I was more interested in how large a group of age appropriate peers my DS8 might find if or when he joins. I was scoping out the support network that he might get socially.
Could anyone expound on this?
I'll add my perceptions to what Dottie said.
This is unofficial, but I feel like there are definitely more kids as they get older. Very few 5yos, not many more 6-7yos, a significant jump in 8yos, etc. That testing in 3rd grade seems to help get kids IDd, or at least that's my theory.
But where they are is very hit-or-miss. There are quite a number of DYS kids in our town. But most are teens and all are at least 3 years older than DS7, so there is no ready-made social network for us. At least not yet. The closest child in terms of both geography and age is the next state over, a couple of hours away, not far from my parents' home. They ski at the same place we ski, so we may get to see that family for ski outings. But for now, there's no one else around who wouldn't require an overnight stay to visit.
People in big cities obviously have better luck, but there are no weekly playdates for most of us. We are attending an informal get-together later in the summer, and that will include kids from the region, some of whom are in the same ballpark age-range as my son. That will be nice.
My hope is that DYS will get some more kids close to DS7 in both age and proximity once our state's mandatory GT testing happens in 3rd grade (if not before that). But it's worth being in the DYS group even if that doesn't happen. We at least have contact with like-minded peers. We have access to counselors and experts. We have parents who have BTDT we can ask about things. And we get the informal get-togethers and the Summit to see people.
It's well worth the cost of admission: free! Can't beat that price!
Oh, and as for where all the people waiting are...I suspect a lot fewer people apply during the summer. School and testing and such just aren't on the radar of most people right now, so the group is smaller. I could be wrong, but that's my guess.
