Nice to see this site up. I read the article in TIME about the Davidson Institute and ended up here.
I was in a gifted program for two years until my parents pulled me out because they didn't like the way it was handled. After that I pretty much denied my own abilities through adulthood until my daughter was born and started writing and reading simple words at age three.
My girl is a very intense child and had a few problems even in pre-school so I stayed late every morning to see how things were going. It was worth it because she convinced the teacher to let her read "Click, Clack Moo" to the rest of the class early one morning after I had just dropped her off. The expression on the teacher's face as she read was priceless.
She's now in Kindergarten and a note home after just one week read something to the effect that she is bright, enthusiatic, creative but won't follow the rules and is disrespectful to the teacher. My daughter read the note to me even though it was written in cursive.
I am dreading the rest of her education. I keep seeing my miserable high school experience flash before my eyes and I try to tell myself that she's different, stronger and smarter than I was and I'm more informed than my parents were, plus we have the internet to rely on, but I'm waiting for some educator to label her ADHD or Aspergers or what have you because she doesn't fit into the system.
I'm curious what your opinions are regarding whether these dual diagnosis are a direct result of gifted kids being misplaced in normal classrooms, how homeschooling can benefit our dear ones with gifted "disorder" and if anyone out there ever dreams of a virtual school for the gifted so that any kid anywhere can log on and get the challenging education they need, plus have a network of friends out there who are truly their intellectual peers.
I'm also curious as to how many of you have read "Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, depression, and other disorders" It was a great resource for me in coming to terms with my own experiences.
Anyway, glad to see the site up.
