Most conversations about giftedness are pretty school based .because. the intervention or community response to giftedness only makes sense in an educational setting. It doesn't require physical treatment. It's not a medical condition. It's a thinking condition. That's under the school's jurisdiction. In other words they're the only ones that are interested at all about identifying giftedness for the purpose of doing anything about it (which varies by state).
There is funding for the arts and science and businesses that recruit talented adult people. But they're not looking to define giftedness as a whole or offer services to gifted people carte blanc, they're looking for a specific thing that fits into their project or purpose. Maybe marketers also research for customers for nerdy items. Hey- maybe that's who should identify gifted kids early. Radio Shack & Barnes and Nobles have already salaried market research teams to define their targets.
What about a child makes a parent hang out on a giftedness forum? I have kids. I am interested in education.
That's a good question.
I also feel a little fellowship. Fellowship is strange. Critics say it feels good to hang out with like-minded people but it makes you dull because you all know the same things. Those who participate in fellowship disagree, since nobody often sees eye to eye and how can you hash out the finer points except in the fellowship of interested parties. And anyway, we don't know the same things. What is unique to the Internet is that every word is recorded over time. That's cool because it makes it more like an interactive book / fellowship mash up.
I still think looking at charts is academic. And I'm glad you are able to facilitate his learning (I reworded "teach him" just for you. <3). I'm really glad he gets to have more time where he's thriving instead of being stuck where he wasn't.
It's Still studying Books.
I had a friend long ago who had small children who said, "somebody should make a picture book encyclopedia set with all the knoweledge in the world for little babies to "read". I think they made it but it's called You Tube.
