Spin off... if your child gifted?

[mjantz]

My DD would probably be considered 'gifted' if she was in a public school. She gets high straight As at an academically strenuous charter school. She also took the PSAT as a 5th grader & scored higher than 90% of all 8th graders who take the test. There are other things from the time she was little that lead me to believe she is 'smarter than the average bear'. I think a lot of it has to do with her personality. She is driven to succeed & do her best & is much harder on herself than I ever could be.
OTOH, my son is bright but average. He takes AP classes but doesn't ace them & he has to study harder than DD for his grades. He also doesn't have the internal drive that DD does so we have to push & be on him more.

 

[golfgal]

There's not one child truly gifted child here on the Dis. I'd bet my house on that. I think the youngest high school graduate that's been mentioned here was 16 years old. Nothing to go wow about.

Graduation age has nothing to do with giftedness--many kids just aren't mature enough to be out of high school early but that doesn't mean that they aren't gifted. A boy that graduated with our oldest-took 27 AP exams-got a 5 on EVERY one of them---by sophomore year in high school--many of the tests he just took the exams (especially the math and science ones) because he was BEYOND what they were teaching in college. He was doing specially designed math programs from the MIT math department his junior and senior year. He was a national chemistry Olympiad finalist too. Now, try to have a conversation with the kids and oh boy---nice kid but no real social skills.

DD's old boyfriend, taking high school level math in 6th grade, taking advanced college level math as a sophomore--he is most defiantly gifted in math.

There, can I have your house now.

 

[vgrandy]

I meant truly gifted, as described in the original post. There are tons of high school graduates at age 16. This thread is asking about the truly gifted, those who have graduated COLLEGE at that age and younger. Think Doogie Howser.

I think my house is safe.

except the definition of "truly gifted" is not "graduated from college at an early age" It is "IQ over 130." which is the top 98 percentile of the population. Maybe what you are interested in is "profoundly gifted" or the top 99 Percentile?

And to the pp who asked for a link. I really wouldn't mind if you read my daughter's report though there is no link. It's not like they post IQ scores online.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I can't imagine ever thinking of one of my children as "gifted". Whether it be an official recognition of intellect or not, I think it is a bit conceited.

My boys have strengths and weaknesses. We all do.

 

[Aisling]

Again, the original post asked about truly gifted children. The ones who are so advanced that they NEED to take ALL college-level courses at 10 years old just to be challenged. We're not talking about gifted classes that 90% of children on the Dis take.

Again, think Doogie Howser.

Are there any parents of Doodie Howser's here?

There a young man named Michael Keane who was famous in the 1990s because he was a truly gifted child who graduated college at age 11 but wanted a career as a game show host. I loved it! Those are the kids I'd love to hear about, what it's like to raise them, etc.

 

[Aisling]

except the definition of "truly gifted" is not "graduated from college at an early age" It is "IQ over 130." which is the top 98 percentile of the population. Maybe what you are interested in is "profoundly gifted" or the top 99 Percentile?

YES! That's what I was referring to. Thank you.

Are there any parents of profoundly gifted children here on the Dis?

I remember there was a message board out there a few years ago by parents of these children, and I LOVED lurking. So interesting. I wish I could find it again, if it still exists.

 

[daisyduck123]

I meant truly gifted, as described in the original post. There are tons of high school graduates at age 16.

Just throwing this out there, because I have to say, "No, not tons".

 

[MoonFaerie]

YES! That's what I was referring to. Thank you.

Are there any parents of profoundly gifted children here on the Dis?

I remember there was a message board out there a few years ago by parents of these children, and I LOVED lurking. So interesting. I wish I could find it again, if it still exists.

Dang, so darn close to winning a house. According to the breakdown posted earlier in this thread DS is only exceptionally gifted. I know no one will believe me, but whatever. He can and does pick up my college level science books and can read them and understand them and discuss them. He'll be 8 next month. Maturity wise he's still very much a 2nd grader though.

 

[Aisling]

Just throwing this out there, because I have to say, "No, not tons".

Yes, there are, although maybe not where you live. And this goes back YEARS. I graduated high school at age 16. So did my brother and one of my sisters. We were in the SP program in NYC where students go from 7th to 9th grade, skipping 8th grade. There were 3 classes of these students in my school alone. We were born in November and December, and so graduated at age 16.

The SP program is no longer active, but with all the other programs we have now, there are still tons of them.

Anyway, I thought this thread was about kids who are profoundly gifted, not regular gifted. That's why I keep referencing Doogie Howser and Michael Keane.

 

[Aisling]

Dang, so darn close to winning a house. According to the breakdown posted earlier in this thread DS is only exceptionally gifted. I know no one will believe me, but whatever.

OMG, was I speaking poorly about exceptionally gifted children?? Why the exaggeration??

I'm amazed by the profoundly gifted children, that's all. It would have been cool if there were some of those parents here. That's all. Sheesh.

And see ya. People are too defensive over a simple thing. Have fun being upset over nothing.

 

[Sydnie]

I think the problem we are having here is semantics.

OP you aren't talking about gifted children, you are talking about child prodigies. Gifted children will make up 1-5% of the children in any population so of course there are many, many gifted children here on the DIS. Understandably their parents are going to start to bristle if you insistently claim they are not "really" gifted when they have been tested as such.

Child prodigies are much rarer and it wouldn't surprise me if there were only a few in the wider DIS community, or perhaps none.

 

[janabananas]

Both of my boys are in the GSP program at their school. My oldest was recommended to be tested by his K teacher because he was an overacheiver and completely bored with school at 5. He tested high enough to enter the program and placed in the program. He has the ability to get straight a's but doesn't. He is not "Doogie Howser" gifted.

My youngest was recommended to be tested for learning disabilites and it was determined that he was gifted instead. He gets poor grades and refuses to write anything. Two different courses to get to the same result. He is also not "Doogie Howser" gifted.

The gsp program that my kids are in is not just about getting out of class once a week and going on extra field trips, as someone mentioned. The kids I have encounteed in the past 6 years (and more to come) think differently and are in need of the extra stimulation they get: problem solving and creative thinking exercises that they receive once a week. Their brains are wired just a bit differently. The field trips they go on, that I have had the pleasure of being a part of, have been in conjuction with competitions, Odyssey of the Mind and Future Problem Solvers, that they have been preparing for for several months. They have to keep their grades at a certain level in order to participate in these activities.

I have not read the other threads many people are referring to, nor do I intend on "flaming" anyone. I do think people have a tendency to overstate their kids abilities to make themselves feel better. I have encountered them at OM and FPS. Some are loons.
However, most of the parents I have dealt with on a regular basis (the parents of the kids that are in my guys school) have their heads on their shoulders and are realistic about their kids abilities.

I was never in a gifted program, but I got all a's in school and did very well in college. I also do not think my kids are any better than anyone elses, nor are they my little "snowflakes". I am pretty realistic about them, and about their abilities and inabilities.

EDIT: as to the above post about the child prodigy, I know my kids are not this! I wish they were though, they would be making me money
And with all the gifted kids I have encountered over the past 6 years, I have never met a child prodigy, those are truly far and few between.

 

[MoonFaerie]

OMG, was I speaking poorly about exceptionally gifted children?? Why the exaggeration??

I'm amazed by the profoundly gifted children, that's all. It would have been cool if there were some of those parents here. That's all. Sheesh.

And see ya. People are too defensive over a simple thing. Have fun being upset over nothing.

No! Not what I meant. It was because the free house was for profoundly gifted. It was a joke. I'm not even close to upset. Or I wasn't. Now I feel like an *other word for donkey* for making a joke that didn't translate without inflection.

 

[Magpie]

Yeah, that about sums it up. Gifted kids are few and far in between.

In the end, is it that important for someone to prove on a message board that their child is gifted? I choose to believe that most of the gifted claims on the DIS are not entirely true. You want to prove that your claim is true. Does it really matter?

I knew I'd regret answering the question...

Of course it doesn't matter. But no one likes to be called a liar.

 

[Magpie]

YES! That's what I was referring to. Thank you.

Are there any parents of profoundly gifted children here on the Dis?

I remember there was a message board out there a few years ago by parents of these children, and I LOVED lurking. So interesting. I wish I could find it again, if it still exists.

http://disc.yourwebapps.com/Indices/9457.html

It's not active any more.

 

[Aisling]

No! Not what I meant. It was because the free house was for profoundly gifted. It was a joke. I'm not even close to upset. Or I wasn't. Now I feel like an *other word for donkey* for making a joke that didn't translate without inflection.

Oh dear, I'm SORRY! My mistake!!

I knew I'd regret answering the question...

Of course it doesn't matter. But no one likes to be called a liar.

If your child is profoundly gifted, I'd LOVE to hear some about it!! One of my favorite movies ever is Little Man Tate, about a child who was profoundly gifted that he attended college at age 9 or 10. If your child is like that, please tell us about it! I always thought I'd be scared to have a child with that kind of intelligence abilities. I love the TV shows that profile them and show how the parents often feel overwhelmed by the intellectual needs of their child, and how these children go into neuroscience research and things like that by the time they're 16 years old!

 

[Aisling]

http://disc.yourwebapps.com/Indices/9457.html

It's not active any more.

If you find one, PLEASE let me know!

 

[YodaGirl]

Honestly, I see a lot of this just being a peeing contest, or at the very least, very fertile ground for one.

"My kid is smarter than your kid."
"My kid is more gifted than your kid."
"Since my kid isn't considered gifted, everyone else is lying."
"My kid is gifted because (s)he can stand on his/her head and sing the alphabet backwards to the tune of 'Gilligan's Island'."

If we're talking about gifted (as in mildly - profoundly gifted - i.e. an IQ of 115+), then I'm sure many children of DIS parents qualify.

If we're talking genius level (IQ of approx 160+), then obviously those numbers are going to be lower.

Just because one person doesn't have a "gifted" child, doesn't mean someone else doesn't.

And, no, I have no idea what my child's IQ is. Sometimes she has moments were she seems to be very smart, and other times she has "duh" moments. In comparison to other children her age, she seems to be average - and that's fine. She is who she is. There will always be someone smarter, someone who is more of a perfectionist, someone who is more of an over-achiever - and that's fine, too.

I think the problem we are having here is semantics.

OP you aren't talking about gifted children, you are talking about child prodigies. Gifted children will make up 1-5% of the children in any population so of course there are many, many gifted children here on the DIS. Understandably their parents are going to start to bristle if you insistently claim they are not "really" gifted when they have been tested as such.

Child prodigies are much rarer and it wouldn't surprise me if there were only a few in the wider DIS community, or perhaps none.

I completely agree.

 

[princessmom29]

YES! That's what I was referring to. Thank you.

Are there any parents of profoundly gifted children here on the Dis?

I remember there was a message board out there a few years ago by parents of these children, and I LOVED lurking. So interesting. I wish I could find it again, if it still exists.

You do realize the determinatino of "gifted" depends completly on IQ or aptitude testing, right?It has nothing ot do with how early they graduate or go to college, and nothing to do with the emotional maturity necessary to do somethinhg like be a doctor or do scientific research. A kid can have an IQ of 190 and still not graduate college at 10 or be Doogie Howser. Not all profoundly gifted children do that. You are looking forthe kinds of stories that get media attention. Most porfoundly gifted children aren't looking for that kind of attention. They don't ewant ot be singled out as "freaks". I teach one of these kids who is also on the autism spectrum. He is beyond gifted. Solves complicated claculus problems in his head as a freshman, but cannot function in IB English becuase his written expression is not sufficient. He probably could have moved on to college math and science at 13, but his parents chose no to subject him to that kind of scrutiny. He takes dual enrollmenyt courses at our high school instead. Not every gifted child wants to be in the position of being in college at a young age.

 

[daisyduck123]

Yes, there are, although maybe not where you live. And this goes back YEARS.

Yes. You said it yourself. Years ago, kids were skipped much more often than they are nowadays. When I was a kid, I knew a lot of kids who skipped a grade...including my sister. How many kids do you know whom this has happened to recently?

Now, it is rarely done.