frustrated.

Patricia - posted on 12/10/2012

First of all those tests online are not accurate and he is also awfully young to a get a good read.



Besides the number is not important. You already know he is smart so do things that encourage him to keep having that curiosity and love of learning.



Also remember that a lot of children fail these tests miserably.



Yes I am not a believer in taking these tests unless they are absolutely necessary in the school system they are in.

Nicki - posted on 07/20/2009

Missy,
I suggest putting a label on your son right now on the back burner. The best thing you can do is to engage his curiosity. Take him to museums, parks and interesting places. Encourage collections and even searching about topics online. My daughter is now 13. I always knew she was gifted, but was assured later in school when she consistently scored in the 99th percentile and was asked to join the school's gifted program when she was in 4th grade. Before then, we encouraged her in what she enjoyed learning about. Our biggest challenge was to keep her socially engaged because we wanted her to be well rounded. This summer she's attending a program called CTY (Center for Talented Youth) through Johns Hopkins University. She had to take the SAT's as a 12 year old to be allowed into the program. She has chosen a course on Greek History and Language. You may want to look this up on Google. Johns Hopkins has lots of information as they do many studies for gifted education. I believe Duke University has programs too. I totally understand your curiosity, but if your child is truly gifted he will lead the way in this area. You should guide him, as any mom, with his emotional, social, spiritual and physical needs. Enjoy and don't rush it, just enjoy all is growth and development.

Elizabeth - posted on 07/18/2009

Hi Missy- I too questioned whether my then 6 year old son was gifted. Upon discussing this with the "gifted and talented coordinator" of his school, I was made to feel as though it was an inconvenience for them to administer the school's test. The "test" consisted of a 15 minutes Q/A in the school hallway. After doing some research online, I learned than the only accurate testing is administered by a professional. Now 8, my son starts his evaluation next week.

Bernadette - posted on 07/15/2009

Yes the test was wrong, and I wouldn't be freaking out. he is only 5, and besides Einstein was dyslexic and did awful in school. My daughter took the test once I forget the score but she was higher than both me and my husband, I actually scored higher than my husband and I really doubt that mine is higher than his. So you really never know.

Missy - posted on 07/14/2009

Thanks much for everything from all of you!

I KNOW my son is gifted.

After all of this worry, I just decided to keep on keeping on with him and the more research I do, the more obvious it is to me that he fits the "profile" and I know what is best for my own child.

I think that's sometimes a hard lesson to learn.

Zoriana - posted on 07/13/2009

You shoul really take him to a psychologist and have him tested. There are many different areas that he could be gifted, a computer test is not the best. These children are known to not score high in verbal areas because their communication is very different than the normal child. They tend to have problems with coordination and motor skills. You should also wait until he is at least 5 years old, in fact many doctors will tell you that the test will not be accurate until they go to the third grade.

Rebekah - posted on 07/13/2009

Hey Missy,
Curiosity got the better of us too and I had my son do an online test. I wonder if it may be the same one as he also scored in the low 100s which I found shocking. I did go into it with the idea that it was "for fun", but I thought we'd at least get in the ballpark. Either it's a complete sham that gives similar results to everyone, or there is some flaw in the test that makes it inaccurate near the ceiling. I have read that even on the "real" tests if you are scoring above about 130 you should take the extended test as it is much more accurate in the higher range.
Ah well, I am just discounting it completely because I know what he can do and it is not "average". I also have a general idea of what we're probably looking at from reading and also by comparison to family with known IQ scores. We are holding off on the "real" testing at least until he's ready to start school if it's necessary, or maybe later or not at all. I know you're closer to that juncture, so please let us know what you find/decide and how it turns out. Good luck!

Deborah - posted on 07/12/2009

Quoting Kylie:

Hi Missy, I agree with Deborah the only way to truly know is to have a test administered by a professional educational psych experienced in giftedness. Even those administered by the school can be way off - the child psych I liaised with here advised me strongly not to put faith in any psych test administered by a school as teachers are not adequately trained to evaluate children outside the norm (apologies to all teachers just repeating what I was told and it may be different o.s. - Deborah probably knows more about your system).

As I live in Aus I think things are slightly different here and in the early years of schooling - being identified as gifted does not really make too great a difference to their education anyway so it is not overly important but I get the feeling things are different in the U.S. so it might be worth knowing before you enroll him in school.

Ultimately, I think you should trust your instincts - I have read that in the majority of cases I think around the 90% mark - parents have correctly identified their child as gifted.

Kylie,

You are 100% on the mark and I failed to mention the information of finding someone who specializes in gifted. I commented on quite a few posts this morning that I forgot to add that to my comment. Oops! But you were on top of it!

So yes Missy ... if you look to test on your own, find someone that specializes in gifted children. As for testing in school, a lot of people can not afford to pay for tests and rely on the school to do the testing. Also, some schools can be hardcore about results having to come from them and not an outside source. For the most part this works. It might not yield the most accurate results but it does show the child qualifies for the gifted programs. It is when a child is Moderately to Highly gifted that the test results might have problems or that they are 2E children that this avenue is not the best. 

Look at http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/psychologis... for possible suggestions in your area.

Kylie - posted on 07/12/2009

Hi Missy, I agree with Deborah the only way to truly know is to have a test administered by a professional educational psych experienced in giftedness. Even those administered by the school can be way off - the child psych I liaised with here advised me strongly not to put faith in any psych test administered by a school as teachers are not adequately trained to evaluate children outside the norm (apologies to all teachers just repeating what I was told and it may be different o.s. - Deborah probably knows more about your system).

As I live in Aus I think things are slightly different here and in the early years of schooling - being identified as gifted does not really make too great a difference to their education anyway so it is not overly important but I get the feeling things are different in the U.S. so it might be worth knowing before you enroll him in school.

Ultimately, I think you should trust your instincts - I have read that in the majority of cases I think around the 90% mark - parents have correctly identified their child as gifted.

Deborah - posted on 07/12/2009

Missy,

If you want to get a true sense of your son's IQ you will have to pay for a real test and look for someone that has experience with the gifted. The online thing is a waste of money. Also, how old is your son? Is he in school? If he is in school, have you approached the school for an evaluation? This approach won't cost you anything.

Now if your son is still a toddler ... don't rush into testing. IQ tests are the most reliable around age 8. Most people will tell you not to test unless you have a reason to test.

Missy - posted on 07/12/2009

PS - the only questions I noted him missing while giving him the test was one where a picture showed feminine looking eyes, and asked him to choose what sort of things the eyes belonged to: beautiful woman, old man, furry cat, or handsome boy. He chose old man