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 (), 600 guests, and 19 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    parentologyco, Smartlady60, petercgeelan, eterpstra, Valib90
    11,410 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
    Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    J
    Junior Member
    OP Offline
    Junior Member
    J
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    My son is 2 yrs and 8 months. At 16 months old he patiently listened to a CPR class (he is normally hyperactive) and accurately performed CPR on the mannequin after the class. It was around that time too that he learned his letters, numbers 1-10, colors and shapes. Now, he is reading, spelling, doing simple addition, subtraction and multiplication (mostly thru memory). He can count up to 101, can count in multiples of 10, can count backwards from 10. He has an excellent memory and a very good sense of humor. He loves to be with other kids especially the older ones. He loves computer games, books, puzzles, paintings and music. He gets bored very easily and when he does, he tends to focus on letters and numbers which I think can be unhealthy. He has selective listening and will not follow directions unless it is of interest to him or there is a promise of something that is of interest to him. We live in Southern California and I am currently looking for a preschool for him. I don't know if I should choose one that will challenge him academically (I actually have very few choices with this type of school) or one that will help him with his development and his behavioral issues. I would appreciate any advise in this area.

    Joined: Apr 2006
    Posts: 778
    D
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    D
    Joined: Apr 2006
    Posts: 778
    This is another area where I have had quite a bit of experience. My kids attended pre-school part time. I started out with the belief that academic instruction was absolutely inappropriate for toddlers and pre-school aged children. Now, I believe it is very appropriate for gifted children WHO DEMONSTRATE A DESIRE to learn academics!

    This might be accomplished with a flexible play based pre-school. In fact, if they are willing to let him work on academics during flex time that might be your best option.

    Beware of pre-schools out there that cater to the egos of the parents rather then the needs of the children. I would run as fast as I could away from any (pre-school) program that has any type of �preparatory� feel to it! My children, then just four and two, attended one for approximately 6 weeks when we first relocated to this area. I overheard an MD (pediatrician no less) lament to the teacher every morning that his four year old just refused to �buckle down� to do his homework each night. I could go on and on�

    Be a very critical consumer and be willing to change schools. Ask if there is a trial period before the contract terms are held.

    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 7,207
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 7,207
    Can you find one with a multiage setting?

    Is there a Montessori where he can go with the 4 year olds?

    How does your son do on playdates with children of various ages? That will be important information for you when you evaluate the preschools.

    It's not clear to me that your son HaS behavioral issues at this time, but you will have to be very careful in selecting group setting to avoid this happening. I wouldn't even bother looking at schools that insist on keeping him with his agemates. Have you read the Ruf book, Losing our Minds?

    Best Wishes,
    Trin


    Coaching available, at SchoolSuccessSolutions.com
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    J
    Junior Member
    OP Offline
    Junior Member
    J
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    Thank you both. Hi Trinity. I have read Ruf's book. As I was reading it, I felt like she was describing my son. My son started watching TV at 2 months old. He would take pieces of paper, toys, etc. and form them into letters and numbers. He can spell words from just listening to how they sound. He makes purposeful sketches of things he has seen, they are certainly not masterpieces but they are fairly accurate. He can finish a 24 piece puzzle by himself and with some help he can do a 48 piece puzzle which is a little complicated. He is extremely funny and loves to laugh. He likes to play with other children but especially with older kids. He would introduce himself and the family to people and kids he is interested in. There is a Montessori school close to our place that would group children of different ages and different academic levels. The only problem is that they insists on him being fully potty trained which he is not. He loves learnig new thi

    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 400
    W
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    W
    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 400
    Going to school might be a great motivator for potty training. Have you told him he can go to school there when he learns the potty?

    Can you negotiate with the Montessori? IE if it is a part-time pre-school, can you hang out in another room just in case he needs a diaper change? When he is there seeing the other kids going potty, he might decide to learn it himself.

    Another option is forming a "pre-school" coop. That worked very well for Mite when he was little. There were a bunch of us apartment dwelling moms, in a college town, all too educated to be hanging at home all day:^); so, we formed a coop that met twice a week. We took turns with activities and things could be pretty intense learning experiences.

    I'm amazed that he sketches already! And the CPR thing is JUST darling!!! That shows such a level of intensity all by itself!


    Willa Gayle
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    J
    Junior Member
    OP Offline
    Junior Member
    J
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    Thanks Willa. Your idea of pre-school coop is very interesting. I will certainly look into it. Maybe the Montessori school would be willing for me or my husband to hang around for a while until he gets completely potty trained. Thanks again.

    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 400
    W
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    W
    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 400


    Willa Gayle
    Joined: Feb 2007
    Posts: 2
    M
    Junior Member
    Offline
    Junior Member
    M
    Joined: Feb 2007
    Posts: 2
    FINALLY someone who knows what im going through. My son is infatuated with letters and numbers, and I have thought it was unhealthy too. I want to put him in a school soon, but I am having a hard time finding ANY resources for kids who are beyond the preschool, kindergartern, first grade material. Do we enroll them in kindergarten, even though they have the bodies of a hyper toddler?

    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 7,207
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 7,207
    LOL - sometimes you do enroll them in kindy, if you can find a school that will flex with you. Some schools are much less picky about behavior than others - what one school considers normal another school may see as a sign of a disorder!

    Welcome MyAslan!
    Trinity


    Coaching available, at SchoolSuccessSolutions.com
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    J
    Junior Member
    OP Offline
    Junior Member
    J
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 23
    Hello MYAsian. It seems like whenever my son gets bored, he would focus on letters and numbers. He would make letters and numbers out of just about anything, pieces of paper, toys, belts, his fingers, anything. When I noticed this several months ago, I got concerned. I didn't think discouraging this completely is the answer so I taught him how to spell, add and subtract. I was surprised in how quickly he can pick up on things. He is now reading a few books, among other things. To keep him stimulated, my husband and I went to check out several schools. I was really disappointed. Our best choice is a Montessori school where he would be placed in a class with older children but even at that, academically, he is still well beyond. I am now leaning towards enrolling him in a school part time to develop his behavioral and social skills and homeschooling him the rest of the time for academics. I'm so happy to find someone who is going through the same things. This is our only child and we really don't know what is typical and what is not. I would love to hear more about you and your son.

    Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

    Moderated by  M-Moderator 

    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
    For those interested in astronomy, eclipses...
    by indigo - 03/23/24 06:11 PM
    California Tries to Close the Gap in Math
    by thx1138 - 03/22/24 03:43 AM
    Gifted kids in Illinois. Recommendations?
    by indigo - 03/20/24 05:41 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5