How do you know if your child is gifted?

[Mattsmom]

Or just really smart and quite advanced for their age? I know my son is advanced but I don't know if I should call him gifted. He's no Einstein but can do alot of things his peers can't do. Does gifted give room for error? He's really good in Math and can read, but doesn't always get the problems right or say the words right. Is there an online test somewhere to give me an idea of what they should know at his age? He's 4.

Thank you

[LiamnEmma]

giftedness is a way to give information regarding IQ. A person is considered gifted if s/he has an IQ score of 130 or above, given an IQ test with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15. I think people have all sorts of giftedness, but I think the way you're looking at it is in the IQ terminology. Online IQ tests are not particularly rounded--then again, some would argue that no tests are truly rounded. I guess I'd ask myself why it mattered if I could call my child gifted? What will it grant him? kwim? Lest you think I'm judgmental about the idea of giftedness, I know my ds' IQ on a traditional (actually, nonverbal) IQ test (gave it to him myself : ).

[NoHiddenFees]

I recommend visiting Hoagies:

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

Go to "Gifted 101". You'll find links to sites that list characteristics that can help to identify giftedness in young children. In addition to the wealth of information at this site, there are also tonnes of great recommendations for additional reading.

Hoagies recommends professional testing, especially for gifted children going into public schools. I would be very leary of any online testing. For homeschoolers it's less of an academic issue because the curriculum is more or less tailored to the child's abilities anyway. However, there are potential ramifications to giftedness beyond the academic. I belive that identification through testing would allow homeschooling parents of children who are more than moderately gifted to better meet their children's emotional and developmental needs. There are a number of good books that talk about these issues... a sense of aloneness and need for private time is a common theme, as is a heightened sense of social justice.

[mamagarden]

Children are gifted in so many ways. Studies show EQ Emotional IQ is far more important than IQ I can understand why you would want to have him tested though since he is only 4 and can already read. Hope you find what you are looking for.

[Dar]

Why would it matter if your child could qualify for the gifted label? What would you do differently?

I carried that label all through my school years, and it's heavy sometimes. It has never been necessary for me to label or test my daughter, because it really does't matter to us if she's 5 grade levels above the average 10 yr old in reading... I don't have to worry about the mythical average ten yr old's needs, I only have to wory about meeting her needs.

Dar

[Lucky Charm]

I would add, that because my child is "gifted" and "labeled" as such, he is in a different curriculum in school. His classes are totally different. This has made a world of difference! He was actually getting "F's" because he wasnt doing his work. Now he is much happier. (different language every nine weeks, a science class thats totally hands on with experiments, etc).

[serenetabbie]

If I were still homeschooling Ds (we started, but he really wants to go to school ), I would never have had him tested. We would have continued to work at the pace set by Ds. However, since he is going to go to the local private school, I did. I am glad I did even tho it gives him a label. Without the testing the poor kid would have been stuck in an understimulating environment.....possibly a target for riddalin since he gets antsy when bored.

IMO Matt is at least a very bright child I have been told 4 year old kids are not expected to read on a basic level or do any math barring counting. You can look up your local public schools admission test online, if you cannot find it give them a call. They should be able to tell you what they use. They are available to view, or at least they are here. Here the public school uses STEPS. I forget what the private school used.

[Dar]

Originally posted by sweetbaby3
I would add, that because my child is "gifted" and "labeled" as such, he is in a different curriculum in school.

But this is the homeschooling board. It may matter in the world of school - I did get to go to "gifted class" in school and it was the best part of my week - but with homeschooling, you can pick any curriculum (or none at all) without needing any labels.

Dar

[darlindeliasmom]

I don't have to worry about the mythical average ten yr old's needs, I only have to wory about meeting her needs.

This is very true...and I think that it helps to know that gifted kids are different, not just "smarter" than their peers. I think hoagies is invaluable for this reason...

I have found the info on perfectionism in a gifted child really helpful in my approach to dd. I think a parent could definitely end up pulling their hair out about this, and some solutions can be found if you know what resources to look for...

[serenetabbie]

You are right of course, Dar....but like darlindeliasmom said, even HS may have need for different recources. Matt being only 4, perhaps Mattsmom is looking for a spring point for his education. You would not want to buy/invest in material that you would not use...kwim?

[serenetabbie]

BTW that Hoagies site is great!

[barbara]

Get all the resources you need, but don't forget to listen to your child!

I've learned more about learning styles and giftedness from my child (children) then from any book. Each child will teach you about themselves if you will simply listen and observe.

Remember that often lables are confining and inhibiting.

[Mattsmom]

Thanks for all the advice, and yes I'm just basically trying to get an idea of what to do with him. I'm kinda stuck at this point. He really really wants to go to school but I have my reservations about him getting the right placement. I would love to homeschool him all together but I just don't think he would be as happy. I asked him what he wanted to do, homeschool or go to school and he said BOTH! So now what :

Thanks for the info ladies

[mamagarden]

I asked him what he wanted to do, homeschool or go to school and he said BOTH! So now what?

You can do both he can be enrolled as a part time student and only take the courses he wants to take. And do the rest at home.

[mamagarden]

I have found the info on perfectionism in a gifted child really helpful in my approach to dd. I think a parent could definitely end up pulling their hair out about this, and some solutions can be found if you know what resources to look for...

Exactly how I feel. This has helped me deal with my ds's obsessive need for neatness and perfectionism. I would not have understood it otherwise. That Hoagies website gave me alot of insight into the mind of my child thank you to the mama that posted it. I spent hours reading the info on there and learned so much information about why my son behaves the way he does.

Thanks

[serenetabbie]

He said Both! What a great answer
In that case I would check out the schools and see if there is one you think will suit his needs. If not, homeschool. I plan to continue to follow Ds' lead on what he wants to learn on his own, even tho he will be going to school. Education does not end when the teachers go home

[marbles]

On the idea of doing both...

We have a program in my community where children who homeschool are welcome to join in at the school for music and phys-ed classes...BOTH?

[Alexander]

Neither EQ nor IQ are always good indicators of giftedness.

How do I tell when I encounter one? Insight mainly.

There are many attributes that can be particularly well developed in children of a young age, and this is often misinterpreted as "giftedness". This is because our current definition tends to be bent towards satisfying the "Industrial Age Education Model" of wat is useful for the Industrial Age Social Machine.

But true giftedness, as in child insightfulness is more about potential at a young age than premature achievement. I've occasionally been in the position of being able to cultivate a truly gifted child from a young age. Most often the parents don't "get it" and the educators lable them as "slow" or "ordinary".

By the time anything blossoms, the kids are ground into the machine.

Very sad.

I've been flamed in other places for these views. Hope I can make someone think affresh, even if it's only one.

a

[member234098]

You have to have your child tested to see if they are gifted...

Then you get him/her on a list to get into a program for the gifted. .... I.Q. 140+, last heard when I worked in the public schools.

If you are in a public school, this may be just before your child's 50th birthday, depending on race/ethnicity.....

Which is the problem with I.Q. tests in the first place, they were developed by eugenicists.

[tarasam]

I think you just know if your child is gifted. You probably are around other children his age, so you can see if he's one of the only ones who's advanced in certain areas. You probably also know by checking the age range on his toys and books. I knew that something was up when I noticed that our son was spending more time playing with toys gauged for children a year or more older than he was.

Our son is gifted. He started reading without assistance when he was 2.5 and now (a year later) will read a 70 page chapter book in an afternoon, just because he loves books. He can do simple computations, addition and subtraction mostly, in his head. He also has good spatial relations skills which manifest themselves in tasks like puzzle-solving (he can whip through a 50 piece puzzle in about 10-15 minutes) and mapreading (he can tell us step by step how to get from point A to point B, a la "turn left on Elm Street, then turn right onto Route 233"). Anyway, it's apparent to us that these are not average skills for 3 year olds. I do get a fair amount of comments from strangers and friends, especially when they notice that he can read competently. So I don't need a test to tell me that he's developmentally advanced in some areas.

Now, there are other areas where he's average, and some where he is delayed (like fine motor skills). The mind is an incredible varied thing. One reason why we're not sending him to school is so that we can accommodate his different abilities. If I ever need to get him tested, I will, but I feel no rush in getting the "magic IQ" number to tell me where he is on the scale.

Tara