I wish my parents knew mine! My father didn't care as he was from the working class and you worked with your hands, not with your head (so much). My mom was just plain scared of me.
I don't really know whether i would have benefitted from knowing. I now know that I also suffer from ADD which i didn't discover until i was 48. I think that would have been more important to know. I really felt i was lazy or something for not concentrating more. The IQ thing probably would have given me some respect for my abilities; what i really needed was some guidance as to what I could do with that potential.
The point is that i don't think knowing or not is damaging in itself. What is important is that you as a parent use that information to guide and help direct your child in ways that they understand their potential and understand HOW they learn best.
