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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Our Challenging Children (gifted, ADHD, sensitive, defiant)
Anyone have experience with "Gifted" Children?
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 8:50 am
I went to parent teacher conferences last night and one of the teachers told me she thinks my son might be gifted. He's in Kindergarten. What are the benefits or drawbacks of actually getting tested? Is it necessary or worthwhile?

The school has a differentiated learning program, so they can definitely tailor his learning so that he can deepen his knowledge on subjects and explore different methods and topics deeper. What resources did you find helpful with your gifted child?

I don't want him to move ahead so much that he is bored with the new topics in school. I would prefer to deepen his understanding of topics or explore areas that normally aren't in school.

Any advice/support would be helpful.
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DrMom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 8:52 am
saw50st8 wrote:
I went to parent teacher conferences last night and one of the teachers told me she thinks my son might be gifted. He's in Kindergarten. What are the benefits or drawbacks of actually getting tested? Is it necessary or worthwhile?

The school has a differentiated learning program, so they can definitely tailor his learning so that he can deepen his knowledge on subjects and explore different methods and topics deeper. What resources did you find helpful with your gifted child?

I don't want him to move ahead so much that he is bored with the new topics in school. I would prefer to deepen his understanding of topics or explore areas that normally aren't in school.

Any advice/support would be helpful.

This is what our local gifted program does.

If your school has special resources for gifted children, then why not get him tested?
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MaBelleVie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 9:09 am
Here's my experience: gifted programs are sometimes flawed in that they don't differentiate among areas where the child shows giftedness and areas where the child is at age level (or below). Gifted children are almost always a mixed bag, and it places unfair pressure on them to be expected to perform at a gifted level across the board.

It doesn't sound like that will be an issue for you, just wanted to put it out there because I think it's often overlooked.

I definitely agree with enrichment in areas of interest specifically, using a multisensory, experiential approach to enhance learning.
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 9:28 am
DrMom wrote:
This is what our local gifted program does.

If your school has special resources for gifted children, then why not get him tested?


The school doesn't specifically have resources for gifted children. It has a differentiated learning model for everyone. They use computer based programming to asses and assign appropriate modules.
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 9:29 am
MaBelleVie wrote:
Here's my experience: gifted programs are sometimes flawed in that they don't differentiate among areas where the child shows giftedness and areas where the child is at age level (or below). Gifted children are almost always a mixed bag, and it places unfair pressure on them to be expected to perform at a gifted level across the board.

It doesn't sound like that will be an issue for you, just wanted to put it out there because I think it's often overlooked.

I definitely agree with enrichment in areas of interest specifically, using a multisensory, experiential approach to enhance learning.


Do you have any recommended resources?
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 9:33 am
Yay for a great parent teacher conference :-)

Now, how long has this teacher been teaching? There is a big difference between intelligent and gifted.

If you want him tested, the district will not do that for you - they only test for issues (I know because I am in the same area)

As for differentiated learning, it sounds good in theory, but it does not always work. You will need to be on top of that and make sure he is getting what he needs.

I have 2 children who I believe are gifted, but the district will not test of course and in the end it doesn't matter. They think differently than my other children who are also bright. And differently than my one child who scores the highest possible on all standardized tests. She is very very smart, but her mind is different. I myself am gifted, but I went to public school where we had amazing programs for gifted students.

Give him lots of opportunities to try new things and see where it takes you. Maybe one day down the road he can be tested if you feel like spending the money or if it becomes necessary.
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 10:22 am
She's an experienced teacher.

I don't particularly care if he is labeled as "gifted" or not. Unless there is some benefit to the label that will him DS in some way, if he is gifted.

I am most worried about him being bored in school. He is not bored at all right now thankfully and he teacher is very proactive. It's definitely something I will keep on top of.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 10:25 am
all jewish children are gifted
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 10:45 am
I got Mati tested but "we knew".

Drawback: price, and the shrink was kinda odd, and not so yeshivish friendly :/

Pros was knowing for sure and showing the school. Though in the end we didn't skip as she entered first grade and stopped being so bored. Yay double curriculum Smile
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Inspire




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 12:38 pm
Please consider yourself blessed that your school is approaching you instead of you having to try to get them to notice it and act accordingly. I would strongly advise you to get hold of the book A Parents Guide to Gifted Children by James Webb. I was able to recognize patterns and descriptions for 3 different gifted children that I know, all with different needs and directions. Unfortunately by the time I tuned in it was very late for 2 of them. So my advice to you is familiarize yourself with the issues around raising gifted kids and become your child's advocate ASAP. These kids are a total delight, but very intensive. So important to have a good partnership with the school, and to get a good grounding early AND TO EDUCATE YOURSELF. By the time they are teenagers you really have to know what you are doing. The book not only describes the typical profiles of gifted kids, but gives on the mark advice for how to approach parenting.
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Learning




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 12:53 pm
I live oot and the yeshiva here is not equipped for gifted children. (They are a bit equipped for special needs. ). My son is bored in school and there is no way around it. The rebbi or any teacher explains something. My son understands it right away but the whole class is spent on explaining the subject again and again.
We got him an online math program but I hope it will work out.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:03 pm
Learning, BTDT as a kid and as a mom.
Can child skip? Can child be a teacher helper? Read when finished? Get more exercises?
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Learning




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:07 pm
Ruchel wrote:
Learning, BTDT as a kid and as a mom.
Can child skip? Can child be a teacher helper? Read when finished? Get more exercises?

In my experience this solutions don't really work out for the long run.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:13 pm
I don't know. This is how people do when there is no gifted school. And gifted school can be no fun either if the kids are snooty or disturbed.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:19 pm
I Have not found being bored in school to be a problem. Your brain is always working. You can think whatever deep thoughts you want to about the subject matter, the social scene in the classroom, the teachers, etc.

My child enjoys exploring topics via Google. He often finds mistakes in textbooks and web pages. Sometimes he emails them and they fix the mistakes. It's a fun hobby.
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:20 pm
I wouldn't skip a child because it brings a whole host of other issues (mainly social, but many times they skip material altogether and don't learn it). Most of the kids I know suffered socially and didn't really thrive academically. They may graduated college early, but none of the ones I know are "success" stories considering their potential.

Learning, can he go to yeshiva part day and then homeschool for secular stuff?

Inspire, thanks for the book recommendation!
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Inspire




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:28 pm
Probably the most important factor in school happiness is whether they fit in socially and are acknowledged for their talents, as opposed to being shunned or worse. The boredom factor can be dealt with in other ways outside of school if the school does not have the resources and the family is not interested in switching schools. (Library, hobbies, extracurricular activities) In the classroom, this type of child may need to "multitask" during class lessons, while they are listening to the teacher, they may have another project going on on their desk, or in their notebook. The staff can be cued in to let this slide, as the child is often completely taking in what the teacher is saying although he appears distracted. The main issue becomes not distracting the other kids who are nearby, and the teacher can reduce this by seat arrangement. The gifted kids need these extra projects because their brains are constantly creative.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:30 pm
My mom wasn't skipped and suffered a lot socially with immature classmates. A LOT.

I would probably have stopped school as soon as legal if I hadn't been skipped. It helped socially too- though it could have been better with even bigger kids. Oh well. I know some are very against. I'm adamantly pro Smile
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Inspire




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:41 pm
As for skipping, it might be worthwhile to revisit whether it's advisable. If the child is really not going to learn anything in kindergarten or pre1A maybe it is the best option. It can work if the school staff is on board, and probably best to be done very early, before 1st grade, if at all. I had experience with a child who was reading on a 2nd grade level at 4 years old and was skipped. Academically it was the best decision. Socially, I believe any issues would have been present nomatter what grade. For this decision it's helpful to have the advice of a school psychologist after testing and evaluation. I think they are in general very conservative about recommending skipping, so if it is recommended you would know it's probably best under the circumstances. Unfortunately, it's hard to find professionals in the frum world who are familiar with gifted kids, and therefore they are among the least understood and most underserved group in yeshivas.
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Inspire




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 1:44 pm
OK, sorry for all the posts, it's a passionate subject for me.

One other resource, if you haven't yet been to www.sengifted.org, they have a huge database of resources on this subject. It's not a Jewish site, so the references in their material will sometimes not apply to us.
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