I think too that a skip can appear failed if the environment is wrong. My daughter was skipped in a school that simply didn't support her. She continued to be extremely socially isolated and anxious and the school decided this was because of immaturity and felt the skip had failed. We moved schools, retaining the skip, and it has been hugely successful. In part because the school is much more responsive her needs, but also because more of the kids suit her personality. Given our experience I sometimes wonder how often well considered skips (at least, well considered from the parent's side) appear failed when really it's just that a skip in itself isn't enough - it needs to be supported and the culture needs to suit your child from the outset.
Perfectly stated. I think that this is it.
I've been amazed by our school over the years-- when DD had her spectacular meltdown in 8th/9th grade, there was NO attribution offered toward her radical accelerations. They recognized that a child who was REFUSING to do work, but was still earning 100% on what she DID turn in...
probably wasn't suffering from problems caused by a grade skip or three. At least not directly.
The problem was that we
couldn't get her appropriate academics soon enough to prevent some of the other (stereo)typical PG problems like inwardly-directed perfectionism. While we know what the problems are, obviously there are limitations which hamper our willingness to place her at her cognitive readiness level. In her case, those were executive skills and innate disposition (shy/wary of strangers/fearful). But they aren't "physical" reasons. THAT part... oh gosh.
I just shake my head at that. Honestly-- adolescence is awkward and awful for
most people who aren't pretty narrowly normative. Gradeskipping really doesn't cause those problems-- or alleviate them, truthfully. While our opinions as parents are largely shaped by our own experiences as children... the social landscape is just plain hard during adolescence. Being younger than peers at least gives it a NAME and a reason.
