Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy GT school not enough for DS - what now?

After so much stress and worry over getting my DS 8 (2nd grade) into the dedicated GT magnet public school, the honeymoon period is over and DS has started to check out some. This was my biggest fear He loved it at first because it was a lot different than the experience he had in private the last 2 years. Things seemed to be going well through the end of December but lately, he has been having trouble staying engaged telling me he already knows everything and sometimes it's boring. This is with the whole classroom and school being full of gifted kids and specialized gifted teachers with gifted curriculum. He has been reading when he is supposed to be paying attention to something else, distracting other kids with his talking, rolling around on the floor when it's not appropriate, impulse control issues, and last week, lightly "punched" another kid (in his stomach area) but said it was just a joke. That one got me a call from the teacher (that is not normal for him to do)

She told me that she has used all the methods she knows to engage him but that she has never had a kid that required so much more than she knows how to accommodate. Yikes. As a reminder, I've got a kid with visual processing and sensory issues (in visual therapy now and did some OT last year) who is probably in the 99th+ range (visual issues affected IQ score - scattered all over the place - will retest later).

She is going to start talking with other teachers, principal, VP, to see what they can come up with for further differentiation for him, particularly in math and science (I would argue for everything...). I'm also not sure if we need to start looking at possibly having an IEP. Can you get an IEP for sensory? That process sounds so intimidating.

So for you experienced parents - what should we be asking for from a GT school where your kid is beyond the other gifted kids? I know a lot will depend on the district and school but I think we are probably going to end up in meetings at some point and I want to have some suggestions, ideas, etc and sound somewhat intelligent.

bronalex, it sounds like the school is proactively working to provide differentiation - and that's huge!

I don't have time to think about what I'd ask re the gifted side of things at the moment, but wanted to address the question about an IEP for sensory challenges. I am guessing that in your ds' case what you need is a 504 plan, not an IEP. A 504 plan outlines accommodations that make school accessible for students with disabilities; an IEP is put in place for students who need individualized instruction. In our ds' case - if your school district offers them - a *gifted* IEP would be appropriate, but if you wanted an IEP for sensory issues you'd have to be able to show that he needed some type of remediation for those issues to be successful in the classroom. Most likely what he needs are accommodations - things like sitting on a bouncy ball or bumpy cushion, wearing ear plugs to drown out background noise, sensory "breaks" where he is able to go to a quiet room for a while during class, etc - those are all examples of typical sensory-related accommodations. The one reason he might qualify for an IEP for sensory issues is if he qualified for sensory OT - and if he did, and if you don't mind him missing class for a pull-out, I'd give it a try. Our dd had private sensory OT and it was *wonderful* for her.

Hope that helps a bit -

polarbear

ps - your ds has had VT hasn't he? Has that helped at all? I'm wondering how much of what looks like sensory is actually vision related? That's another thing you'll need to think about (probably) - vision. Does your dd need accommodations allowing him to sit close to the board etc.

Have you thought about a grade skip? That helped my DS so there wasn't as much differentiation required.

Bronalex, my son, who has sensory issues, is younger than yours, so I don't have any advice - just a referral. I'm currently reading "Raising a Sensory Smart Child" L. Biel, and this book has a whole chapter devoted to advocating for your child at school and creating an IEP for SPD. The book includes IEP basics, pros and cons of Push In, Pull Out, After School and Private OT, strategies and personal perspectives from mothers in the trenches.

Another book I just finished by Lindsay Biel, "Sensory Processing Challenges: Effective Clinical Work with Kids & Teens" provides more detailed strategies on how sensory issues can present as behavioral issues and how to help your child in situations at school - including recess, fire drills, lunch, writing, etc.
I HIGHLY recommended both books.

On a side note, not sure if this is valid for your situation, but my son's OT said that sometimes when my son rolls on the ground, he is seeking sensory input to regulate himself.

polarbear - yes he has been in VT and we are a little over half way through the program. We saw the fastest improvements in the first couple of months. His tracking has improved tremendously and I think his eyes don't get as tired anymore. His classroom is flexible so he can move if he needs to but it doesn't seem to be causing an issue in school (at least I don't think!). He has another eval this week with the dr and I will ask if he thinks he should have some accommodations in school.

We did private OT for 6 months so I don't know if that means anything for the school. Some of the coordination/vestibular issues have improved although he is never going to be an athlete. He is doing swimming lessons now through therapeutic rec (for sensory - he hates water on his head/face and is terrified of drowning) and has a tough time even learning how to kick his legs correctly. He also has weak core and fine motor strength (like his hands). I've backed off home OT while we are doing VT because it was too much to do in one day (swimming lessons are sort of like OT, I think). I'm already having a tough time getting him to do home VT.

Where he runs into trouble in school I think is the fidgety stuff, impulse control, being "too high", being in his own world, etc. I struggle with understanding whether this is sensory processing or excitabilities from a highly gifted kid or a gifted kid who is bored. Even after all the evals and testing I'm still not sure what to make of my son and what he really needs. Well, I know he really needs homeschooling but that isn't an option at the moment. I think we need to exhaust the possibilities at the school first.

st pauli - That is def. an idea. Not sure how they handle that in a GT school but will put it on my list of things to explore.

emerald - thanks so much for the info! I've had that first book on my list to check out so I think I will finally get to it now.

The Iowa Acceleration Scales are a wonderful objective tool to see if a grade skip is a good fit. I would ask the school if they have a copy of it, or maybe a local library has a copy.

I'm un/homeschooling my ds8 with a similar profile - born with/ visual processing issues, sensory issues, very scattered at times, etc. He's been in two gifted schools, but neither one could really accommodate him. My son is in vt again now. He was in ot for 5 years, including many years at a sensory gym. Been debating about bringing him back to ot privately, but at the moment I've been able to deal with the sensory issues.

The Biel's books are quite good. Fidget tools might help with the impulsivity. You could pick up a dryer ball (which would normally go in a dryer for clothes) and use it as an emergency one.

I don't know what your options are with schooling, but I would try to assess whether these behaviors are related to psychosomatic conditions and a poor educational fit or sensory issues or something else. Do you know if he's being challenged appropriately or not, for instance? I'm not entirely convinced that the behaviors are sensory related. How recent are the behaviors? Has he always exhibited the disengagement with school? If not, then there might be something else going on.

cdfox - I think you may be right in that not everything is related to sensory. I have a hard time discerning gifted & bored from sensory processing. He is not being challenged enough so I do know that is one problem but maybe not the whole story.

I would do a few things:

1. Assess for a grade skip. Is he an old 8 or young 8? I only ask because my DDs didnt turn 8 until Fall of 3rd and they skipped K….but were age placed for our current state (complicated story). The IOWA acceleration scale may be helpful.

2. You state the teacher has not routine made so many accommodations, is that for academic or SPD/VT or both?

3. I would address the SPD stuff (fidgets, touching, etc). I have a DD that has SPD and she gets 'fitgety' when her sensory needs are not being meet- regardless of if she knows the material or not. See if he has certain times of day, subjects, or activities that seem to be more difficult than others and then determine if it because he knows the material or for whatever reason (time, activity, presentation) it triggers VT/SPD.

4. Work with the school on math/science acceleration- see if that helps alleviate some of the concerns.

An IEP is not so complicated and often can provide extra support. Does your state have GIEPS? Often, sensory as a stand alone will not work as an IEP because it is not official in the DSMV manual of diagnosable disabilities but it may be able to be tagged on to visual processing and/or other areas.

You stated he had OT….could some of the behaviors also be avoidance? I know my DD did all sorts of things to avoid writing when she was younger…


Just some ideas. Good Luck! Sounds like you have a good school that is really trying to work things our for your DS to be successful!

When our local gifted school (only one in South Africa) wasn't working for our oldest we switched to home/un schooling (we turned down an offered grade skip from K to 1st). He also has sensory issues, auditory processing issues, high anxiety and major perfectionism.

It worked so well that 5 months later we pulled the younger child as well from pre school and I am SO glad now that we did - although he has none of the sensory issues, he does display some autistic signs (never tested) and is an introvert and a higher LOG than his older brother... Would have been a nightmare trying to fight for necessary accommodations!