I'd say that a combo of talking with him about it and actively seeking peers for him so he gets a broader perspective than the big fish in small pond mentality may help.
There is a small but real chance that finding a bigger pond for a child will backfire. For instance,
a child may not think much of himself/herself for being substantially smarter than their school mates. However, if you find them a select group of supposedly smart people, and they STILL find themselves to be substantially smarter than the "smart" kids... well, that could go to their heads.
I think that is true. I was advocating more for true peers not just kids who are smart or at a lower LOG. In my dd's instance that
absolutely did not come from grade level GT classes or summer programs marketed to gifted kids in her age range. It came from HG+ older kids. I do realize that we, to some extent, just lucked out b/c she could as easily have wound up in GT classes with older kids who still appeared slow to her.
There absolutely were some of those kids in her GT classes and still are. If I'm being honest, I'd have to say that the majority of the kids in her GT/honors classes still come across that way to her and, now being a teen, she can be pretty snotty about it at home. OTOH, just the one or two who were at her LOG or above (definitely above for the one girl) and older made a big difference in giving her perspective.
, and some of this is personality-driven. My DD has had that same experience-- even HG+ kids 3 years her senior are... um... hard-pressed to keep up with the microprocessor she has on board, I guess.
But she's
never snotty about it; it's just not her way. If anything, she's a little insecure.
(For reference, in her graduation cohort year, there are about 300 kids. She's probably one of only two that are like her, and in the top 20%, there is definitely an 'enriched' group of higher LOG than the usual school sample.)
