What a beautiful story you tell! I really believe that knowledge is power and that the first step is to have your daughter tested. Some school districts will do it upon parental request (althought they can take a long time to get it done); some districts routinely screen 2nd graders and then test only those who scored high in screening. My personal recommendation is to look into privately testing her. I know you said you can't afford private school, but it will provide quick, thorough results and testing at your daughter's best schedule. Depending on what diagnosticians charge in your area, it is worthwhile. If you cannot do that, be the pesky mom at the public school gifted admin office.
It is widely thought that parents are the best ones to refer their kids for giftedness. Don't worry about it, just get her assessed so that she can access services offered by the district.
My profoundly gifted 8 yr old son made careless mistakes on math (at one point I thought it was just being bored with the material). He also did not like to write (his handwriting was horrible and he would resist it, preferring to dictate to me). His homework would take him much longer than it was supposed to (I would estimate a 20-minute assignment would take him up to 2 hrs). A few months ago we went through a very difficult time assessing whether he was ADD. We started him on medication and almost instantly we noted several things: his handwriting noticeably improved immediately and he is willing to write long passages; his homework was finished quickly and independently; he was always an advanced reader, but would only read 20 pages at a time--suddenly he was able to read 130 pages. I know this sounds like I'm singing praises for medicating one's child, but it was very difficult for us. It might be something to keep in the back of your mind. The number one benefit for my son is that his entire interaction with his parents was either being corrected, rebuked (for bugging or hurting his brothers), or just yelled at...it was becoming entirely negative. It is not at all that way anymore.
Good luck with your daughter. Keep us posted
