Based on your posts, ss62, it sounds as though your son is doing well:
- happy
- has a lot of friends and is very social
- loves reading, knows his favorite genre, and reads a lot (several years above his grade level).
It sounds like the gifted program is a decent fit, and you are providing at-home enrichment when he craves it (higher math, contests, etc).
If a time comes when he needs more academic challenge and/or the company of intellectual peers, you may see pervasive changes, such as those listed in this brief roundup:
- not so happy (for example: change in personality and/or outlook, feeling invalidated, unsupported, unaffirmed, left out, marginalized, ostracized, internalizing a sense of "guilt" for being "privileged" with higher-than-average intelligence, anxious, afraid to make a mistake, bored, hopeless)
- withdrawn from friends (for example: saying they don't "get" his humor, aren't interested in the same things, he has to hide his intelligence and "dumb down" to fit in, etc)
- lack of interest in reading, and/or choosing genres influenced by popular taste of kids his chronological age and/or grade level
- avoiding challenge (for example: shunning new experiences, procrastinating when faced with learning about topics which he may not be too interested in or naturally good at).
These are quality-of-life factors, rather than being quantitative. For a quantitative measure, you might look for a
trend in achievement test scores which indicate a lack of growth
over time.
I am not clear on what else I should be offering him. I am constantly worried if I am doing full justice. I am also unclear whether he is getting enough opportunities to work at his complete potential.
Welcome to the club, I believe we all feel that way.
That is part of the bond within the gifted community.
There is not a one-size-fits-all-gifted-kids answer. Are you looking for something online? To be integrated into his school day? To provide at-home enrichment? Are you looking for further contests/competitions? Activities to pursue alone? Or as part of a team? Does his school have a math club which competes?
As mentioned by others, The Davidson Institute for Talent Development serves the general public with a number of valuable resources. Including:
- free access to the
Davidson Database- free downloadable
GuidebooksThe possible use of IQ test scores for enrolling your son in a variety of memberships, summer camps, and other programs may vary GREATLY by your location, willingness to travel, your child's strengths/interests, and your child's age. This calls for a bit of research. The Davidson database and old threads on this forum are both rich resources for parental lists... what worked for others' children.
