Testing DS5 was one of the best thing we have done regarding him being gifted. I had lots of second thoughts and doubts before the test, but I am so glad we did it. 5 may not be the best time to test due to ceilings and such, but I think we still got what we needed. DS3 will be tested when the time comes.
I think the most valuable thing was that it finally sinked in, that we finally got it, that perhaps he is little more than just clearly gifted. We knew he was gifted, we just didn't realize how gifted he was.
I was no longer a crazy parent, I was a crazy parent with paper which clearly shows that DS was way beyond his peers. His teachers knew he was gifted, but they were even farther behind us when it came to how much he could do. They did need to see the achievement tests. I also have test results which allow him to attend gt programs and camps.
Getting to DYS has been beyond wonderful. Being able to meet real people who really get it is priceless. I cannot say enough good things about it. I feel like we started a new chapter in our gt journey.
As for testing itself, it's extremely hard to get an appointment with people listed on the Hoagies, long waiting lists and/or tests we didn't care for. We did go to a "local" psychologist who had supposedly some experience with gifted kids. DS5 liked her and I think she did great job with the testing itself.
We didn't really get any good advice besides "You would need to grade skip him. He could even be in the 2nd grade academically, but then he cannot really be in the 2nd grade socially." She told us that he should still go to school for social reasons. No, thank you. She didn't have any school information about the area where we lived except the typical "There must be something in ..."
To sum it up. It was well worth the money!
What tests: WPPSI-III, WJ-III
What age: 5 years 3 months
Last edited by LMom; 03/25/08 06:26 AM. Reason: forgot to include the tests
