Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy probably a dumb question

So if my 4 1/2 year old can read Magic Treehouse chapter books (actually, MTH study guides, which I think are slightly more difficult?) and miss about 1 word a page, he is probably going to test gifted, right? I don't see any indications that he is 2E in any way.

(This matters, because as long we can assume he'll test GT, we will enroll him at DD's school for K and 1. It won't be all that great for K and 1, but he'll automatically get into the gifted magnet that she now attends in grade 2. If we aren't sure he's gifted, then we need to look elsewhere, and soon.)

I know some kids read early and aren't necessarily gifted, or are borderline MG. He has to test at 130 to get into the magnet.

Early reading is a common sign of giftedness. It doesn't mean for sure he's gifted, and not reading early doesn't mean someone isn't gifted.

Did he teach himself to read is probably a better indicator... I think nearly any kid can be taught to read reasonably well by age 4, but a kid that just teaches themselves is most likely gifted.

Yes, your son is likely gifted. Does he have other outlier abilities that can give you more clues about his level? Advanced legos perhaps?

And just from my experience in my childrens' pre-ks (with highly motivated parents), most 4 year-olds, no matter how well-taught, won't be able to read MTH books. My dd is in an HGT classroom this year in 1st, and some of the HGT kids are barely reading MTH.

Ditto what Amy wrote, but in addition I think things are made more unclear today by educational toys and media. So I'd include the reading as a factor in my analysis, but go much more on your gut feeling and the fact that there are other gifted people in the family.

Yes, self-taught other than occasional exposure to Starfall (like, I sometimes let him play on the site for half an hour here and there, for probably less than 20 sessions in total) and Word World. I should have specified.

Other indicators exist, most obviously encylopedic knowledge of the ocean and learning to play chess (correctly and maybe at the level of the average 5 or 6yo?) at 3. He can also add and subtract numbers to about 12 in his head, but I don't find that terribly impressive myself. Before he could read, he memorized extremely long books. Other stuff as well, but as a toddler he was less flashy than his sister. Oh, he can do Lego sets labeled 5-7 and 100-piece puzzles, but that doesn't seem too advanced.

So we don't feel certain that reading at a 3rd grade level at 4 is indicative of giftedness? I was feeling kinda ready to stop worrying about this issue (not whether he is gifted--but where we should send him to K next year), but wasn't sure. We could consider paying for private testing to put the worry to bed, but I'd rather not. At the same time, we would feel like we had made quite an error if he eventually turned out not to be eligible for the magnet.

*double post

IIRC, the study guides are about 5th grade level.

For me, I'd say anyone with a 4yo reading them would be safe in assuming giftedness. But I say that from my perspective as mom of the kid who didn't read before kindergarten (so nearly 5.5), despite being desperate to learn and despite my efforts to teach her and despite her preschool teachers' opinions that she'd be reading by the end of preschool.

My concern would not be "is he gifted," but "is he gifted in such a way that he's assured of a 130 on the school's test."

FWIW, I'd guess my DD would have no trouble getting the 130 required for admission to the gifted private school near us. But it would still make me nervous to be betting on that 3 years out, you know?

I'd think that the odds are relatively high in favor of him exceeding the benchmark in this case.

Barring any LD issues that you don't yet know about, I mean.

I'd think that it'd be well evident by late Kindy whether or not he seems to be exhibiting any other signs, or if the peers seem to be catching up to him, etc.

I'm trying to think about the other kids I've known that devoured those MTH books in preK and Kindy.... I know of only a handful of them, and all of those kids have since been identified as GT. My DD (PG) was the only one that had 'aged out' of the books by kindergarten age, though most of them had by the end of 2nd grade when more NT/average learners like them best.

Don't know if that means anything, as it is anecdotal, obviously-- but that kind of comprehension and interest is remarkable, I think, even if the strict decoding part of it may not be.

Late kindy is too late, unfortunately. Well, I mean, it isn't--but the die will be cast by then and it will be harder for us to pursue other options, for various ridiculously complex reasons relating to our local school system. We basically need to make our bets by January.


I have some concerns about this as well. MY DD was closer to the line than I thought she would be (although she took the RIAS, and the results were a little weird). I would say that I am 90% confident he has no LDs, though. I just don't see it.

I think reading MTH study guides, most of which appear on the scholastic wizard as grade 3 or 4, is a pretty good indicator of some level of giftedness. Along with everything else you mentioned, plus the fact that others in the family are gifted.

Are there other really great K-1 options that you'd rather consider? Is it really that bad of an option? Are there concerns you have that you might be able to fix through advocacy? Are spots in the magnet really tough to get into if you don't go to their K-1 but your DS qualifies?

It's always hard to make decisions about schooling. In my experience, programs can change in a couple of years, so there's not even any guarantee what will be available down the road. You try to make the best decision based on the fact you have. That is why testing information is rather nice to have, as it adds more information to help you make a more informed decision.