Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion New here and looking for where to start

Hi, I'm new here but felt the need to find support after we got my son's IQ test back. His IQ basically puts him well above the genius level. And honestly, as amazing as that is its also quite scary. I can't talk to most of my friends as they are parents at his school and I don't want to "make them feel bad" or make them feel like I am bragging.

I am shocked and scared and surprised and feel the need to learn as much as I can about how to help my son "be all that he can be." He has MAJOR perfectionism issues and that's why we had him tested; because we weren't sure if he had a learning disability due to his meltdowns with writing.

Anyway, I feel the need to connect with others who know how this feels and would love feedback on where to start (not just within this forum but overall)!

Thanks!

Welcome! We all know how it feels to get those numbers and be in shock at how high they are. Rest assured, you have found the right place.
How old is your son? You may want to look into applying for him to be a Davidson Young Scholar. They provide free educational resources and support as well as general support for the parents.

welcome here looking forward to getting to know you and hear about your family as you chat with us

Welcome! You will find great support here. I felt anxious (and honestly, kind of ill) for days after finding out our son is PG. It is a normal reaction. My advise is to take it all day by day. You can't think too far in advance with these kids. Even after finding an academic setting that works, before you know it, it won't work again.... It is an ongoing process.

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!

Welcome!

Hi and welcome! I'm sure you'll learn a lot just browsing the forum and seeing what others are experiencing. It's good to have a safe place to talk about extraordinary kids.

I got my DD's test results in email mid-morning at work one day, freaked out upon reading them, and spent the rest of the morning crying in a conference room because I felt so guilty for having ever doubted her and for not having advocated harder for her in the past. Now I have just settled in at my regular level of fury at the school district for continuing to be mostly useless to her.

Welcome!

Two books which seem to understand perfectionism very well and which many find supportive are What To Do When Good Enough Isn't Good Enough and Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Too Good. While insightful, these are written gently for kids, in a style that is fun and engaging. Some parents pre-read books before giving them to their children, others prefer to read/discuss together with their children.

You may wish to read all you can about advocacy, meetings, and also wrightslaw if there may be any learning disability (in which case your child would be "twice exceptional" or 2e for short). Forum life is easier if you learn common abbreviations and acronyms.

You may wish to check the following websites frequently:
- Hoagies Gifted Education page (also on FB)
- Davidson Institute for Talent Development (DITD), especially the Davidson database
- Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)
- National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and your state affiliate
- Great Potential Press
- Prufrock Press
- free spirit publishing
- Royal Fireworks Press
- Magination Press

The book A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children is another great place to begin equipping yourself for your journey in raising your gifted child.

When encountering teachers or administrators unfamiliar with gifted issues, you may wish to recommend the Davidson Educator's Guild.

Perfectionism and writing meltdowns for a gifted kid is all too familiar.

Here is a helpful article about it.

http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10310.aspx