Hi T-boys,
congrats on dodging those diagnosises! If the Psych is well connected to the school, the findings might even be believed! Or not ((shrug))
Good luck with finding an OT who is good with handwriting - here's a bit from another threat about 'DIY OT' for handwriting:
Ok Wanna -
I love OT, but it can get expensive. Here's my 'home version.'
1) lots of hand strengthening activities that are fun - kneading bread dough, paper mache, sewing, crochet.
2) how to hold a pencil -Dangle it between the thumb and first finger, then swing it around.
3) 10 minutes a day of 'handwriting without tears'
http://shopping.hwtears.com/category/1stGradeMy Printing Book for example, or some of their 'readiness materials' if she isn't there yet.
We complained about our son's pencil grip to his OT in 2nd grade, and she said: Oh mine's much worse - and blew us off. Nice lady, but...
YMMV - but you may want to try a little hothousing first.
Love and More Love,
Grinity
As for 'IEP or gradeskip' Some schools don't offer IEPs, that simplifies things. If you school offers them, then I would ask for both, depending on LOG of your child.
BTW - I saw this on your site:
Bright: 115+, or one in six (84th percentile)
Gifted: 130+, or 1 in 50 (97.9th percentile)
Highly gifted: 145+, or 1 in 1000 (99.9th percentile)
Exceptionally gifted: 160+, or 1 in 30,000 (99.997th percentile)
Profoundly gifted: 175+, or 1 in 3 million (99.99997th percentile)
That is totally NOT what I'm talking about. Those numbers were fine back the SB-LM days, but the modern IQ tests have shrunken the range that it's humanly possible to get, with 145 basically being as high as the test will measure. The kids who get the topped out 160 have to have lots of other qualities that don't correlate to 'intelligence' such as eye-hand coordination. If someone scores 175 on a WISC IV, there has been a Math error.
So I would look for a grade skip if your child NEEDS a grade skip, and if you child is on the PG side of HG, or more, they probably need much more than a grade skip; perhaps grade skip plus subject acceleration plus an understanding teacher who offers individuation.
If you child is 'solidly' beyond what passes for gifted in your local area, I would start by requesting the grade skip, but plan in my mind to ask for a IEP as well, and be ready for the next step.
The reason the cutoffs for gifted vary so much is that the neighborhoods in the US vary so much. If a child is MG in a school were the kids are 2 gradelevels below the national norms, then they might need a gradeskip more than a HG kid in a 'university town' where they are a bit unusual, but still not far out of the ordinary. KWIM?
Best Wishes,
Grinity
