Thank you for your supportive responses. A few comments back: I will keep an open mind about meds, but I would like to exhaust all other possibilites first. Nutrition is something I have looked into. Although the endoscopy ruled out any food allergies, she does not make the best food choices when left to her own devises and I notice her mood swings with too much processed, refined foods. Regarding friends, she is so ecstatic about just having friends that she still needs to learn that they do not always make the best choices. I'm trying to instill in her what a "true" friend is (one that will accept you for who you are).I will look for that book (she does subscribe to the magazine).
Academically, she is bored in her reading and language arts at school. She is frustrated (and has been for several years now) by the slow pace of others in her group, even though she is in the highest reading group. She also becomes frustrated when working in groups because the other kids "don't get it" or work too slowly to suit her pace. She ends up bossing them around, which creates hurt feelings, tension, etc. This morning she seemed receptive to re-testing for the gifted program. I will not push the issue simply for the sake of a label, I just want her to feel comfortable, challenged and interested in her academic work. If it doesn't work out, then I will discuss other options with her teacher for challenging her within a normal classroom environment. I have recently thought of enrolling her in an art class of some type where she can be free to take new ideas and express herself (most classes expect her to "create" exactly what the teacher is demonstrating-no freedom allowed, which aggravates her). Also, she does love animals and also loves community service. She's not old enough to volunteer in the shelter, or anywhere like that. I can search around more and try to find something age-appropriate where she can volunteer on a regular basis and achieve real accomplishments.
Thanks again for the replies. I will keep you posted if anything big changes.
