Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment DYS benefits

So, now that DD has DYS qualifying explore scores (including hitting ceilings on two subtests) , my question is - should we apply? What are the benefits?

We are in an unusual position as far as some of the benefits I've seen mentioned on this forum. We've tried advocacy at school (acceleration), and it went nowhere. Our school has several HG kids per grade, so the administration's answer was, "Many of these kids are really smart." On the plus side, DD and DS have plenty of peers at the same level, so I don't think we would benfit from the social or advocacy aspects.

Any thoughts?

I wasn't sure what services we'd really need at the time when I applied, but because they require tests to have been taken within two years of applying, I thought I might as well apply now and then if I do need them down the road, I don't have to worry about re-testing. Just something to consider.

We also don't necessarily need DYS right now, but like Ruby, I consider it insurance for the future. Things change so fast with these kids that it's really nice to know that there's help on tap if I need it.

Then there are perks, like the online seminars for both kids and adults with experts in various fields, the access to resources and advice through parenting e-lists, and the fun of get-togethers with kids and parents, both formal and informal.

Those are all nice things.

I guess I'd ask what the downside to applying is. Aside from the time you spend on the application, what have you got to lose?

Online seminars - I really like these. Experts whose books I've read give ME advice/info. So cool. DS's haven't gotten too interested yet.

Community - My guys like to read the profiles of other "kids like them" throughout the country. See what games they like, books, etc. Update their profiles.

Annual Gathering - they are really looking forward to MEETING other kids like them and participating in talks/seminars in person. This will be our first one, but it sounds like people form lasting friendships.

Counselors - nice to have someone to talk to, get advice, suggestions for IEPs/goals, resources, questions. It's difficult to get help, info, or sounding board from friends or family because people don't understand.

I'm in a similar situation to the OP, but I don't have individual test scores. We just did group testing at school that shows, maybe DD8 might qualify since she hit the ceiling on many parts of the test;however, group testing is not as accurate....So I'm wondering if any of you paid for testing specifically to try for DYS or did you already have the testing for other reasons? Is the testing really stressful on the kids? Financial is a concern as well. I'm trying to decide what else I could gain from testing.

Is the counseling a one time thing? Or can you email/call your counselor at anytime for advice (like on a bad day when you're really stressed about the kids/school, etc.?)

Of course reading these forums is counseling in itself, reading the personal experience of others.

Everyone is different of course, but many GT kids LOVE testing. Mine did. It's like games and puzzles, so they're pretty fun!

Perfectionistic kids who don't realize they will miss some tend to have more trouble with testing. To combat this, I just let my son know that they have to have some that are too hard, that he WILL miss some, and that it's perfectly fine. He should just do his best. He had no problems with it then.

We had half of DS7's DYS-qualifying testing from the school's testing to ID him as GT--which is what made us realize that DS7 might be a DYS candidate--and then we paid for the IQ test. Both tests also helped us with finding an appropriate approach for school, but it was mainly for DYS that we did the IQ testing. I learned about his processing speed issues, so that was well worth the money we spent on testing!

Counseling with a big-name expert is specially arranged. Probably not a one-time-only thing, exactly, but not always on-tap either. However, talking with your Family Consultant--a DITD staff member who is assigned to work with a group of families--could be practically a daily occurrence. Most have backgrounds in education, counseling or other related fields, and they are great help with listening, offering suggestions, finding resources, writing letters to schools, etc.

Thanks Kriston. I was thinking the family consultant only. I didn't realize they would do bigger consults. I think anyone with more experience than myself would be a good start .

Ours checked to see if we could do partial homeschooling in our district. I thought no, but I wasn't sure who to ask exactly. Our consultant tracked it down for me. Nice!

They're VERY good about e-mailing in my experience. Phone calls are a little more rare, but our consultant has been really good about responding to e-mail when I've had questions.

Concerning the group testing, I believe the thoughts about accuracy tend to focus on underperforming, rather than overperforming. A child who tops out on these tests, may also score much, much higher on an individually administered test, which is a good kind of not as acccurate.

The first IQ test we embarked on was paid out of pocket, $500 and at the time we considered it quite a financial strain.
In hindsight, it was money well spent.

The Davidson Institute is tremendous, IMO, in supporting the needs of profoundly gifted children. If a child looks like they are in that category, I'd recommend further testing.

Regardless of level of giftedness, the information from individual IQ and achievement testing can be so valuable in terms of supporting their educational and learning needs.

If tests show a child that is three or more standard deviations above the mean in terms of score, I'd definitely pursue the support of The Davidson Institute.

HTH
Neato

We paid for our own testing. We needed to know where DS6 was. We made sure the psychologist used DYS accepted tests just in case. To be honest we were quite surprised when it turned out that he qualified.

If you have the scores then go ahead there is nothing to loose. If you need scores and you your child may qualify I still say go ahead if you can afford it. It's more than worth it.

One thing I've seen mentioned here (I might have missed it. Your family consultant can also help you find a mentor for your child.