Originally Posted by RRD
I recognize that I'm a total dilettante when it comes to this, but I just find GC so fascinating.
Yes, it is fascinating... have you seen some of the brain research?

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It seems to me that teachers could easily identify potential candidates for testing if they were a bit more attuned to the child as opposed to only considering the child's results in school.
Seeing the child in context... it gets complicated... for example...

"how a first grader enthusiastically discusses the digestive system"... unless that gifted child comes from a home with parents who did not complete school (often due to an undiagnosed LD), and may know nothing of nutrition or digestion and therefore be unable to answer their child's many questions... in which case the gifted child may not have acquired the knowledge base to speak on this topic.

"a kindergartener who wants to devour a non-fiction book for middle grade kids"... unless that gifted child comes from a home where books are not often read, and trip to the library is not a familiar event... in which case the gifted child may seek a pastime other than reading.

"a 4 or 5 year old child whose drawings of a ship also include solar panels and satellites and a supply of food"... unless that gifted child does not have paper available to draw on, has not been on trips to the grocery store, seen a well-stocked pantry or a full refrigerator... in which case the child may build "ships" or other imaginary play spaces from objects found around the home such as blankets and pillows.

"or a 4 year old who corrects your grammar"... unless the parents speak only a language other than English (for example: other World Language, broken English, Eubonics, or slang) so the child is not exposed to a large vocabulary, usage, or nuance... in which case the child may believe you are talking high-falutin to be intimidating or prevent him/her from understanding something.

This is another dilemma of screening or identification by observation: children do not necessarily have commonality of experience, therefore may present their gifted/advanced brain differently. The work of Ruby K. Payne includes identification of children in poverty. It is possible that children from families with middle-class financial resources may be similarly "deprived"... if parental attention must be focused on a particular sibling, on a parent's career, or an unstable parental relationship (such as illness, death, divorce, etc).

A gifted child from a deprived background may have a lot of catching up to do, in order to develop a similar knowledge base as compared with that of his/her classmates. As that child's background may include continued deprivation, that child's achievements may look quite different than other gifted children from families having greater finances and/or more parental support/encouragement. When these factors are not fully considered, level of gifted (LOG) may be conflated with socioeconomic status (SES).

ETA: That reminds me of an old post.