Is my 6 year old gifted?

Jean - posted on 02/16/2012

Personally, i was the same way. I read the lord of the rings trilogy at the age of six, and at the same time started working with mathematical concepts taught in pre-algebra. However, both my iq test score was reflective of this (which i took last year). Now, as an eighth grader, I have begun to realize these things, and so i have gathered a sizable amount of information, regarding gifted, from a variety of sources (such as articles, and psychiatrists, among others). I've learned that it can be difficult to define, and characterize an individual as gifted because that is precisely what they are: an individual. Rarely do people quite fit the mold of gifted because everyone is a different person with different strengths and weaknesses. I would stress that you should accommodate his abilities and needs accordingly, just as they would be for anyone else. When working with gifted children, people tend to over-think things without ever really addressing that which should be addressed. If your son is capable of reading and writing at a higher level, then make sure he is given the opportunities to do so. From my own experiences, i always wanted to be treated normally, but to just have the added element of more challenging work, which i have now sought out. Use your better judgment, if he is happy do not push anything, but if he is not then intervene and make the necessary adjustments to allow him to obtain happiness (which is really the most important thing of all).



sorry, i just realized the name of this website was "circleofmoms" and that i was posting on my mom's account.

Gwen - posted on 02/03/2009

Hi Deborah, thank you for all the information and link.  The site was very informative. I'll will definitely read more about it.

Deborah - posted on 02/03/2009

Gwen,

I am responding with only book knowledge on this but this is what I got. First, I am taking a wild guess here but from the stuff you described and his intensity upon obtaining that information he is probably profoundly gifted. Terms like self-started and memorizing the entire calendar are major flags for profoundly. What you described about his test results and how he did in the process of the test is not shocking. The highly gifted child will get annoyed with such obvious questions and chose not to answer them. My suggestion is you seek out a tester that has experience working with the gifted. The tester have most likely experienced this type of reaction and have ways to work with it. This might mean you will have to pay out of pocket for it. There is a list of testers on hoagies website who are familiar with gifted.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/psychologis...

But trust your gut. I mean I haven't even meet your child but from your short description of him I can tell he is gifted and am really sure he is highly gifted and even more so shows signs of being profoundly gifted. So you can push to have him retested next year but know the results might be identical especially if it is the same tester. Also to answer your question the ideal age is 8 yr. 0 mths. So your son is a little young but not that far off and I have heard that at 6 the data is usually close to the test at 8.

Hope that helps.

Jennifer - posted on 02/03/2009

I'm right there with you! My son David was able to write his entire name David Gabriel Chapkovich when he was 2 (He's now almost 6-1/2). He's always been in to making up his own games and he loves using his drawing pad. He's created books and stories. He even wrote a whole poem just for me as an early Valentine's Day present. Both teachers that he's had so far, Kindergarten and First Grade have both said he's extremely bright. He's in an excellerated math and spelling program this year and it's worked out well. I just emailed his guidance counselor and asked what measures had to be taken to have David tested for the gifted program for the next school year. We'll see what kind, if any, response I get. Good luck! :-)