lyricb

Okay, so I know that everyone thinks their kid is brilliant, but at what point do you actually figure out that your child may be gifted? Also, is there any point to getting a young child tested for something like this?

Tom

That's a quote from the National Association of Gifted Children website. They seem to have some really good resources available.

But to answer your question more directly, I got the impression from a quick look at that website that there was no accepted standard to determine gifted.

They have a publication, "Parenting For High Potential" that sounds worth checking out.

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theglyphon

I think the question is what would the child gain by being identified as gifted? For most of their early education I feel the answer is: not much--it can even be a problem. The gifted category may get children into special programs later on in education but my personal feeling is that until high school it is simply not a useful category. We should simply be alert to the things our children enjoy and skills they wish to master and support them in that. Starting to talk about 'gifted' does have as much stigma as advantage attached to it and I tend to stay away from it and speak of more specific acheivements when they are relevant. I see some parents pushing their kids so hard, so young that they basically see learning as a chore. Unless you want the child to be a classical musician there isn't a need for it IMHO.

Tom

I agree in that I don't personally see any reason to test/identify a child as gifted. I think that we should treat every child as "gifted" and focus on educating them to their fullest potential. However I'm not sure how that is or could be accomplished practically in today's school systems.

One thing I might worry about if a child had exceptional intelligence would be humility. Does identifying a child as gifted encourage ego? At the same time I think instilling the sense of "you are special and unique" can't be lost.

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Stephanie2377

To me, the biggest impact is making sure the education fits your child's ability. If your child is gifted, then they need an education that will be challenging and tailored for their unique needs. Sadly, many of the public schools have to tailor their programs to help the lowest functioning students keep up. Thus, a gifted child can become bored and become a behavior problem.
Some schools allow "gifted" students to go to higher grades for certain subjects.
I am not a fan of "labels", but I do think it is important to provide your child with the education best suited for their needs. And, gifted children do have different educational needs often not met by the typical public school.
I do know of several public schools in my area that have a "gifted and talented" program. It is more self directed, and the teachers tailor assignments up to the child's ability. So, that is great!

mamab

I guess alot of what you decide to do should depend on the school system that you're in.

In our school system (the one my kids would be in if they went to public school), the only thing they do is put all the "gifted" kids in a classroom and give them extra schoolwork. So, there's no benefit to it. I was told this information by a local pediatrician who's on the local board of education, so he should know.

So, in my case, I wouldn't bother. It's of no benefit. In your case, if you have a good school system, it might be different. You can always ask the school's principal what type of program they have for gifted students, and when would be the best time to have them tested. If they fall in that category, they would probably want to know as quickly as possible.

SageMother

Parents should probably wait until the child gets to 3rd or 4th grade before looking at getting testing for someone who seems precocious, in my opinion. Many times performance will level off as other developmental factors begin to assert themselves.

I know of one couple whose child was described as "exceptional" by the kindergarten teacher. She would allow the child to help other students when he was done with his work. His ADHD wasn't properly diagnosed until midway the next school year and by then he just couldn't be still to work either. Go easy with a child's developmental milestones. They come in bursts and often then level off just like physcial growth spurts. If he levels off while his identity, and the parent's pride, is centered around being part of a gifted program, his slow down could be devastating to his self esteem and to the relationship between himself and the parents.

theglyphon

A good teacher had student centred learning plans so that the lesson is adapted to challenge each child whilst keeping them in a diverse group. Having been streamed into gifted classes when I was a child I think the social stigma did more harm then the so-called extra teaching did me good. I make sure the kids have good teachers but they only go for special classes for extenmsion activities like music and drama.

Data shows that unless it is based on standardised tests gifted programs are stuffed with the wealthier kids and boys picked by parents and teacher rather than those with the greater need and potential anyway. I want the school to let my children become literate, numerate and inquisative. Anything more ambitious than that is, in my opinion, premature until they are in high school and have developed some interested and motivation of their own to excell in certain areas. Fostering that independence and ambition is worth a score of IQ points any day.

Just recently I met an old friend who always crowed about his two gifted children and loaded them up with science projects and after school activities. They both resent him greatly, one is now a happy stay at home mother and the other is missing, last seen living in a squat with other drug users. By pushing them to follow him into academia he taught them to hate the very thing he valued most.

trick-r-treat

You can pretty much tell when they get all A's and are looking for more ways to learn. Like what they are getting out of school is not enough.

theglyphon

I don't think school is ever enough. It is meant to impart some basic skills and socialisatin rather than satiate a childs capacity to learn. Good schools should make kids want to learn more,not teach them that all there is to know is in the textbooks and then they can stop

The only thing I ever argued about is when a teacher gave my kid an A for acheivement and a B for effort. If she acheive and A in the cirriculum work she should be free to spend any remaining time pursuing her interests. Saying she wasn;t trying hard enough makes no sense at all. That's the kind of thing that makes me wonder if the school is the one lacking 'gifts'.