Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello,
This is my first post and would like to say thank you for the chance to participate here. I am looking for very basic information and am hoping someone can offer some very basic guidance.
My wife and I live in a small, rural town about an hour from Dallas. Our child is in the 1st grade and is very bright. He has traveled to several other countries, attended other schools, is bilingual and is a very good reader.
In short, my topic is not about us trying to measure his intelligence. What my wife wants to determine is if our child is "placed correctly" in school, and is not "stuck" in a class "suffering" because he quickly becomes bored with the subject matter.
Our son has no emotional problems, no temper problems, and is very friendly. I guess you could say is 'everyone's friend' in class. But, the complaint we receive the most is that he is sometimes distracted in class. He might not follow through on directions. Sometimes he may take more time than he is allowed. I guess you can say sometimes he just "marches to his own tune."
His test scores are through the roof, so we're not at all concerned that he isn't learning. He just says "everything is too easy and that school is boring."
My wife wants to have him evaluated by a psychologist to make sure he is not ADD or something. She is a college professor who just does not want him to perhaps be a super-gifted child who could some how be scarred if left to suffer in an incorrect setting.
I hope this made some sense. We don't want to brag on our child, but don't want to dismiss anything either. The school has an advanced program, I think, but I think it's solely based on some test. Also, the teacher says she has never seen anything like this - and she is very highly respected. He's no Einstein, doing the work of a 15 year-old. He's just bored in school because he learns fast and we need something (if there is anything) to present the school if there is evidence to re-place him some how.
It may be ADD, but that diagnosis opens up a whole can of worms. To many schools ADD = $$$. They label the kid as having a learning disability, even if they have average or above average intelligence.
As for AP classes, the earliest the begin is middle school/junior high. Other than magnet schools there just aren't many options for gifted children at the elementary school level.
If your child is exceptional, you could move and find and good public school system, enroll him in private school, or do some at home enrichment in addition to his regular school work.
There has been some evidence that bright students are being lost in the shuffle so to speak. Like your son the kids get bored, and as they get older they start cutting class or sometimes even drop out. Schools in Texas, particularly rural areas tend to put much more focus on sports, rather than academics.
It may be ADD, but that diagnosis opens up a whole can of worms. To many schools ADD = $$$. They label the kid as having a learning disability, even if they have average or above average intelligence.
Well, by definition learning disability means someone has an average IQ or higher, but their performance is much lower. They process information differently using a much less efficient part of the brain. They need to be taught differently and they need modification and accommodations which is why they end up in special ed even though they have an average or higher IQ.
For this poster, "advanced placement" is probably not what you mean as that is the program Mary was talking about and is not at the elementary level. Schools are very relunctant to skip kids ahead into higher grades. I don't know of any that do it, in fact. You might seek out the gifted program for his grade level.
I would not pursue an ADD dx unless your child is having real problems. It's not worth it otherwise. It'll give your child a stigma among the teachers and staff even though it is a legitimate medical dx.
You might also read some books about the education system in America. It might help you understand why your child is so bored. For instance read a book by John Taylor Gatto.
Well, by definition learning disability means someone has an average IQ or higher, but their performance is much lower. They process information differently using a much less efficient part of the brain. They need to be taught differently and they need modification and accommodations which is why they end up in special ed even though they have an average or higher IQ.
For this poster, "advanced placement" is probably not what you mean as that is the program Mary was talking about and is not at the elementary level. Schools are very relunctant to skip kids ahead into higher grades. I don't know of any that do it, in fact. You might seek out the gifted program for his grade level.
I would not pursue an ADD dx unless your child is having real problems. It's not worth it otherwise. It'll give your child a stigma among the teachers and staff even though it is a legitimate medical dx.
You might also read some books about the education system in America. It might help you understand why your child is so bored. For instance read a book by John Taylor Gatto.
maybe things have changed since I got out of school, maybe GISD was bad with disabled students. GISD compares apples to oranges, they lump mild things like ADD and Dyslexia is with something more severe Downs Syndrome. Not cool in my book.
I agree that ADD is a stigma. I've seen intelligent kids with things like dyslexia get treated like morons, and highly intelligent kids fall through the cracks.
I would look into the LEAP program. It's an English and social studies class for gifted students that usually starts around the first or second grade. Your son has to take a test in order to get into the program, if your school offers it, so it's unlikely he would be placed into the higher level class by mistake.
Hello,
This is my first post and would like to say thank you for the chance to participate here. I am looking for very basic information and am hoping someone can offer some very basic guidance.
My wife and I live in a small, rural town about an hour from Dallas. Our child is in the 1st grade and is very bright. He has traveled to several other countries, attended other schools, is bilingual and is a very good reader.
In short, my topic is not about us trying to measure his intelligence. What my wife wants to determine is if our child is "placed correctly" in school, and is not "stuck" in a class "suffering" because he quickly becomes bored with the subject matter.
Our son has no emotional problems, no temper problems, and is very friendly. I guess you could say is 'everyone's friend' in class. But, the complaint we receive the most is that he is sometimes distracted in class. He might not follow through on directions. Sometimes he may take more time than he is allowed. I guess you can say sometimes he just "marches to his own tune."
His test scores are through the roof, so we're not at all concerned that he isn't learning. He just says "everything is too easy and that school is boring."
My wife wants to have him evaluated by a psychologist to make sure he is not ADD or something. She is a college professor who just does not want him to perhaps be a super-gifted child who could some how be scarred if left to suffer in an incorrect setting.
I hope this made some sense. We don't want to brag on our child, but don't want to dismiss anything either. The school has an advanced program, I think, but I think it's solely based on some test. Also, the teacher says she has never seen anything like this - and she is very highly respected. He's no Einstein, doing the work of a 15 year-old. He's just bored in school because he learns fast and we need something (if there is anything) to present the school if there is evidence to re-place him some how.
many thanks.
When you say he has attended other schools, what do you mean? It sounds as though he has done a lot of things for a very young age.
Just a thought but perhaps as a result, he's grown used to being in transition, and the added attention or added excitement/stimulation a child might get due to that? If that is the case, he may be having a harder time slowing down to the normal pace of a 1st grade classroom and thus, becomes bored.
Many thanks for the replies. One of the questions I had, but didn't really express that well, was that I think in our school (1st grade) the only tool used to assess children is some test to determine if they belong in the gifted program. If a student scores a certain level or above, they qualify for the program. Otherwise - the rest are all lumped together, with the exception of reading. The students are grouped according to their reading levels.
What I did a poor job of asking was this: The teachers all agree our son is ahead of his grade in all subjects, but his test scores for the gifted program did not meet the level for that program. That is fine. Our concern is that one test cannot identify all children who need to be taught at a more advanced level (not necessarily advanced grade). My wife was wondering if we should see a child psychologist who is trained to understand children. If this person says this is just a normal development for kids - we're fine with that. If the doctor says, no, your child requires a more challenging environment, we would hope to take this to the school and hope it would be sufficient for them to put our son in a different program.
So, I guess bottom line: are there other alternatives other than one test, that parents can pursue to determine if their child is in the right program in school? Can we visit someone like a child psychologist, then return to the school and say that while his gifted test score did not qualify him for this program, this doctor says he really should be in that program for other reasons.
Many thanks for the replies. One of the questions I had, but didn't really express that well, was that I think in our school (1st grade) the only tool used to assess children is some test to determine if they belong in the gifted program. If a student scores a certain level or above, they qualify for the program. Otherwise - the rest are all lumped together, with the exception of reading. The students are grouped according to their reading levels.
What I did a poor job of asking was this: The teachers all agree our son is ahead of his grade in all subjects, but his test scores for the gifted program did not meet the level for that program. That is fine. Our concern is that one test cannot identify all children who need to be taught at a more advanced level (not necessarily advanced grade). My wife was wondering if we should see a child psychologist who is trained to understand children. If this person says this is just a normal development for kids - we're fine with that. If the doctor says, no, your child requires a more challenging environment, we would hope to take this to the school and hope it would be sufficient for them to put our son in a different program.
So, I guess bottom line: are there other alternatives other than one test, that parents can pursue to determine if their child is in the right program in school? Can we visit someone like a child psychologist, then return to the school and say that while his gifted test score did not qualify him for this program, this doctor says he really should be in that program for other reasons.
Thanks!
I would take him to a psychologist just to set your mind at ease if nothing else.
In my experiences raising my sons, schools aren't very flexible in their teaching manner or curriculums. In our district (in another state), any child that needed teaching in a different manner fell through the cracks and didn't learn anything - and yet were promoted to the next grade.
Have you tried talking to the principal? That would be the first place I would start, because no one can advise you better than they can. Or, contact someone in the district offices might work well too.
One thing that's good is that you have the teacher's recommendation. The teacher should write up an evaluation of your child for the psychologist. If you have the resources, get the testing (WISC III) done by a psychologist. This test determines IQ as well as learning strengths and weaknesses. The psychologist will also help advise you in behavior issues etc. if there are any. Also ask the school for their gifted guidelines on paper.
I have a similar problem with my son. He is in PISD. His results are above average, yet he doesn't finish his work in class. His teacher is supportive, but we don't know why his lack of interest - if that's what it is. He is slow to do his work, I can only imagine he is bored. If I get upset he finishes within minutes!
We didn't have him tested for the Gifted program, I am thinking we should try this year. He is a second grader, by the way.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
