Hi!
I am the mom of an 8 year old boy. He is in second grade and has always seemed a bit ahead of his peers but this year he tested at 5th grade for math and 6th grade for reading. He's also interested in things that aren't really available for his age around here, like coding, programming and robotics. The programs we find online or on apps are too advanced, he gets frustrated and gives up.

There is no gifted program in our district. We're from Massachusetts and I read how bad the options are for GAT kids and I am starting to see it for myself.

I want to get him tested for giftedness but this costs $600-1500 dollars (depending on the type of test, I guess). I just called my insurance and they don't cover it. We have decent insurance so I was hoping they would, but I guess not.

There is a private school in town that seems more geared towards his abilities and is very hands on and creative, but we applied and while he did get accepted, financial aid did not give us enough for it to be affordable for us at this time. I'm not currently working so I am planning on getting a job, saving up and possibly revisiting the idea next year.

I guess I just don't know what to do next. He says he hates school and while I think he is exaggerating a bit, I know he is bored. The thing is, how do we know if he's always going to be so ahead of his grade or if he will eventually even out? Is there any place I can look into for reduced rate gifted testing or different payment options?

I guess I'm wondering what you all think I should do next--much appreciated!

If you just want to get an idea of his IQ you could see if there's a MENSA chapter near you that will test him. MENSA testing doesn't give you as much detail but they can estimate his IQ for you, and because it's proctored it would carry some weight (as opposed to something on-line).

(I think an IQ would help to determine if he's just developmentally ahead temporarily or if he's actually gifted)

When I did the testing it was about $60 (this was a few years ago though). It took about 2 hours and 2 tests where given (one was the Stanford Binet and I can't recall the name of the other one). I'm not sure how it would work with children, but since MENSA accepts child members I'm assuming they'd provide testing, although I'm not sure which tests they'd use.

Regardless, though, what matters is his engagement... whether he's gifted or not. Can you enrich him after school? Give him material that interests and challenges him?

Best of luck - I hope you find a solution for your son.

Welcome!
What type of test was this? For example, was this a school-administered online adaptive test like MAP test (Measures of Academic Progress)?

There are some good online programs, and asking for recommendations may be a good question to post on the forum. Frustration is something to work on, it may be related to perfectionism.

You may wish to read up on advocacy and speak to the school about placing your son at the appropriate level of curriculum for math and for reading. If you might consider a grade skip, you may wish to become familiar with the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS).

Insurance typically covers IQ tests only if there is a possible diagnosis of learning disability.

Since you mentioned that you are not currently working, might you consider homeschooling? Lots of good information at Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GHF)

It is not possible to forecast this, as a child's learning is dependent upon many factors including IQ and opportunity, invoking the old nature/nurture debate.

Some families have had their child tested by the Psychology department of their local university. However many parents believe it is worth the extra cost to have their children tested by someone familiar with gifted. Hoagies' list provides a good starting point.

Read the info at all links, scour old posts on the forum, and consider homeschooling.

Mensa's proctored admission tests are intended for Mensa admission only, and are administered to persons age 14 and up, who've not previously taken those particular IQ tests.

Right... but you don't have to join. Even if you did you could leave after a year. Also your eligibility stays on file for life, which is kind of nice. You can let your membership lapse and not pay dues for years, and then simply rejoin without having to be retested (there isn't much benefit to membership, really... other than the monthly magazine... unless it's changed. I never attended any of the social stuff. I'm currently not a member).

I didn't realize, though, that they don't test anyone under 14. My bad... sorry. (I was an adult when tested so that info wasn't relevant).

Yes This could be a good option. This way you can tailor his education to his individual needs. I'd give it serious thought.

You need to know the kind of test for maths - was it a fifth grade test or did he test at fifth grade level. The first means he can do fifth grade work the second means he can do the second grade maths as well as the average fifth grader. Still impressive but not requiring a 3 year jump.

Welcome.

Google Singapore Maths - the books presentthe material in an orderly manner and are far from taxing but they do ensure that the kids proceed in a decently rigorous way.

My DD just tore through arithmetic at a frightening pace - I used the books to reassure myself that she wasn't going too fast and leaving any gaps.

AoPS books, Alcumus and online classes can provide further opportunities.

Reading is something that you have FULL control of just give your child different books and totally ignore any objections from any teacher (this is what I did). Obviously you need to monitor to ensure that her child has a good grasp of the material that they are reading but a few conversations should tell you that along the way.

For coding and robotics/electronics, there are plenty of books,online resources like 'hour of code' and even online classes like AoPS if you want to make that investment. Google 'maker faire' or makezine for cool hands on projects.

Good luck!

I would give testing a serious try too as I would want to reassure myself that I wasn't setting my child up for failure before trying to place in an uber academic school or program.

BTW -I am far from being the Man with the Plan - just another anxious parent doing my best to fumble my way through the fog but the above has worked well for my DD10 so far...

Interesting point!
The age is determined by the norms for scoring. It's good you mentioned the tests as a possibility... some readers may wish to take the Mensa admissions test... also you having thought of this and shared it opened the door for adding more detailed information and a link. If everyone worried about the completeness of the information they shared, there'd be nothing to share and no one would benefit.

Wow, thanks for all the information!
I don't know the name of the math test, but yes, it was a school-administered test that they gave all the kids.

I can find things for him to do online but my main concern is him being bored at school (I did read the thread about using the word bored after I wrote my post!) I don't want him to lose that motivation and ability simply due to lack of stimulation. He is worried that he if he learns more after school, he'll be even more bored at school.

I'm not sure I'm cut out for homeschooling. I'm not very patient and I don't think I'm good at explaining things. He already wants to know things I don't understand, LOL. Plus I really do need to get a job.

I do let him read at his own pace, making sure the subject material isn't too mature for him. He has read all the Harry Potters 3 times, and is reading Percy Jackson now. The teacher doesn't seem to have any complaints when he brings stuff like that to school. I think she understands his needs but there is only so much she can do.

I was reading some of your posts yesterday and I really saw a lot of my son in the things people said about their kids. Thanks again

I think psychological tests/IQ testing can be paid for with a Flex Spending account (so pre tax dollars can be used). This helps a little with the cost.

Also with regards to IQ testing - it is expensive, but for an 8 year old it may be a one time test. At this age IQ may be pretty stable and there may never be a reason to test again.

If you get private testing, make sure it is with a person who will write a report giving recommendations to the school. We had the WISC IV done over a year ago and it was $300, and that included her throwing in possible ideas of accommodations for ADHD.

What can his school do though, when they have no special programs in place?

You may wish to inquire about the name of the test and what specifically the scores mean. You may wish to keep a copy for your own records at home. Collecting information about your child's educational progress may prove useful for future advocacy and decision making.

It's OK to be frank on the forums and speak of boredom and kids being bored in school when they are not learning, progressing and being challenged, but other word choice is beneficial when speaking with schools or individuals who may not be familiar with gifted. This recent thread has several posts which discuss reasons to not use the word "bored" when advocating.

This is a valid concern. However it may be outweighed by the damage of not learning, causing brain changes, which may make it much more difficult to learn in the future. Some have said that it is growing increasingly difficult to access higher level curriculum during the school day in schools which have adopted common core, which tends to focus on all students meeting standards, and does not necessarily facilitate or encourage continued progress for students who've met standards.

Special programs are not necessarily a panacea. Many parents speak of advanced academics which teach one year ahead, essentially capping the student's growth at that level. This may not begin to meet the needs of a gifted child. The advantage may be that the child is amongst the closest possible intellectual peers, and can make arrangements to see them outside of the school setting.

Whether there is a program in place or not, parents most often advocate to have their child's educational needs met in the classroom. Successful advocacy takes time and effort on the part of the parents, but there are resources available which outline the process and provide case studies.

That's a fair point. We did private testing and the results really helped us understand our child's needs better. Test results can help vanquish doubts that you or a school may have about a child's needs. Defining the needs clearly may help a parent advocate for a grade skip or other differentiation.

Depending on what the testing shows, there are some things the school *could* do, even without special gifted programs. Subject acceleration is one option, either by sending your son to a different grade during math (or science or reading, etc), or allowing him to do an online class (like EPGY). Or a full grade skip, if you think that could be appropriate.

I was absolutely intent on making school work for DS when he was in 2nd grade because I was looking for a job, so I understand the feeling. We tried many options, including subject acceleration and partial homeschooling. In the end, though, our family decided that homeschooling was best for him in elementary school, so that's the route we are taking.

I really do want to get the gifted testing done. I do have money I can draw from to get it done. I know there is a gifted center in Rhode Island and my son's LICSW also pointed us to a therapist nearby who does it. Which particular test should I be looking for?

I had a hunch that having that "proof" would be helpful. I do not think he has any learning issues at this point, so I don't think we could use that as an excuse to get cheaper testing. He's never had any trouble with school besides having to refocus him once in a while when he runs at the mouth.

Home issues are another story. He's always been extremely stubborn and defiant. We see the LICSW I mentioned above to help him with these things, with mixed results. He has trouble following directions and doing routines. He gets angry when he's reminded of what to do because he says he knows, but then wanders off and does the opposite of what I said anyway. He has these super complicated ideas and then gets frustrated and angry when he doesn't have the ability or resources to carry them out. (I'm still recovering from the leprechaun trap fiasco...) It's been a real challenge and it's only recently that I realized there was a connection between giftedness and these particular struggles. I was hesitant to call him gifted, because I think that someone can be smart for their age but not gifted, but I see a lot of signs of it.

I don't really have any answers, but I wanted to say hello because I am also in MA and in a similar situation. My son is 7 and I have debated and debated on what to do with him. I believe he is 2e. Finally I got my husband to agree and we are getting him tested next week! It is a huge undertaking, and it is expensive, but I am so relieved that we might have answers and "proof", and to be able to understand him is worth it's weight in gold! We are going to a neuropsychologist in RI...probably the one you were reading about, but she is going to stop taking patients at the end of this month (we've been on a wait list forever). I have the name of someone else recommended to me, if you're interested message me. Hang in there...

kjs, fwiw, I would also suggest you ask through your local homeschool community if you can find any connection, or ask through your ped's office if they know of any lower cost resources for testing. We were able to find a low cost option for IQ and achievement testing this way.


Proof of ability will be helpful but you already have proof through achievement testing that your ds is working ahead. I'd suggest that, before testing for IQ (and spending the $), you ask yourself - what would you do if the testing showed he wasn't "gifted" - wouldn't he still be the same child who is bored with the academics at school, and wouldn't you want to advocate for something more for him? It's possible your best answer for now is to advocate with the data you already have. I'm also curious - have you requested any further testing through your school district? Even though they don't have a gifted program, there is no doubt they have other gifted students somewhere, and they might provide some type of ability testing if you request it. That wouldn't necessarily be a full IQ test, but it might be enough to advocate for "more" during the school day.



To be honest, I'd not necessarily assume these behaviors are coming from being gifted - it's quite possible for a child to be gifted and also have other challenging behaviors. I'd think that with the list of challenges you've mentioned above you might be able to get neuropsych testing paid for through medical insurance (some of us have). Don't ask for IQ testing, ask for neurospcyh testing to determine the root cause of executive functioning issues, challenges following directions, etc. You'll get the IQ testing as a part of the package, and you'll also hopefully get useful information on how to deal with the challenges you're having at home.


I wouldn't get too caught up in the semantics of gifted vs smart. If a child is bored in school, they are bored in school and they need something more challenging. OTOH, a child who is showing challenging behaviors at home such as you described might have something more than just being bright going on, and as the parent of 2 2e kiddos, my experience has been it's far more important to be sure you understand the 2nd e and start remediation/etc for it early than it is to push for gifted services early and hope the other will simply resolve with advanced academics.

Best wishes,

polarbear