Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 210 guests, and 14 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    streble, DeliciousPizza, prominentdigitiz, parentologyco, Smartlady60
    11,413 Registered Users
    March
    S M T W T F S
    1 2
    3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    10 11 12 13 14 15 16
    17 18 19 20 21 22 23
    24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    31
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    #114595 10/24/11 11:50 AM
    Joined: May 2011
    Posts: 128
    P
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    P
    Joined: May 2011
    Posts: 128
    I'm not sure whether to post this here or under twice-exceptional, but I'll start here first.

    I have a 2e 4th grade boy, 9 years old. He has SPD, stealth dyslexia, dysgraphia and questionable ADHD. We are currently on a trial of ritalin and have been engaging in conversations about how he feels on the medication. He told me today that it helps him concentrate better on the easy, boring stuff, but makes it hard to think straight on the more challenging, interesting stuff.

    His comment really made me think about the many times it has been brought up on this board that he may not have ADHD at all and his "inattention" may be due to a lack of challenge. In fact, he is a special math class this year that the gifted teacher decided to do at the last minute. She has only 10 students in the class and they are covering everything at a very accelerated pace. They hesitated to put DS in the class because of his 2e status, but decided to give it a try. The first few days, the teacher thought she had done the wrong thing...but then something clicked and he has an A+ in the class. He is doing better than almost every other student. She also says that he has absolutely no problem with maintaining focus in her class.

    So, I guess my question is....has anyone ever grade skipped a 2e child? It is hard to advocate for more challenging work when it seems that the child can't do the "easy" work he is currently doing. How do you know if your child needs a grade skip?

    Joined: Dec 2010
    Posts: 1,040
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Dec 2010
    Posts: 1,040
    With 2-E, frequently the best placement is at the level where there is academic challenge. The school should theoretically be able to do this while still providing appropriate supports and accommodations for the disabilities.

    You can actually make a solid argument that instruction at an accelerated pace and level is an ADHD accommodation for a child who is both gifted and ADHD, because the more novel and engaging the material, the more it captures attention.

    A child who is both disabled and gifted doesn't have to choose one of the other. Appropriate gifted placement with accommodations for disabilities (either through an IEP or a 504 plan) is what you should probably be aiming for.

    ETA: The "easier" the work, the harder it is to force yourself to pay attention. "Careless" errors due to ADHD or errors due to dyslexia or dysgraphia should not be taken as an indication of inability to master concepts.

    Last edited by aculady; 10/24/11 12:34 PM.
    Joined: May 2011
    Posts: 128
    P
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    P
    Joined: May 2011
    Posts: 128
    Totally agree with you Aculady. So how do I figure out if DS is a good candidate for a grade skip vs acceleration. My fear is to advocate for a grade skip and then have him do terribly.

    Joined: Dec 2010
    Posts: 1,040
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Dec 2010
    Posts: 1,040
    A big part of your goal with a grade skip vs. subject acceleration with age peers is to get intellectual peers, other kids who are working on the same things he is and who have some of the same interests.

    Having your child feeling lonely and weird and isolated sitting alone in the back of the class on the computer or constantly being pulled out to work one-on-one for subject acceleration is the sort of thing that you want to avoid.

    Explicit and effective supports for organization, time management, assignment tracking, etc., to compensate for disabilities involving weak executive functioning, like ADHD, is certainly part of what you would want to get in an IEP as your child moves up anyway, but it would be doubly important to ensure that they were there when expectations were for the average level of functioning of an older child.

    Have you filled out the Iowa Acceleration Scale? It might be helpful.


    Joined: Apr 2010
    Posts: 2,498
    D
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    D
    Joined: Apr 2010
    Posts: 2,498
    Originally Posted by perplexed
    I have a 2e 4th grade boy, 9 years old. He has SPD, stealth dyslexia, dysgraphia and questionable ADHD. We are currently on a trial of ritalin and have been engaging in conversations about how he feels on the medication. He told me today that it helps him concentrate better on the easy, boring stuff, but makes it hard to think straight on the more challenging, interesting stuff.

    Perplexed, how is he on organization and self-management? I ask because that has been the biggest challenge for us in 4th, and when I look at the 5th graders in our school I am astonished by the level of independence that is required of them. Giant leaps are happening here.

    I'm now fairly glad we didn't gradeskip DS when it was being considered. In terms of content, he could have managed it. But in terms of organizing his work, he really couldn't have. And yes, this can be accommodated, but there gets to be a cost there too-- there are stigmatizing moments (the aide saying "now it's time to pack up your backpack" to a 5th grader?).

    The Iowa Acceleration Scale is a good tool-- it helps you consider all factors, no matter what you decide.

    DeeDee

    Joined: Jun 2010
    Posts: 741
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Jun 2010
    Posts: 741
    Originally Posted by DeeDee
    Perplexed, how is he on organization and self-management? I ask because that has been the biggest challenge for us in 4th, and when I look at the 5th graders in our school I am astonished by the level of independence that is required of them. Giant leaps are happening here.

    I second that. The subject matter is not a problem for my DD in 4th, but the executive function requirements are much greater in 4th than in 3rd.


    Moderated by  M-Moderator, Mark D. 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Testing with accommodations
    by aeh - 03/27/24 01:58 PM
    Quotations that resonate with gifted people
    by indigo - 03/27/24 12:38 PM
    New, and you'd think I'd have a clue...
    by astronomama - 03/24/24 06:01 AM
    For those interested in astronomy, eclipses...
    by indigo - 03/23/24 06:11 PM
    Son 2e, wide discrepancy between CogAT-Terranova
    by astronomama - 03/23/24 07:21 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5