Our DD skipped mid 4th to 5th. . She was young for 4th grade so was almost 2 years younger than some of her new classmates. One of the Duke Tip team stated DD could pull off another skip but we chose not to as her sibling is only 1 year older, and that would have placed DD in the grade ahead of her sister. In 6th grade she and her sister took a fast track math class so by 7th they were in algebra.
DD continued to make all A’s although she struggled with EF issues due to ADHD (inattentive). We worked on that situation quite a bit. Socially, DD did much better in 7th when she found a group of snarky, quirky kids. This year, 8th, has been more of a struggle as we moved overseas where DD attends a small international private school. She hasn’t yet found good friends as it takes her a long time to develop relationships.
DD is still tiniest in the class but would be small even if not skipped. I used to fret about this, but what really does it matter for girls? I suppose for boys this would be more of a concern. We don’t have to worry about her obtaining a driver’s license or drinking at the same time as her grade mates because even the older kids won’t be doing this where we live.
Classwork is still easy for DD, and although she “studies” (glancing at a paper) with kids in class, she still receives all A’s. DD is taking Geometry at age 12 due to the fast track math class and the grade skip. Her other classes are 8th grade basics at this college prep school. We attempt to get her to “practice” studying, but it is hard to get her to understand that she will need good study habits someday. We are facing high school next year with both kids. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Early acceleration (early entry or skip in the early grades) appears to work much better than later acceleration. A few kids have skipped 4th grade (the “transition year” that the IAS counsels against), and boy, does it hold true - those kids, no matter how smart they are, really struggle with with writing and languages.
We did not experience this, but our DD is more a writer and artist than a math loving gifted kid.