't necessarily want a label b/c of potential problems. [non specific fears really]

 

Is it the same for gifted? I am not sure how it would make a difference in our home school.

 

Thanks for the thoughts.

[2smartones]

The label really doesn't matter unless you're trying to enroll him in gifted activities, classes, camps, etc.

[momma aimee]

So funny. I think I must come over here and ask this question about once a year and then forget about it. Thank you all so much for indulging me.

 

I read that one link and am now wondering about a couple of my kids. I have always been of the camp that, "yeah, they're bright, but that's b/c I am homeschooling them, reading to them, letting them explore their interests, etc"

 

Should it be pursued? Does it matter if there is a label or not. I mean, my ds has been initially dx'd with PDD-NOS. I have not followed up with that other than 3 years of speech and 1 1/2 years OT. He is flourishing at home and my dh and I are always working on behavior ourselves. I am open about it, but don't necessarily want a label b/c of potential problems. [non specific fears really]

 

Is it the same for gifted? I am not sure how it would make a difference in our home school.

 

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

this honest, but sad, there are times with Big is really just "acting like gooph" -- i mean his sensory stufdf is out of control, he is wound and just can't seem to make a good choice or be liveble -- i have saidf in private to my BFF i know he is not stupid, i have the paperwork to prove it and that is keeping him alive today. bad momma

[AK_Mom4]

Should it be pursued? Does it matter if there is a label or not. I mean, my ds has been initially dx'd with PDD-NOS. I have not followed up with that other than 3 years of speech and 1 1/2 years OT. He is flourishing at home and my dh and I are always working on behavior ourselves. I am open about it, but don't necessarily want a label b/c of potential problems. [non specific fears really]

 

Is it the same for gifted? I am not sure how it would make a difference in our home school.

 

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

Sometimes knowing where they fit on the "gifted spectrum" can help when you are having problems making things work with your homeschool. DD9 has always been really easy to teach - until she gets bored. Having the testing done and knowing that she's PG with some super-high scores in certain areas made it much easier for me to pick materials that stretch her a bit. For us, that's what made the testing worthwhile. It also helped me with getting the confidence to let her move at her own pace - which is often insanely fast - without worrying that we were "missing" things by skipping the repetition.

 

I would add that I'm a standing member of the "if it aint broke, don't fix it club".

[Ester Maria]

(nevermind, too long, too theoretic and with too much personal info)

Edited March 20, 2011 by Ester Maria

[newlifemom]

http://www.riverpub.com/products/cogAt/pdf/cogATshort.pdf will tell you the difference between stanine 7,8 and 9. Much more informative than the Ruf levels.

 

Fascinating. Thank you. I have much to think about so I will say thank you ladies, you never fail to amaze me. :D

[Crimson Wife]

http://www.riverpub.com/products/cogAt/pdf/cogATshort.pdf will tell you the difference between stanine 7,8 and 9. Much more informative than the Ruf levels.

 

But I would not personally consider stanines 7 & 8 to be "gifted", just garden variety bright (they represent the 7th & 8th deciles). And because the CogAT has a relatively low ceiling, it isn't all that useful for gifted kids unless one tests out-of-level.

 

Stanines in the 9's on the CogAT are an indication that the family should consider further testing such as an individual IQ like the WISC or the Stanford-Binet and/or talent search tests like the EXPLORE, SAT, or ACT.

[Crimson Wife]

The rule of thumb for me is that gifted can not only see the dots, they can connect the dots and extend.

 

Dots? What dots? Oh, you mean the quarks. Did you know that there are supposed to be six flavors of quarks (and their anti-quarks), which come in pairs? Each has an electric charge of +2/3 or -1/3...

 

And I'm sitting here :blink::huh::confused1:

[Sevilla]

Based on the reading I have done, giftedness is best determined accurately around 3rd grade because by that point later bloomers have had time to catch up with everyone and you can more clearly see what is gifted vs. what was just developing on the earlier end academically (ex. A 4 year old who is reading may be gifted, or may just be highly verbal and grew up in a literate home where a parent took the time to teach them. But by age 9, it will be much more clear which category the child falls into :)).

[TKDmom]

Based on the reading I have done, giftedness is best determined accurately around 3rd grade because by that point later bloomers have had time to catch up with everyone and you can more clearly see what is gifted vs. what was just developing on the earlier end academically (ex. A 4 year old who is reading may be gifted, or may just be highly verbal and grew up in a literate home where a parent took the time to teach them. But by age 9, it will be much more clear which category the child falls into :)).

 

But from what I have read, by age 9, many children (especially girls) have learned to mask their giftedness, and will not test as well as they might have when they were younger.

 

Reading Dr. Ruf's books really opened my eyes to how you really can see differences when they are very young. I have been noticing all sorts of things that my 18 mo old does that indicate giftedness. With my oldest, I thought some of these behaviors were normal, but after observing other people's kids and reading about giftedness, I can see the difference. Gifted children are not just faster--they may even be slower in some areas. They really do approach life from a different angle than most people.

[Crimson Wife]

But from what I have read, by age 9, many children (especially girls) have learned to mask their giftedness, and will not test as well as they might have when they were younger.

 

There are also ceiling issues to worry about if the child is suspected to be one of the higher levels of giftedness.

 

FWIW, my DD's 3rd grade EXPLORE scores are what would be predicted by her WPPSI score at age 4 3/4. I personally believe with a young child, IQ scores are much more likely to underpredict (because the child may not be terribly cooperative) than overpredict.

[Jen500]

Dots? What dots? Oh, you mean the quarks. Did you know that there are supposed to be six flavors of quarks (and their anti-quarks), which come in pairs? Each has an electric charge of +2/3 or -1/3...

 

And I'm sitting here :blink::huh::confused1:

 

:lol:

I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you. :)

[Ritsumei]

The label really doesn't matter unless you're trying to enroll him in gifted activities, classes, camps, etc.

 

I'm going to have to disagree. The reason is in the next sentence from the same article. I read the original quote (in small letters below) to my husband, and he said exactly what I was thinking: "That's describing me." We've had many conversations about why are we so different, what makes us so odd, are we just being crazy? The next sentence from that article nails it right on the head:

 

People often say to them, “Why do you make everything so complicated?” “Why do you take everything so seriously?” “Why is everything so important to you?” The gifted are “too” everything: too sensitive, too intense, too driven, too honest, too idealistic, too moral, too perfectionistic, too much for other people! Even if they try their entire lives to fit in, they still feel like misfits. The damage we do to gifted children and adults by ignoring this phenomenon is far greater than the damage we do by labeling it. Without the label for their differences, the gifted come up with their own label: “I must be crazy. No one else is upset by this injustice but me.” (emphasis added)

 

The label isn't just ego. It's not bragging to admit the truth. And knowing that there is a reason for the differences makes it easier to deal with. The label helps with finding the answer, with being OK in our own skin. Realizing that our kids are likely gifted, possibly PG, in part means that they'll also need to, at some point, have a reason for WHY they are different from their age-peers... and it's obvious already at 4.5 years & 8 mos.

Edited March 25, 2011 by Ritsumei
Cuz I wrote it at midnight and the next morning it just didn't make *sense.*

[HoneyFernDotOrg]

One of my very favorite articles on the subject: http://www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html Scroll to the bottom for excellent observations on "Myths of the gifted."