HELP! Referring my kid for Gifted Program

[Silliest]

Argh!

I suppose I should be grateful that they allow parent referrals at all, eh?

The form we have to submit has a checklist of 17 "behaviors" like advanced vocabulary, analogy-use, imagination... and a 4 point ranking. If you indicate a 3 or a 4 on any of these items, you're supposed to provide examples.

The thing is, I am so not an observant detail person... I *know* my kid is not "typical" because of the shock that I get when I deal with her age-peers. I know it beacause of the shock others get when they deal with her. I know it because I'm her mama, and I know these things <LOL!> But writing down *specific* examples that fit into the rather narrow criteria is just kind of defeating me.

The form has to be in fairly soon, so I don't think just keeping a diary is going to get me very far, and have I mentioned I'm GT/LD myself? <LOL!>Organizational skills are... well.. I'm a lot better at them than I used to be, but that's not saying a lot.

This is tough!

Anyone BTDT and got any advice?

[TiredX2]

Honestly? Mark what you think and make stuff up if you have to. Also, is there anyone you can ask? Perhaps if you listed the categories we could lists some possible scenarios which would help you remember. If they want additional information later they can ask.

Has DC had a teacher (preschool?) that could help fill it out? They might know *exactly* what is being looked for.

[Silliest]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

Honestly? Mark what you think and make stuff up if you have to.

<LOL!> That's about what I was thinking!

I can certainly come up with stuff that is "like her", but trying to come up with an accurate reconstruction of an acutal event without going off on 15 million tangents.. ugh!

Originally Posted by TiredX2

Also, is there anyone you can ask? Perhaps if you listed the categories we could lists some possible scenarios which would help you remember. If they want additional information later they can ask.

That's a thought! Thanks. Parallel-processed creative writing. Yummm!

Originally Posted by TiredX2

Has DC had a teacher (preschool?) that could help fill it out? They might know *exactly* what is being looked for.

Nope. She attended a daycare briefly in New Zealand about 2-3 years ago, but they were very "Steiner"-influenced, and actively discouraged signs of advanced development. We pulled her because of it. Other than that, she plays with other kids at the playground and in the family, but there's a lack of "trained observers" at our disposal.

I was hoping for cheat-notes with the attitude of "just get her in there, we'll sort out the details later ;->"

here's the list, if anyone has clues. I'm going to sit down with DP tonight and go over it. Only thing is, he's only known her for 8 months... that's a mixed blessing. He sees more of certain things than I do because I'm used to her, but he tends to dismiss some of the "trends" I notice because I *am* used to her. <LOL!>

1. unusually advanced vocabulary for age
(what the heck is normal for a 5 yo?)
2. able to express ideas in a variety of ways
(yeah, when she's trying to talk her sister out of a toy!)
3. keen observer "gets" more out of stories than others
(okay, sure, but how do I pick one?)
4. interested in "adult" problems, religion, politics, philosophy
(problem here: many of her adult interests are slightly taboo. the human body and it's functions. Do they really want to know that she knows everything there is to know about how food turns into poo, pee and a growing body, and how that food gets to a fetus, and how the fetus grows? Or about her declaration that people are stupid for burying dead people and wasting all that good compost? Or that it's dumb to cry when somebody dies because they're *gone*, and it only makes sense to cry when they leave *you* on purpose? Or her observation that god makes about as much sense as Santa Claus? ..er...)
5. uses analogies
(all. the. time. and bad puns, too.)
6. finds humor/irony in situations where others don't see it
(yep. constantly. I just can't put my finger on pnly*one*.)
7. generates many ideas/solutions to problems
(see #2)
8. sees logic and common sense, breaks problems down into component parts
(usually when trying to figure out how to get away with something)
9. rapid insight into cause-effect relationships, wants to know how/why
(OMG, no! She will tell *you* how/why, and god forbid the reality should differ from her theory!)
10. curiosity about many things, constantly questioning
(every. waking. minute.)
11. large knowledge base about many subjects
(not really. insanely large knowledge base about a few topics, yes)
12. quick mastery and recall of factual information
(when it's to her advantage <LOL!>)
13. persistent at task completion, may be difficult to transition
(beyond belief)
14. initiates independent learning
(especially about stuff we'd rather she didn't learn about)
15. accepts academic challenges with enthusiasm
(nope. try to "teach" anything and she turns off like a light, answer her questions and she'll argue with you, try to "guide" and she'll balk like a mule.)
16. reads alone, prefers above grade level material (optional for K)
(doesn't admit to reading. prefers above-level material be read to her)
17. shows outstanding academic progress in academic areas (optional for K)
(n/a)
18. Other information or concerns.
(plenty to add here, but I'll save it ;->)

[Charles Baudelaire]

Well, in addition to carrying a note pad and pen wherever we went so I could write down things my daughter said that used advanced vocab, analogies, et cetera, I'd query other people and ask them if they can think of specific examples of what your daughter's said or done.

Originally Posted by Silliest

Argh!

I suppose I should be grateful that they allow parent referrals at all, eh?

The form we have to submit has a checklist of 17 "behaviors" like advanced vocabulary, analogy-use, imagination... and a 4 point ranking. If you indicate a 3 or a 4 on any of these items, you're supposed to provide examples.

The thing is, I am so not an observant detail person... I *know* my kid is not "typical" because of the shock that I get when I deal with her age-peers. I know it beacause of the shock others get when they deal with her. I know it because I'm her mama, and I know these things <LOL!> But writing down *specific* examples that fit into the rather narrow criteria is just kind of defeating me.

The form has to be in fairly soon, so I don't think just keeping a diary is going to get me very far, and have I mentioned I'm GT/LD myself? <LOL!>Organizational skills are... well.. I'm a lot better at them than I used to be, but that's not saying a lot.

This is tough!

Anyone BTDT and got any advice?

[m&m]

Is this a specific program you are entering? I'm asking because here we have only interviews, previous teacher's reports, or testing (whish may or may not show anything anyway and is done at 8).

My dd is gifted. I've known since infancy.

We have chosen to homeschool because the only gifted school around is WAY too expensive and in another city.

I have found that doing seraches for giftedness on the net can be really helpful. They provide examples, lists, and support groups. All of which could be helpful to you.

One of the biggest things about giftedness is an asynchronisity in development. In other words there is always an area where the child is at or below level while many or most of other areas are way above level. The most common being an oversensitivity to emotional or physical stimuli.

http://www.gcabc.ca/Default.aspx


As for examples, I have found that there are way too many in each. But going from what really stands out can be most helpful. For example at 19 months (early talker) my dd would correct our grammer (very annoying from a toddler). We remember one occasion she was crying and screaming and asked us why we had the car stopped. So dh said " we are waiting for a red light" and she says "No, we are waiting AT at red light, FOR a GREEN one!"