Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources How did your find us? AND Do you like the name?

Lorel -- The Gifted Children board is still around; haven't met any trolls yet, though I have met several parents who may, I think, be deceiving themselves. :-) Actually, the Advanced Milestones: Toddlers board is the place to be lately. When I was looking for a little more action and advice than the Gifted Children board, I went to investigate the Toddlers board and found several older (4- to 7-yo) children/parents posting on that board.

And thanks -- I intend to make myself at home! :-) I have tons of questions and some fairly interesting experience to share. Nice to meet you all.

Oh -- ha. I should introduce my kid! My ds is Benjamin; he's 5y6mo. We recently had him tested and he was borderline HG/PG; I'm actually still trying to figure it out. He tested at a 148 on the WPPSI, but ceilinged three of the subtests. And his WIAT tests mathematics and reading tests far exceeded his expected results for his abilites at a 148, with mathematics composite and word reading scores above the 99.9 percentile. So we're not exactly sure where he's at ... the psychologist said she thought 160 range. He's in kindergarten right now, but we're considering a skip to first at the semester or to second at the end of the year, possibly with pull-outs for math and reading.

Benjy's an absolute nut and a joy to parent -- when he's not experiencing a funk like only he can. He's a lover of books, words and numbers -- and of playing Super Mario and Zelda on our Wii. :-) I'm still trying to absorb our new information about Benjy's brain: voraciously reading everything I can get my hands on and talking to as many experienced people as I can.

Again, hello to all!

I found these forums through the Davidson site. The titles are fine. One thing that I would like to see more of, and I know I'm not alone, is finding more of a community locally. It's really difficult for me to find PG children (and their parents) - I don't know ANY locally. We are applying to DYS for December, and I know that if our son is accepted, we may be able to find some connections through their online community. But it's not the same as real-life connections and community.

At the moment, this is our biggest struggle. As our son gets older, he has a stronger yearning for relationships with other children that allows him to share himself more fully. Right now, he does have close friends, but he knows that he can't talk to any of them about most of his interests.

Hi Dottie, and thanks!

Yes, I know that the WIAT maximum is 160, and from my understanding the WPPSI only goes up to 160 as well? He had a 160 in the WIAT word reading subtest, which is why she gave him an out-of-level reading comprehension test (that was his highest grade-level equivalent at 5.6) -- I'm not sure what she used to get that number, it may have been a GE? But I don't know what a GE is! :-)

I do know that 148 is still 99.9 percentile; we're planning on applying for DYS this month, and I do feel that he is the type of child they're looking for. So I'm hoping that with his WIAT scores (and he does have the minimum 150 for math, as well as his ceilinged word reading subtest) that he'll get in, even though the FSIQ is just below the cut off.

We also live just outside Chicago, so I'm hoping that we'll meet a few other DYS around here ... friends that are "like Benjy" would be really good for him, I think.

Thanks again for the welcome! I've got tons of questions, so I'll be around. :-)

Dottie -- not sure how much beyond the score required for 160 he was ... I can tell you that his raw score was 98, if that means more to you than it does to me. Out of context, I have no idea -- I don't know how many words he was given or how many you need to answer correctly before ending the test. The grade equivalent given for the 160 in the word reading subtest was 4.5.

And I'm just a bit confused on this:
"My point is that since there is more "ceiling room" on the WIAT (DS's 5.6 GE when the test goes to 12.9!), that he should be able to earn a 170, 180, or whatever!"

On which test do you mean?

And thanks, I really hope he makes DYS. I've heard wonderful things about the program and it seems like it would be extrordinarily helpful.

Gotcha! Sorry, I'm a little slow. :-)

I have no idea at all about that ... it would be interesting to see, wouldn't it? I know what sorts of words he can read on sight, but no idea how the test actually panned out.

Really High Score Envy -- love it!

I have e-mailed the moderator, M. Dlugosz, with an idea of adding a new forum devoted to HS issues. He has been actually thinking about new names for different forums since this site has seen so much growth since its concepetion. He might ask us for ideas. So get ready.
I personally like the forum topics that are found on collegeconfidential. Please take a trip and see for yourself.
www.collegeconfidential.com
Ania

I wouldnt mind seeing a forum that is isn't based on testing/classes/research but a place where we can just talk about our kids and the things they are doing. Did that make sense? (Not much sleep lately!)

I think we need a "preschool" "elementary school""high school" "college" and "middle school" area.

I saw a forum with an "Off Topic" area for things that didn't fit anywhere else. I would also suggest a parenting forum, perhaps called "modifications in parenting" as a nod to that famous definition of giftedness.

A seperate forum with "Books we've found helpful" where we can review the various books we've tried, and comment on them so that newcombers can start there. Perhaps a seperate forum and welcome letter for newcombers in general?

A link to commonly used definitions in the Gifted World, and one to the Ruf level's articles, I know they don't work for everyone, but they are a place to begin.

Smiles,
Trinity

I found this site by researching 2e information and found everyone to be very nice and helpful.

I think the above suggestions are great and agree that I'd like to see an off topic area too. I'd love to get book/game/movie recommendations, find out what people are getting their kids for Christmas, etc... Or just talk about what the kid's are doing in general.

I just discovered the forum from a search term in my blog stats. I had no idea that there was a forum here, and I'm very glad. One of the things that's bothered me is the disappearance, over the years, of forums for the gifted, particularly adults. Linda Silverman's was badly designed but at least it allowed people to get together for discussions. The SENG forum is for psychological and emotional issues, which is fine, if that's what you need, but there are many adults who need more.

I haven't looked around too much yet, but it does seem to be slanted primarily toward parents and children. Is there a chance for expanding its usefulness for adults? If I see that happening, I'd be glad to promote it on my blog.