Gifted testing?

[Guest Goatspots]

I've been reading some of the previous posts on here and have found a ton of information. I've seen where many people have had their child tested as being "gifted". Who does this testing? How did you know?

My DS is 6 and DD is 3 (almost 4). Both are very bright and catch on to concepts very quickly. DS is currently doing 1st grade work in every subject except science, which he is doing 2nd grade. He loves math and finds it super easy so I find I'm going at a much quicker pace to try and challenge him a bit more. I'm reluctant to move to the 2nd grade level book until we finish the 1st grade one because I want to make sure he doesn't miss any important concepts. So far he's made a 100 on every math quiz & test in the book so I know he's still not being challenged enough. He plays a lot of math games online and typically they are 2nd grade level. Would you consider a child to be gifted simply because they are more advanced in a couple of subjects? I've never considered our children gifted, mostly I feel the other children we are around are not given the opportunities and encouragement for learning. Should I have our son tested to see if he is gifted? What is the purpose of the testing (other than the obvious fact that you now know)? Any comments welcome.

[3Blessings]

No answers- but wondering about this myself. What are the real advantages of the label "gifted" and how many of us use that term too liberally? It is really a very small portion of the population.

 

Looking forward to replies.

[Grover]

IMO there's no point unless there's a reason, for example, access to a programme or support for the child or parents. In our case we hoped to gain information that would help us and a school meet our son's needs. As it turned out it confirmed for us that school wasn't going to cut it - so it helped but in a different way to what we expected.

 

The testing is done by an educational psychologist or C level tester trained in the the assessment of gifted kids, and they administer a norm referenced assessment of ability (and often achievement as well).

 

Advanced performance in one or more subjects does not always mean gifted. Delayed performance in one or more subjects also does not always mean gifted. It's sometimes helpful to *know* your chid is gifted when you are trying to work out why they think the way they do / respond the way they do to situations. It's also been useful to me in understanding and accepting that he actually does understand what he appears to understand, and it's ok to move on, because there's no point flogging a dead horse.

 

Just adding - another "advantage" is for the child himself - DS is already well aware he's different to other children, and with this information we can help him understand why he's different and understand some of the things that go along with giftedness (perfectionism, over sensitivities, etc) and that can help him accept himself more, and is good for his emotional wellbeing.

[psychmom]

I should qualify my response by saying that I'm a psychologist who specializes in testing, so my opinion is biased...

 

That being said, I would never have thought of testing my own children (currently ages 6 and 4). However, two major reasons led me to having my own dd tested when she was 5. 1) I was learning a new IQ test and using my dd (then 4) as a guinea pig. I knew she was bright, but had no idea she would score so high. And 2) My dd had several behavioral issues (eg., incontinence, hand-flapping, anxiety) that were frustrating, and my dh and I wanted assurance that her behaviors were not due to an underlying problems such as Asperger's.

 

I found a psychologist who specializes in testing gifted children, and although the testing itself didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know, it provided me with an unbiased opinion and also gave me some peace of mind that my daughter's behavior could be attributed to something (i.e., giftedness). As much as labels are annoying (and misleading at times), they also give you some sort of framework for understanding human behavior.

 

I would also add that if you decide to try testing, be choosy about who does it. Most psychologists know little about giftedness (myself included, until I had my dd), and may not choose the right tests or interpret them correctly. Hope that helps!:001_smile:

[boscopup]

Should I have our son tested to see if he is gifted?

 

Does it matter if he's gifted or not? You can adjust his curriculum per his pace, regardless of his IQ, right? :) I think most people who get their children tested do so either to get into a particular program (often school related) or to explain quirky behavior. If you are just needing permission to let your son go at his own pace... we all grant you permission. :D

 

I have not had my older son tested. I'm curious, but not curious enough to spend money when we have no reason to actually know what the number is. I let him work at his own pace.

 

My middle son, I'd actually like to get tested in some manner to see what I'm dealing with, as he has some definite quirks. As far as academics though, testing wouldn't help me there. I meet him where he is, wherever that may be. He is homeschooled, and his schooling is going quite well so far.

[zaichiki]

If you are just needing permission to let your son go at his own pace... we all grant you permission. :D

 

It's not always that easy.

 

I get enough people asking me or implying things, that I'd be continually doubting my assumption of giftedness in my kid(s). Thankfully, I *do* have the test results, so no matter what anyone says, I will be able to shrug it off. Some people are more confident, I guess. I always *thought* I was the confident type, but I guess I'm not. I second guess myself a lot.

[zaichiki]

It's sometimes helpful to *know* your chid is gifted when you are trying to work out why they think the way they do / respond the way they do to situations. It's also been useful to me in understanding and accepting that he actually does understand what he appears to understand, and it's ok to move on, because there's no point flogging a dead horse.

 

Just adding - another "advantage" is for the child himself - DS is already well aware he's different to other children, and with this information we can help him understand why he's different and understand some of the things that go along with giftedness (perfectionism, over sensitivities, etc) and that can help him accept himself more, and is good for his emotional wellbeing.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[JadeOrchidSong]

I also wonder if my ds6 is gifted.

Edited October 29, 2011 by aomom

[nov05mama]

I have not had my older son tested. I'm curious, but not curious enough to spend money when we have no reason to actually know what the number is. I let him work at his own pace.

 

:iagree:

[LisaKinVA]

We did test our oldest. He scored about where I thought he would score, based upon some on-line information (found in places like hoagies). ETA: we had his testing at Johns Hopkins University. I might be able to find someone locally, but I know JHU would do a thorough job, and it's a fairly easy drive.

 

We have not felt the need to test our oldest dd... she's going to be 10. Although she didn't follow the same developmental path as our oldest, her IQ seems to be around the same level, BUT with the driven (don't hold me back) personality lacking in our oldest son.

 

I am feeling the need to test our 8yo son, more to look for hidden LD's (dyslexia). I know he is dysgraphic... but wasn't concerned about dyslexia, as he didn't seem to have any difficulty reading. However, some things that were developmentally appropriate at 5-7, are still "hanging on," and some other red flags are coming at me. I have a feeling, we will have a comprehensive screening for him.

 

I don't think there is any need to rush out and test when a child is very young. I think you can wait a little while (7-9 or so?), will probably give more accurate results.

 

The only other caveat I have is that these tests are not predictors of anything. They are a snapshot of your child at a particular point in time. Just because a child scores 145+ on a test does NOT mean they will be heading to college at 15. Some may, but not all will. It also does not mean that just because your child can read at a high school level at 6 or 7, doesn't mean they are ready for high-school level analysis of those books (or any books).

 

It's easy to get caught up in how amazing these children can be, and what the future might hold for them. Stay firmly rooted in the here and now... and let the future take care of itself. :001_smile:

Edited November 1, 2011 by LisaK in VA
additional information

[JeanM]

We had my oldest tested when he was five because we were thinking about enrolling him in a private school that required testing. He had some very high scores and some very low scores, and I think it was helpful to have external validation of both his highs and lows.

 

His testing was done at a University, but there are private psychologists that can do testing. There's lots of information here:

 

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/testing.htm

[Dmmetler]

My DD was tested as part of an evaluation for an ASD at a University medical school-she had enough strange behaviors that we knew SOMETHING was going on, especially at daycare. The diagnosis was, basically, that this was what a very gifted, very young child could act like, especially when they were bored out of their mind in a group care setting.

 

We did some really minor testing through the school system to get her a GT label on entering K, which let her enter a year early and gave her once a week pull-outs for math and reading (and her teacher permission to let DD not do the regular curriculum). GT falls under child find here, so with my requesting testing and supporting documentation from her preschool teacher and pediatrician, they did it. I was warned that if I waited to request until AFTER she started Kindergarten, they wouldn't test until the end of 2nd grade, so it was better to start the process at age 3-4.

 

I don't really plan to test again (other than the minimal stuff required for school records purposes) unless there's a need. As long as we're homeschooling, I can't see paying for the involved testing needed for Davidson or anything like that.

Edited November 1, 2011 by dmmetler

[Happy2BaMom]

The testing helped give us validation to hs. We were already thinking about it, but we were really surprised by how high ds was (we were really rather clueless about giftedness - I'd recognize it more now) and it made us realize that a regular ed class just wasn't going to be a fit for him. So it was very helpful in that regard. And it has since given us a basis to get him into Davidson, not that that is the Holy Grail, but I think they offer some nice services.

 

However, as I wrote about in another post, even with ds's abilities, we really don't accelerate much. We focus much more on enrichment and adding depth. I really like what Richard Ruscyzk had to say on the perils of focusing on acceleration in The Calculus Trap, even though that one's just about math.

 

So I think it comes down to what you hope to know with the testing. Entrance into another program requires it. Sometimes even just parental validation about what you are observing is worth the price. However, a lot of times you can't do much with the information and there's always the possibility you'll push your child too hard if the results are higher than you expected.

[zaichiki]

Sometimes even just parental validation about what you are observing is worth the price.

 

I'm one of those parents who needs that validation in order to have enough courage to go for what the child needs. I'm always doubting myself: I'm easily swayed by those who say "well, the chances are SO slim..." or "well it works so well for so many others, like X,Y, and Z, who are brilliant!"

 

Sigh.

[Happy2BaMom]

I should add that the tests were also very helpful when we tried to get ds into the separately-housed gifted program at our local school district. Ds failed the second part of their testing process - miserably. The school wouldn't accept outside test results ("just because a child has a very high IQ and very high academic achievement does not mean he or she thinks like a gifted child"....WTH?) So my kid can get into Davidson, but not into the local school district's gifted program.....go figure.

 

But our own test results helped us not to doubt ourselves or our son. Which was worth a lot at the time.

 

On a side note, what's rather ironic is that only 10 first graders made it through the district's testing process, even though they tested more than 100 high-scoring kids. Then they didn't have enough for a whole gifted class, so they put them all in a regular-ed class with a teacher who was supposed to differentiate for them. Except that particular teacher didn't believe in gifted education, so the kids got nothing. So these 10 kids were being bused from all over the city to sit in a classroom were they got the same thing they'd get at the school down the street. PTL we didn't get into the "program"!

 

So that was another area where it was helpful for us. And I'd second the poster who said to be careful where you go. My criterion was that I wanted someone who focused and dealt with children exclusively, and whom had a long track record of working with kids.

[musicianmom]

I am having my daughter tested so I can find out if her constant overreactions are caused by gifted-related overexcitabilities, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, or something else.