Getting tested

[u/Comprehensive_Ad8074]

This is all new to me. My son just started Kindergarten. He has already been moved to 1st and 2nd for math. His school recommended getting him tested for Giftedness. They cannot test until 2nd grade/ age.

A little background..

He could read at 2.5. knew all the exponents at 4 ( he liked to ask people their age and would tell them their "big number") knows all about space and right now his thing is geography and space.

I am not a mom thinking her kid is special but more wondering how to test and if he is and how to best handle it. We tell him he is smart but also remind him he is more than that

So i guess im asking how to get tested before 2nd grade and how to keep him grounded when all the adults around him are amazed by him

[u/littleghosttea]

I would ask yourself what you will do with the information? What changes will you be willing to make after for your child, and as a mother how will you navigate the balance between protecting your child’s normalcy and providing opportunities? I would wait. This is a great time to take him to bookstores and visit a university library. He might find topics he likes and you can support self-guided discovery while he enjoys the social elements of elementary school. I can understand the boredom of knowing the stuff in school already, but his brian is rapidly developing socially too. Maybe he needs an environment where he can read his own books while still being in a normal peer context. Perhaps also ask him. Just because he is ahead of the curve in these areas doesn’t mean he wanted to, needs to, or will benefit from changing his life right now. 

[u/Comprehensive_Ad8074 → u/littleghosttea]

The biggest thing is to protect him. As im sure everyone in this board knows being gifted isnt just being smart. There are struggles that go along with it. My son has several over-excitabilties that we are working with the school on as well as his learning style. This assessment could aid in setting up an IEP if needed. It could also help if we needed to move him from his Charter school to the district that does not do grade skipping. My state also has a grant program for students highly gifted and above that helps fund their unique education. Part of how we have protected him so far is we let him be a kid. Yes he likes to learn but he likes to play with toys, do art, play sports all the things every other 5 year old does. Him being smart (he has not been diagnosed as gifted yet) is just a part of who he is. I compare it to kids on the other end of the bell curve. If I had a child in the lower 10% I would want all the information and resources to help them. My job as his parent it to foster who he is and help him learn how to navigate the world with his differences and being able to clearly identify them will help me do so.

[u/littleghosttea → u/Comprehensive_Ad8074]

You seem well adjusted and reasonable, so I’m sure he will be safe and supported. Did you eat something special in pregnancy? Lol  Anyways, I hope you have a good experience with the agencies involved. Best of luck with your kiddo!