Hello,
My son is currently in Kindergarten. They did a reading assessment through the WJ test and it was found that his reading level is that of an average 4th grader. He is also ahead on math -- he does math at the level of a mid 2nd grader.

His class is currently reviewing letters and its sounds and doing math with numbers 1-20. He does all the rote counting, rote talking about sounds etc, but then, spends a fair amount of time, memorizing various kids' birthdays, reading other classes' boards that hang outside the classroom when they walk in line etc. His teacher also reports that he has difficulty staying on task. Once, he refused to do a worksheet and accept the consequence (no playtime) because he felt very strongly that the worksheet was at a preschool level. His worksheet work tends to be slower when it involves coloring. Choosing the colors, coloring in the lines (he seems to be very perfectionistic while coloring) etc take a very long time. Testing also revealed a very high verbal ability (he seems to be gifted verbally). His processing speed was average

His teacher seems to think he has ADD. I don't see it at home, as long as I give him appropriate worksheets to do (which I understand is hard to do in a school environment), or any other places where he takes classes (he does need some redirection, but his classes involve physical activity and he does them with pleasure)

How do I politely request some sort of enrichment, especially with respect to reading ? When I ask him why he is reading various extraneous things and slowing down the line, he says that the boards are interesting, compared to what they do in the class !

I am also hesitating to pursue a ADD diagnosis, because I see this more as a emotional maturity issue. I also don't see it happening elsewhere, though honestly, all the other class sizes are small (about 6 kids) as compared to the 20 kids in his K class. I am looking for some suggestions.

My questions are:
-- is it possible to challenge a kid who is reading so ahead ? K is full day, I try and get as many books from the library as I can, but he then spends the evening reading, with a late bedtime (which impacts his sleep and the following day)

-- How can I ensure that his reading level is in line with his reading comprehension ? He reads Geronimo Stilton books and while I am not wild about the "cheesehead" remarks, the books themselves are fairly interesting.

-- what kind of enrichment should I request in math ? Can I do something at home ? If so, what ? Right now, he is obsessed with graphs (so odd, I know) and he would do a lot of graphing if I let him

-- I am also afraid or concerned that the teacher will see me as "that mom". Yes, I definitely want him to have a good work ethic, and I have been talking to him every day about the importance of completing his worksheets. My child, sometimes, calls me out on the worksheets (if they don't make sense), and sometimes asks why he can just not answer them verbally.

Thanks in advance.

Hmmm.


I'd probably attempt to make suggestions to the teacher which allow her to maintain her regular classroom routines as much as possible WHILE giving your child the opportunity to do work which is meaningful.

I would politely express surprise at the teacher's suggestion of attentional issues, and explain that you simply don't see this behavior anywhere else, not even in fairly structured situations. THEN suggest that perhaps your child has "extra time" that he's using to tune out... diplomatic, but firm.

On that segue, you could offer to send in books that your child enjoys. That way, you and the teacher can make a deal with your DS that anytime he is "finished" with the work that the teacher wants the class to be doing (yes, including the 'preschool' worksheets, if that's her thing)... he can quietly begin reading silently.

What he CAN'T do is interrupt and prevent his classmates from learning.

That way the teacher feels that she's getting something in the way of better behavior from him, and HE will be gaining an opportunity to do something meaningful with his school day and to demonstrate to the teacher what the REAL problem is here.



At that point, you could suggest that he's perhaps in need of something for math, too.

Hi mom2one,

I think you have at least one bright spot in your story -- the school did the testing on your kiddo and found him to be way ahead. (Schools do not generally like/understand/accept outside testing, so having them do it themselves is a plus.) My first question is what did they say to you about the testing results? I'm assuming the testing was done either by your request or on their own for some reason. If it was to test for GTness, they must have some sort of protocol? If all my assumptions are incorrect, and you need to start at square one to get more appropriate materials for your DS, then I would recommend starting out by scheduling a meeting to discuss the test results with the school staff (curriculum person, teacher, principal, GT person). If there is a GT person at the school, I would start with that person and ask her advice about how to go about requesting this meeting.

As for the teacher and the ADD, I'd recommend getting hold of this book: Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of GT Children I don't know your kiddo, and of course it's possible that he is 2e, but how the heck do you think a kid who is not learning anything new is going to behave in kindergarten?

As for enrichment in reading, a couple of easy things you could do. You could ask if you could send in some books at your DS's level that he can read during the school day, especially if they are working on things that he already has mastered. You can request pretesting out of things, if necessary.

Is it possible to challenge a kid in kindy who is reading so far ahead? Well, yes and no. First, I'd make a list of the things that you think your kiddo can get out of kindergarten. For us, DS refused to learn how to write before he went to kindergarten, and that was a great place for him to learn it. Our DS also had no experience in the "do school" department --- being in a large group of kids, getting along with all of them, getting from room to room, etc. If you don't think there is much your DS can learn from being in kindy, I would think about checking out the Iowa Acceleration Manual and requesting a grade skip.

Sorry, gotta run. I'll try to come back later...

Hi,

My son in now in 7th grade but we went through something very similar in K. One thing we were able to do was get a formal IDEP for gifted differentiation, even though the gifted programs in our district did not begin until 4th grade. I simply looked up all the state and district laws (found this avenue to pursue) and made a visit to the elementary school's gifted coordinator. What this ended up looking like: going to another K class for a higher reading group, independent reading practice in the library before school (I had to take him & I'm sorry, I can't remember the system, but basically, he was assigned books that were near his level and then had to answer questions about them on the computer in the school library), and getting a pull-out once a week for a enrichment activities. He also had access to a computer math program, but she hardly ever let him do it (it wasn't fair to anyone else).

We first tried asking the teacher to differentiate for him politely. That was a big failure. She passive-aggressively dumped a bunch of college texts on the poor child's desk and started sending home HUGE numbers of coloring worksheets (he hated coloring). She also demanded that he still participate in all the phonics lessons and alphabet lessons, even though he was reading at a 5th grade level (by their own tests). She was quite nasty, yelling at him in front of the class about how terrible he was because he always refused to do the play centers. He had no friends and cried daily. He even once yelled at her that he was "Smarter than her and one day she'd see that." (He was beyond frustrated).

After the meeting with the GC, things improved for a short while (he especially LOVED going to the other K class where the teacher was quite sympathetic). But then his K teacher started finding excuses (lots of them) to not follow his IDEP (which she was legally bound to do). So meetings. Many meetings. At one she told me "mother to mother, we need to bring him down to the level of his peers because if we don't where will he be when he gets to 5th grade?" (If I knew where she is, I'd answer her now: Seventh grade, and happy.)

Anyway, we attempted to take this up the food chain, but the principal gave us the run-around. Very unprofessional. The GC even walked me to the office one day and the principal refused to talk to me or even schedule a meeting (just too busy, sorry). All the while, we had been looking for other options (we had formally requested being put full-time into the sympathetic K teacher's class: denied) and we had been looking at every other school we could think of. Something else came up, and we bolted. A week after we did, we found that we had been assigned for the next year the WORST 1st grade teacher for a gifted student at the school. The one the GC told us we should not have under any circumstance, because she had her hands full with the ESL students.

Now... fast forward to 7th. My son is 2 years grade skipped. He loves school (and MS, very rare). The school we bolted to has worked with us to find solutions when there have been glitches (and there have, he's not easy).

Anyway, if the nice way doesn't work, you can always look into legal options (like whether his testing qualifies him for some kind of differentiation according to district rules). If that doesn't work, keep taking it up the food chain as you have to, and/or look for other options. Every child deserves to learn something in school and every child deserves to be valued.

And it will get better. The older they get, the more options there are.

good luck!!!

Also wanted to make it clear, the IDEP was not common knowledge and was not offered to us by the school. I had to "uncover" it and ask for it. Time and time again I have found it really pays to look up all the official rules and regulations-- many things do not get volunteered, because they're a pain in the butt for the schools.

And, my son never did learn to color in the lines. It appears he is going to survive.

We are sending in reading material for ds6 during reading time and free time at school because he is bored to tears with what is available. He is still stuck in a with the still basic 'highest level' guided reading level group at school, but I do think he gets some merit from this as I see his phonics improving vastly in a short amount of time (he is a whole language reader).

I don't know if there is a way to avoid being 'that mom'. I'm sure that is my title at this point with my ds' teacher. I'm over it though, I just want ds to be learning NEW things and excited about school (at least sometimes, anyway). He was thrilled to come home yesterday after acing an AR test on a higher level book. He pushed himself to read and review another one last night and this AM so he could take another one today.

mom2one, you've received great advice already. I'll just add a few quick thoughts:

If your ds is testing very high in verbal ability but average in processing speed, it might be helpful to keep a watch for potential signs of a struggle related to the discrepancy in ability vs processing speed. There are quite a few of us who have 2e kids with learning challenges related to that type of a WISC profile, and it's sometimes mistaken for ADHD (inattentive type) in early elementary kids.

Re how to challenge your ds - one way to approach this is to volunteer to help if you have some time to come in for 30 minutes or an hour once per week. When my ds was in K-1 I used to help the teacher give her weekly spelling tests, and that helped give her the time and ability to keep a differentiated word list notebook for each child - which meant that in turn, my ds had his own word list to work on. The teacher had to make up lists for him because he was farther ahead than any child she'd ever taught... which was something extra for her to do, and I think it helped me get the differentiation by having built that helping relationship in the classroom. Re reading levels, it's quite possible there are other children at the school reading at or near the level your ds is at, so if you are able to come in once a week, you could volunteer to come in during reading time and lead a small group of advanced readers (or do the same with math etc).

I know that it's not something anyone should *have* to do to get the appropriate education for their child, but it was something that helped out a lot in the early years of school for my ds when we were dealing with a lot of brick walls in the way of being able to work at his ability.

Best wishes,

polarbear

ps - re how to know if he's reading the right level of books for his comprehension level - you should be able to find out more info about his comprehension level from classroom assessments - most K-2 grades do some type of standardized reading assessment at the beginning and end of the year. If your ds is beyond the level of the assessment that's given, you can insist he be tested up to his level. I also have some tips from an educational advisor who evaluated our ds who has a reading challenge - they are things you can do when reading to your child at home. I'll try to look them up this weekend and post them for you.

I'll second that thought pattern. They just hate it when I quote their core philosophy of "Data driven decisions" and ask them to see the data supporting their decisions! I've also learned that in our district you can request a specific teacher for your child in the coming year, I've done so every year and my request has always been met, of course, they don't publicize that policy, you have to dig for it.

Yea, I think AR may be the system that remalew referred. Was great for DS6, who until he had his vision corrected a year ago wasn't really reading books. It gives the kid a chance to gauge their own understanding and what to focus on. There are always things they could gain through instruction, but gifted can often intuit their own understanding.

Math is a funny one. He has a really nice teacher in 1st this year, but she doesn't get it. Had the regular parent-teacher conference last night, and she told us how well was doing and showed us his in-class skill assessment (yay, I didn't roll my eyes on what 1st grade stuff he did well on.) Homework came up a bit, and she asked us (a bit unsure seeming) "Do you think he might like some multiplication homework?"... "Yes, yes he would enjoy that as a challenge"..."Yes, two digits would be good."

So out of her league, but she's accomodating and it was her suggestion. It may have helped that we've begun a testing process through the GC for HG placement. Possibly the GC relayed that DS is pretty far out there.

Another suggestion may be to ask "Would maybe the 2nd grade have some math homework he could do? We could score it and all, but he is really interested in ____, and that would give him a focus."

p.s. It is no fun to have a parent-teacher conference with DS in the same room, who hears and understands everything and is a little over-sensitive. Sitter next time, for sure.

First and foremost, I don't see this as a case of ADD. A child with ADD has problems focusing ALL the time. Almost any child will show those symptoms if they are bored to tears. (I would not suggest phrasing it that way when you speak to the teacher, but you get the point)
I have found that it helped a lot to show the teacher that you are willing to do your part as well. Perhaps ask if you can sent a notebook of extra work to do during down time - you can download tons of worksheets on every subject from the internet, and it only takes a few minutes. I used to send my children with a couple of math worksheets, cursive writing, alphabetizing, and something to read on whatever subject in history appealed to them. It worked well with some teachers, but DS's second grade teacher decided that it was distracting to the other students for him to sit quietly at his seat and write in a notebook - so if you take this route, make sure you ask the teacher first.
Many schools have advanced programs for math and reading. AR is good, although many schools don't do it for kindergarten. DD, however, got special permission to do it in K because her teacher agreed that she was capable. If this is possible, it will give you a good idea of his comprehension level as well. If not, there are other options. Over the summer I told my two to write a good summary of each book they read, and when they got a certain number of summaries done, they got a reward (a trip to the zoo, camping, etc.) It gave me an idea of how well they comprehended the books they were reading, helped them to practice their writing, and encouraged them to read.
Also, ask if your school offers a computer- based advanced math. A lot of schools offer this, but for some reason Kindergarten teachers seem more hesitant than others to use it.
Lastly, ask the teacher if she has any suggestions. Some are horribly opposed to the idea of differentiation, but you never know. Some have fantastic ideas of how to help your child without overwhelming herself. Good luck!

Thanks, everyone. I did offer to volunteer, and I filled out all the forms. The teacher just mentioned she needs help during the class parties and has not mentioned anything else.


They have said very little about the test results, even though I did bring it up a couple of times. A math assessment (separate from the tests) was done for all the kids ; the teacher said my kid does not qualify for advanced math because he did not complete all the questions asked of him (it was a verbal chat, I am assuming; will find out more during conferences). My son told me he did not realize it was a test, further the test was all about counting (which he told the teacher he knows, told her the results without demonstrating how he knows it) and he just thought the teacher was being nice, spending some time with him. .

At the same time, he is doing addition, subtraction and has just started doing basic multiplication (mostly 2's and 3's at home). With math, he just knows it, and finds it hard to imagine that he should actually explain how he knows it. He will explain it when you really explain you want to know how he knows, though. The teacher told me that unless he consistently shows her how he knows things, she cannot give him advanced stuff.

Anyway, I did bring up the testing results for math and reading; reading assessments are next. So I am waiting to see what she finds. Someone in my family is a doctor and he mentioned that precociousness will almost always lead to issues at school. This makes me very sad. I was a very good student, basically I did what I was asked, rarely got into trouble and did really well on tests.

Also, the testing was done mainly for social skills deficits. His play is somewhat different than a typical 5 year old; he loves to talk in depth about various things that typically older kids and adults enjoy. Though he will play with his classmates outside during recess, he barely acknowledges them when he is building with legos, for instance. The school thinks he should be doing co-operative play more (I want him to play more with other kids as well); but he likes to build machines that do something off-beat (such as build a new language, make a rocket carry cars, things like that). For now, he is in a social skills group. I am working with him on taking lessons he has learned in the group and applying it to real life. The social issues are only apparent with peers, and not with adults or older kids (say, 4th grade & older)


This seems to be exactly what his teacher is seeing. She thinks he is ADHD, without the hyper-activity. He has not taken the WISC, because he is a young 5. My child keeps asking me why the teacher thinks he is not paying attention, when he is doing so.

Could I also ask what sort of learning challenges you see ?


He has expressed an interest to read to his class during story time. His teacher has asked me if he could read to the class as a reward, if he completes all the worksheets, in the given time, for three days straight. I am not sure whether I should take her up on it or not. I guess I am just worried that he will either start giving up on completing worksheets or just do the needful and read the book to class and stop completing them after that.

The ADD thing is because he does not always complete the worksheets, though he always completes a book, loves artwork, completes worksheets he does find interesting.



This (the first part) would be perfect. I will find out if this is something the school can offer. Also, what is AR (haven't googled, just responding to suggestions) ? My son rebelled at the phonics lessons during preschool (his preschool teachers were fed up), but I have drilled it into his head to just listen. So, right now, he listens to the letters and their sounds without complaining. At the end of the day, when he comes home, he insists on reading a couple of books or a couple of chapters and then feels better about the day. Sometimes, I think he should come home from school, do his homework and play, instead of reading books, just to "feel better" (his words).


Right now, I am a SAHM. I am more than willing to help out at his school, but his teacher thinks she has it under control. Maybe I will offer again.


Thanks again. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

This is a really great set of observations.

Once a situation devolves into this scenario with a teacher, we've learned that authentic learning is no longer on the table for our daughter. The problem is that, now 13, she knows it as well. Not much of an incentive to be compliant, and she's become rather cynical that we (meaning parents, school, teachers) all continued to LIE to her about it 'getting better' throughout school. "It'll be different in middle school."

"It will be better in high school."

That's a pitfall to avoid if you can-- don't promise what you can't really deliver.

Thanks, HowlerKarma and master of none


He tells me that he is not learning anything new with the worksheets, other than handwriting. His handwriting, while not terrible, is not excellent either. So he is getting loads of practice about how to write his letters the right way. When he "free writes", I really get to see his ideas than well-formed letters.

As far as reading is concerned, he says he does not have enough opportunity to read in school. That's one of the reasons he wants to read in class.

I am not really sure how to approach the teacher and voice these concerns without sounding like I completely disagree with her approach (which I do, honestly)

He also says he wishes math was verbal -- not that he can't write his numbers, he can; but he just thinks that math stories (we do a lot of make believe math stories at home) and using math manipulatives is a better way to learn, rather than a page of writing out numbers.


Yes, that is exactly what is being said. I am sure that the teacher's job would be easier if he was a child who did everything by the letter.

I wish I could homeschool, but my husband is not on board (nor are our families), so that is not an option, unfortunately.

I am also somewhat worried that negative impressions that are formed during kindergarten (non-conformism, does things his own way etc) will affect him all through elementary school.

Thanks again, master of none.


I will probably request the teacher to state it was a test before giving a test, from here on.

I am also a little worried now, because the teacher and the school psychologist think that outside evaluation is needed to get a diagnosis for ADD. They keep telling me that they can accommodate so much better if there is a diagnosis. While I definitely don't want a label, I keep wondering why the teacher keeps saying he is "off-task". At home, I don't see it. I also don't see it in classes. Should I talk to them about it ? I also spoke to another mom whose son had this teacher for kindergarten; she said she had a lot of issues with her son not being creative.
Should I ask for an in-class observation ? I am really lost as to how to proceed next. His teacher brings up the lack of focus/lack of being on-task irrespective of whatever else I am asking her. That has me terribly concerned as well


I am also worried about my kid. For the past few days , he has been reading up a ton, experimenting, doing math his own way, and generally feeling rather happy with life. His outlook on life (and academics) on school days/non-school days is so different, I can't help but worry

I don't think there's any point in having the school observe him or test him or anything like that. Get your own outside testing done. I highly doubt he's got ADD, like m.o.n. stated, they don't show symptoms in just one place. My son's inattentive ADD is obvious everywhere he goes.. shoes untied, backpack half zipped, shirt all askew, barely remembering his lunch box each morning. He's on meds, which help with his impulsiveness, but nothing seems to help with his brain wandering off when he's not highly interested in something!

I was looking for some more advice and suggestions. We had a parent teacher conference, where the teacher mentioned that he was probably the smartest kid in her class, but that he does not show it during the school day. A lot of times, he seems very uninterested in the worksheets (something I have not seen at home). I again suggested reading to the class or doing worksheets that involved reading comprehension (read a page, or a story, or a non-fiction book and answer questions about it (or) write three lines about the story/book). The teacher told me "she has to teach the curriculum". I respect that, and I am willing to send comprehension worksheets or books, but she did not seem too keen, and suggested that his social skills needed work. I do agree with that. Not really sure how to advocate if all suggestions are being shot down. Meanwhile, we are continuing to just read about whatever his current interests are.


For the ADD aspect that she is seeing, I have requested that she use a timer. He does talk a lot, and responds really well to schedule/structured activities, so I am now second guessing myself, based on what the teacher said. At home as well as the library (I thought we should go to some other place to do homework), though, he seems fine.

My suggestion - Have him privately tested. You maybe be able to get insurance to cover it under the guise of testing for ADHD. You can then bring these results to the school.

My other suggestion - try and find a better school fit. Private/charter/another local public. Even within the same district the feel at an individual school can vary wildly depending on the administration.

I actually did an end-run on the school and had my older son tested privately specifically to rule OUT ADD or ADHD. When you can pull out a paper that says no-siree-bob-he-does-not-have-ADD, the conversation can finally move to where it needs to be - proper placement, challenges, and assessments.

Thanks, Amy & Lisa.
When you say testing privately, do you mean educational testing ? My son will be 6 next summer, and I read somewhere that it is best to wait till 6 or even 7 or 8 for testing to be done. Also, the school did test him, and he is verbally gifted. Processing score was average. His teacher does have those test scores as well

Or, by testing, do you mean testing by a psychologist to rule out ADD/ADHD ?

I would do whatever you can, in terms of testing. If he's too young for the WISC, do the Stanford-Binet and whatever testing your psychologist/developmental ped will do to rule out ADHD. The primary goal is to have, in writing, from a doctor, that your child does not have ADHD, so you can move on to something helpful.

Sort of... not exactly (although mom2one I agree with Michelle6 that I don't think your DS has ADD either).

ADD & ADHD kids can focus extremely well if they're interested in the subject at hand. Also 2e ADHD kids can focus extremely well when they're challenged (this is my DS), whereas ADHD non-gifted have trouble focusing when challenged or when the material is too difficult (but they can still focus if they enjoy what they're doing).

ADD/ADHD is not a difficulty with ability to focus, but instead a problem the child has focusing on what he's supposed to be doing, rather than what he feels like doing (i.e. the "ooh! shiny!" syndrome, lol). It's more of a meta-cognition disorder.

That being said, they're all a little different. I know three diagnosed and three more suspected ADHD kids and they each have their own variation of symptoms.

Can you wait? We tested DS at 7 and the psychologist told us the results were inaccurate (because of his ADHD behaviour). She told us to wait two years and test him again. Now only one year has passed and he's like a different kid - the year of maturation has been incredible - but of course now we have no $$ coverage to have him tested again.

Meanwhile SENG told me that gifted kids often have pre-frontal cortex delays that result in non-compliant behaviour during testing, and that they should never be tested before the age of eight.

Thanks to everyone who responded.
I don't think anything will happen (as far as school is concerned) to give him more challenging work. I do receive a note saying that my kid was off-task once every month from the teacher. I have a talk with my kid and things improve till the next month's note. I see the quality of work in his worksheets and they seem pretty good. He is not super fast with completing them -- he will probably do the worksheets, then color them to the last detail and then give the worksheet to the teacher.

While I understand that writing is super important and handwriting is critical, it seems to me that is all the class are doing. Plus, my kid's writing is not bad either -- all the practice seems to be paying off. He still remains unchallenged in reading and math at school. I try and enrich at home


The school psychologist said the same thing. She thought IQ scores at 7 or 8 was much more reliable than at 5

I am also curious: how do you find doctors to rule out ADD ? Most seem to diagnose it than rule it out, based on the parent and teacher's feedback on the questionnaires. It seems to me that they err on the side of diagnosing it than ruling it out. Would that be an accurate assessment ? Also, where (resources wise, doctors' list wise) could I find doctors who do educational testing and ADD testing ?

Please let me know. Thanks again. Everyone has been a huge help, and this helps me think things through.

I would suggest starting by asking for a referral from your pediatrician for a psych who does educational testing. Re ADHD, our ped's office does an ADHD evaluation, but if your ped doesn't, they should have an idea re who to go to for a reliable eval in your area.

While I do think it's possible some drs "err" on the side of over-diagnosing ADHD, I think in general most drs are trying their best to diagnose and treat patients appropriately. We're one of the families here who had a child misdiagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type) when they were seven, but to be fair to the neuropsych who evaluated ds, he did fit the criteria and was classified as "mild". It wasn't until he was older and we'd made progress sorting out and accommodating for his learning disabilities that the behaviors that were similar to ADHD symptoms disappeared. When he was re-evaluated through our ped he was found to *not* have ADHD. Also keep in mind - the behavioral surveys are one part of an ADHD evaluation, and they are filled out by both parents and teachers. If a teacher were to subconsciously (or purposely) skew a survey, or if a teacher is seeing behaviors at school that parents don't see at home, that will show up as two very different response sets on the surveys. To be diagnosed with ADHD, behaviors have to show up in more than one setting (ie, they can't only be happening at school or only happening at home). They are also supposed to (according to our ped) be symptoms that started when a child is young, not when they are 7 years old in school.

I would, however, be wary of a dr who suggests trying ADHD meds just to see if they will work - without going through the ADHD eval. We've had a dr suggest that for our oldest dd who *looks* very hyperactive, and that's the type of situation which I believe is where "overdiagnosing" ADHD occurs... as well as missing out on other very real issues. JMO, but I think if you go with a dr who your pediatrician recommends, and they use the behavioral surveys and an in-depth parent interview, the dr is not going to purposely err on the side of finding ADHD.

One suggestion if you're worried about a teacher's input on the surveys is to ask another adult who spends time with your child at school to also fill out a survey - it could be a teacher's aide, for example, or a gym teacher, or music teacher, or a gifted pull-out teacher etc.

Best wishes,

polarbear

Thanks for the detailed post, Polarbear. It helps a lot. Right now, we did speak to our pedi, who thinks it is simply an issue where my kid is ahead academically. He suggested we wait till spring or even the end of K to see whether progress has been made. He has given us references, but there is a somewhat long waiting list, so we will need to see how it goes. So, in a wait and watch mode as of now. For school, I have emphasized that he must do all the worksheets his teacher gives -- he is, atleast, doing the worksheets for the past month. I am just not sure if this is the way I should parent ; but it does lead to fewer issues.