Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Gifted but behind in Kindergarten?

FWIW our curriculum is much more in line with what ultramarina posted. Our provincial kindergarten program was re-written recently to be more play based. I don't think they ever hold kids back (not that there aren't problems with that, some kids might benefit but that's a whole other topic).

My 2e DS was behind in JK/SK (we have two years of kindergarten here). Grade 1 he was slightly behind in reading and really behind in writing. We tested and his scores were all over the place (they suspect a processing speed LD but will test again when he's older to confirm). We got an IEP for the last half of grade 1 that allowed scribing and advocated for a better teacher match for this year. This year he's made huge improvements and his reading and writing are at grade level and they hardly ever use the accommodations in the IEP (they are still there in case the increased writing as he gets older becomes an issue again).

More importantly school is less of a battle and I attribute that to a better teacher match. The worst part of last year was that DS started thinking he was "stupid" because he was struggling with writing while other kids weren't. He was extremely frustrated and it came out in his behavior. The teacher's attitude towards him probably didn't help things. After testing we had a big talk about how some things were really easy for him (math & science) and that some things were going to be more of a challenge but that didn't mean he wasn't smart. It has also helped him understand his classmates that struggle in things that he is good at. His new teacher believes in him and DS knows it and does much better at showing his abilities at school while working through his challenges.

In our world gifted doesn't mean accelerated or high achieving in everything. In some areas he blows our minds (and the teachers) and then in others he struggles. Asynchronous is his middle name.

Displaced, I don't think I know a single child who found writing easy in K. It's something that takes multiple different systems. I could write a novel, but even super high IQ kids who are great readers often struggle with writing. My kids writing looked grade level in K, and certainly wasn't easy for them, even though they were reading Harry Potter (see what I did there?).

I found some writing samples that are like how my PG kids and their friends wrote in K
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1kWI_XFwds/TpxR5zBBeDI/AAAAAAAAHbw/5iP6DjKBvGY/s1600/IMG_2315.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iw425Jj-f2o/T5tE6XVSxcI/AAAAAAAAJrU/OlPsux44j-k/s1600/w1.jpg

[Edited because I responded to the wrong post.]

My daughter is similar but different. Her issues are handwriting, drawing, and anxiety that turn her into a big bully magnet. Handwriting and drawing seem to be everything in K.

Because she "presents" smart, the fact that she has trouble with a lot of fine motor and spacial skills (even things like putting a box in a small cubbyhole), are seen as behavior issues(not following directions, not doing work). She likes learning but does not feel like she is good in school and wants to be homeschooled.

To handle her asynchronousity (is that a word?) We have researched and loaded an iPad with learning apps that let her progress at her own pace and satisfy her own interests without her having to write anything down.

She learns a ton from that iPad and she never feels she is "working." Also, because she makes the choices, I don't have to be involved. This is good because I do feel anxiety. I don't want her to lose her strengths because they have to sink to the level of her weaknesses. Since she makes the choices about what she learns, I don't have to worry about her feeling pushed.

I've found providing materials at home that support her interests have just been everything for her--and as long as you don't force, I think it really works. We don't touch writing (my child's weakness), just offer her more access to the things she's interested in.

We're not ignoring the weaknesses (doing PT), but she doesn't feel defined by that.

No, we left because that was too easy for my DD. But you see, there was no differentiation. The whole class was reading that mid-year. I think it would be perfectly normal for some kids to not be able to read that, many to be on track with that, but a decent-sized handful to be beyond. Perhaps I wa smisinterpreting--I am not too familiar with the nuances of beginner books. Isn't F and T a beginner book like the type your child is expected to read by the end of K or no?

I agree with Tallulah that many kids' writing looks like that in K and it is quite typical even for advanced kids. Does your son's writing fall in that ballpark? Much worse?

I happen to have a son in K whose writing is good, and it is very obvious from the teachers' responses that this is unusual. I don't even find it that great--my DD's penmanship and ability to compose were much better at this age. I think it's because he's a boy that people flip out a little.

I think you'll both like it. It is a no frills approach - no games, colorful characters, etc. but the incremental nature seems to work because kids are being stretched just enough for progress but not so much as to cause frustration and anxiety.

Good luck!

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I'm wondering how much everything is just up to chance with teacher placement. Some teachers are great, some not so much, some do well with some children and others click with different types. It wasn't until I started reading about giftedness that asynchronous (and other terms) became part of my vocabulary and now DS is starting to fit into an explanation.

DS's handwriting looks more similar to the first linked example. Now, as he is 5.7, after working the whole school year at it. It's hard for me to understand "normal" or "average" because the display board with the class examples look really pretty and neat.

One problem is that DS doesn't care at all what his handwriting looks like. I don't care, either, as long as it portrays information necessary. And he is quite impatient, so he just writes quickly instead of carefully. Coloring is the same. He still just scribbles because to color nicely takes WAAAY too long to him. He just wants to finish.

Maybe I should start him on a typing computer game this summer as I'm sure that will eventually be part of his necessary tools.

Oh, ok. That book is long compared to what is expected (even if only half), and some of the words are harder too. But I think by mid-first grade it may be possible they are requiring something like that.

You may wish to look into Dance Mat Typing. It's fun... many people like it.