My 2e/pg ds10 (first and only child for us) was similar in some ways to your ds. He was in private gifted schools for pre-k/k before he started to homeschool at 6.5 yrs old. Now, at 10.5 yrs old, he wants to try out public school - which I'm predicting won't last more than a couple of weeks because he won't be able to tolerate the amount of structure and level taught in a typical 5th grade classroom.

I would say that the pgness, or at least with my son's, isn't always 'obvious'. There's more flashes at times. Absolutely, it's a case of 'feeding the beast'. Also, it's a case of FIRM boundaries and limits with him. Other pg kids may have an easier time and less of a struggle at regulating their emotions, moods, impulse tendencies, etc.

Also, while some kids are very early with their motor skills or speech/language, many others are not. And while some kids are very early with showing their pgness (ie. doing calculus at 8), many others show their pgness later. Then, there's the whole aspect of how you may have a pg child who does x, y, and z at home but doesn't feel comfortable doing so in front of anyone outside of home.

I agree that not all pg kids have the same level of motivation, interests, or abilities in all areas. That's one of the big myths. Some pg kids are more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated than others. Some are much better in math or science than others.

While the test scores may help you gain entry into DYS or other programs, you've still got to deal with the social/emotional aspects, often on a daily level. That's been the bigger and larger problem for my ds and with school or other programs that are age-based and restricted based on age.

One of the problems that you may face (which we have routinely faced) with a pg child is dealing with the asynchronous development and various restrictions based on age. Many programs will simply not accept a child under a certain age. Then, other problems will be so much beneath your child's level that your child is likely to get frustrated and perhaps angry. This may last too for some time. I've been told that many places will refuse to even look at my son until he's around 12 yrs old regardless of ability.

So my suggestion is to try to find ways on how to feed the beast in terms of his social/emotional needs as well as his cognitive ones. It's a balancing act. Don't be nervous about enrolling your ds in any MOOCs or any college-level course when he's shows interest or motivation to do so -- while he may still want to play in a sandbox.