The teacher actually picked up pretty quickly on the high ability thing. Each time DS leaves the classroom he likes to read all 100 sight words on the board by the door. He reads them quietly, but out loud and as effortlessly and (thankfully) quickly as you or I would. That's been noticed. And he's read all of the signs and posters all over the school. I think he also did some square roots today when talking to either the teacher or PCA. The teacher brought it up in the meeting as a pretty unheard of thing in her classroom. I know she is already on board with seeing that he is pretty amazing at academics.
The naysayers at the meeting not only told me all of the reasons DS cannot enter the gifted program, they also said they have a lot of smart kids like DS. I don't doubt they have a lot of smart kids. I do doubt they have a lot of kids with quite his level of passion and understanding of math. He's not just counting high or learning to do book math like addition with regrouping. He's able to mentally outperform most adults in basic calculations and he loves multiplication concepts like primes, factors, and, clearly, square roots. With real instruction I have no idea how far he could go.
They also still refuse to consider his IQ valid as it's a GAI rather than an FSIQ (which wasn't calculated because he was not on task enough to complete the portions involved).
I remember another thing they require for admission to the gifted program. Creativity. They said it to me like they already know DS doesn't have it. You know, cause of his old, and IMO, not all that accurate autism diagnosis. Not that an autistic kid can't be creative. But they have to adhere strictly to stereotypes or I suppose the whole system falls apart over there. DS is not the world's most super creative person ever, but he comes up with lots of good, novel ideas.
They did tell me that they have never had a grade K child in their gifted program. They said they very rarely have had grade 1 kids. They don't exclude grade K and 1, but kids that age don't have the skills needed for the program, specifically the writing. And I assume the massive maturity they require. They actually told me that gifted kids are more mature socially and emotionally and that DS is less mature socially and emotionally and that giftedness is more than just an IQ. Basically, even though you did the testing, your kid still isn't gifted.
I've been fighting this battle since age 3. Me saying he is gifted, them saying he is autistic with splinter skills and hyperlexia. I really thought the IQ test would eliminate the battle, but it has not. I may have to pay for private testing in the spring after he turns 6. I am not even asking for services at this time, just recognition and consideration of his giftedness as part of his profile. With the gifted program that they have I don't think he would enjoy it much anyway. But I bet he would love to hang out with the mature 2nd and 3rd graders in the program and play some games with them!
