Spin off... if your child gifted?

[HelenePA]

Poll coming

Okay I'm not gifted and can't remember how to make them into polls anymore...

Did your child graduate Harvard at 5? become a dr at 10? cure a disease at 12? lets hear about all those gifted kids we have here on the dis...

 

[LIDisneyFan]

Poll coming

Okay I'm not gifted and can't remember how to make them into polls anymore...

Did your child graduate Harvard at 5? become a dr at 10? cure a disease at 12? lets hear about all those gifted kids we have here on the dis...

Based on what I read that is pretty much every kid here!

 

[HelenePA]

Based on what I read that is pretty much every kid here!

Not mine! So i'd love to hear about all those great wonderfully gifted kids out there! Mine are "normal" one is below normal. I am a dis mom failure!

 

[diznygirl]

Why do posters just assume "gifted" means you are lying about your precious snowflake?

 

[CPT Tripss]

All the women here are strong!

 

[KimR]

Here we go again....

 

[lustergirl]

Based on what I read that is pretty much every kid here!

You got that right Everyone ones' kids are straight A students,never been in trouble,are just perfect wonderful little children.

 

[Disneyadore]

No my child is not gifted but is condemned to work his whole life for those that need special treatment in school and still will not be able to work their whole life.

 

[golfgal]

If you go by the REAL definition of gifted, no, my kids are not. If you go by a "school" definition, yes, they are. Our oldest has a 165 IQ-tested by a psychologist when we were testing him for learning disabilities. He does not meet the "true" definition of a gifted child because he doesn't have the thought processes of a truly gifted child. Our other two are VERY good students, bright, pick up on things easily but they are just great students, not gifted. They are both in the top 10% of their class, both get A's, take AP level courses, etc. but they aren't like DD's old boyfriend that started taking high school math in 6th grade and is now taking college level calculus as a sophomore.

Now, our DD is a gifted athlete in golf. She has amazing natural ability with the golf and scores as well or better than other kids that work with swing coaches, sports psychologists, etc. all year round. She plays a few times in the winter and once or twice a week in the summer.

 

[HelenePA]

Why do posters just assume "gifted" means you are lying about your precious snowflake?

is that directed at me? I dont assume anyone is lying.. I'd really LOVE to hear about what other kids have been able to do in their short lives... I dont think I know any really gifted kids around me... It seems there are a ton here.. How did you know they were gifted? ppl talk about them being tested what kind of test is it? how do you go and ask for it at school? I honest to god want to know.. My dd8 is smart... gifted? I dunno.. how do I go about finding out?

 

[SC Minnie]

DD is bright but she is not 'gifted'. I have never liked that term when schools use it for accelerated classes. Few kids are truly 'gifted and talented'.

 

[Magpie]

First, define "gifted".

If you're going with this...

High IQ:

Mildly Gifted -- 115 to 129
Moderately Gifted -- 130 to 144
Highly Gifted -- 145 to 159
Exceptionally Gifted -- 160 to 179
Profoundly Gifted -- 180

Then yes, many children here are likely gifted and they have the paper and everything to prove it.

FWIW, I happen to know a few adults with tested IQs in the 150 to 180 plus range. (I'm talking real, official tests, not on-line test.) None of them have cured cancer. One works in a book store. One is a stay-at-home mom. One is a senior civil servant. One is a security guard who likes to build rockets in his spare time. They're very, very ordinary people, doing normal, ordinary things, who simply come across as a little quirky and nerdy.

If you're actually interested, look at Terman's studies of gifted children, from childhood to adulthood.

From Wikipedia:

The results from this study showed that gifted and genius children were actually in good health and had normal personalities. Few of them demonstrated the previously held negative stereotype of gifted children. Most of those in the study did well socially and academically in school and had lower divorce rates later in life. Additionally, those in the gifted group were generally successful in their careers and had received awards recognizing their achievements. Though many of the “Termites” reached their potential in adulthood, some of the children did not perhaps because of personal obstacles, insufficient education, or lack of opportunity. (Bernreuter, Miles, Tinker, & Young, 1942)

 

[Schmeck]

Well, my oldest was valedictorian of her class, and is now at MIT, but her penmanship is dreadful, she eats like a monkey, and she smells funny...

 

[Feralpeg]

I don'tl know that DD is gifted. She was a gift to me! She took a lot of honors classes in high school for which she worked very hard. She graduated from high school with a 4.0 average (non-weighted). She graduated from FSU Magna Cum Laude. I assume part of that is because she is bright, but most of it was because she applied herself and really cares about doing well.

In September, she will start working on her masters in Midieval History at the University of Leeds in England. We'll see how she does outside of the US system.

 

[okeydokey]

I am trying to figure out the point of this thread. Is it to cause yet another argument over gifted kids and their educations, is to make fun of families that have gifted children, or is it an opportunity to brag about our children? In either case, I think I will pass.

 

[castleview]

None of my children are gifted that I'm a aware of. But they are bright, curious, and do well in school (two of them, jury is out on the third ) Like any parent, I want my kids to live up to their potential, thus I want their educations to be intense. Unfortunately in this current state of testing, catering to kids not doing well, and mainstreaming kids (some of whom will not catch up) - anyone average or above is being ignored.

 

[HelenePA]

it really isn't to make fun of those with gifted... at least that's not why I started it.. I really do what to know how you found out that your child was gifted... what these tests are that they've been given... like I said I dont think I know any really gifted kids. there seems to be a lot here... please tell me about them..

 

[castleview]

it really isn't to make fun of those with gifted... at least that's not why I started it.. I really do what to know how you found out that your child was gifted... what these tests are that they've been given... like I said I dont think I know any really gifted kids. there seems to be a lot here... please tell me about them..

I have only come across a few gifted kids. Every grade level must identify the top 5% of students, so it is relative. In our school system, anything above 120 on the OLSATS is the first step in identifying a child. However, in another school system the minimum score may be 130 or 140. When gifted programs are put together - if they are put together, a small number of kids doesn't justify that size so they tend to round it out with bright kids.

 

[tmarquez]

DD(8) is not gifted, but they keep trying to make her "gifted". Every year they have her take some test (sorry I have NO idea what it is and all I could ever get out of her is that they asked her something about the equator?!).

She always "fails" the test...which is fine...I just don't know why they keep doing it. Maybe they get additional funding for more gifted kids?

From what I undertand the gifted program is extra field trips and being pulled out of class once a week to work in the gifted room.

I don't know anyone that has a REAL gifted kid...like Dougie Houser.

 

[SLK1]

I saw this yesterday: Every child is gifted. Some just open their packages later than others.

I LOVE that!

To answer OP's question, I have two who have tested in the "highly gifted" IQ range and two who are very, very average. What does any of this mean? Absolutely NOTHING. It means they get pulled out of class once a week to participate in a "gifted" class (IMO, that is the worst term ever). Other than that, once they hit high school, it all goes away and I have found that kids who aren't labeled "gifted" may have the drive and determination and work ethic to pull ahead of the pack and really shine. DS is "highly gifted" but has the motivation of a rock, so although he does fine in school, that "highly gifted" label plus a nickel might get him a bag of chips.