Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion DYS program?

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about applying to the DYS program for at least one of my kids for a while. Thing is, they go to private schools and have never taken a standardized test or an IQ test.

This year, DS9 will take his first (and possibly only) set of standardized tests. An IQ test will have to be done privately, and it will be pricey.

So before starting down this road, I was wondering: what do you see as the advantages of the program?

Some things I'm wondering about:

• Are there local groups, or is everything based out of Reno?
  
  
• How often do people go to Reno? Is there a big annual get-together or something?
  
  
• What are the biggest things that the program helps with?
  
  
• I've heard that the family counselors can contact schools. Is this true? If so, do the schools respond positively?
  

Etc. etc.

Thanks.

Val

Hi Val, I would encourage any parent to apply for a child who has qualifying score. While IQ tests can be expensive, I think they can be very useful. Especially, for kids who seem to be having troubles at school and seem more intelligent than the average bear!

It was a real eye opener for us! A lot of comments made by DD9 came into focus really quickly, like: "I'm the smartest kid in Kindergarten(age 5)" and "Six and 1/2 hours is a long time to sit around being bored(age 7)". I had kind of blown off these comments when she first voiced them.

I think a child can feel very validated when they find a group of kids that really are doing the same type of things they are.

It can also be such a relief to find parents that are dealing with so many of the same issues........breaking that feeling of isolation is invaluable.

Neato

Val- Not much help on the DYS front... we're still anxiously checking the mailbox for our letter this month!

If you are willing to drive to my area, we had an excellent ed.psych tester that did my DS's IQ testing for a very very reasonable fee. She only works with gifted children and does the GATE testing for a large school district here. I was really impressed with her and her followup. She even offered to come see my DS in the classroom for a very low fee to try to figure out what the teacher wasn't seeing in him. Long story short- teacher refused. But she was excellent! She doesn't really do 2E issues or spend a lot of time on background details. If you just need a DYS report and some insight she would be perfect.

IQ tests are designed to be fun, not at all like the group standardized test you might remember from school.


Yes - there is a yearly big get-together. Parents in various regions also organize their own 'open houses' from time to time.

they offer a wide variety of things, but the getting on the email lists of other parents was an amazing help for us - but then again, that was before this forum existed. The open houses made the biggest difference to DS12 - he got to see kids who were facing similar challenges.

I've heard positive stories from time to time, but in the long run: 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make 'em drink.' describes my personal experience with school folks.

Best Wishes
Grinity

I'm a big fan of the informal get-togethers. Personally, I like them even better than the official big annual gathering. (Which historically have been located all over the map. They have not been held solely in Reno in the past, even though DITD is located in Reno. I think they have tried to move it around so lots of people can attend. What they'll decide to do in the future, I have no idea, of course. Anything can happen, and usually does...)

I find that the smaller gatherings tend to make it easier to find people close to us to build friendships--and more regular playdates!--with. We have several ongoing friendships built upon DYS connections, and I really value the opportunity to get to know these wonderful, fun, wise people!

We're going to two of the informal meetings this summer, and many of the people we're seeing are people we befriended at other informal meet-ups. The informal ones also tend to be more conducive to an introvert's comfort, IMHO. I LOVED seeing all those kids and parents in one place at the national meeting last year, and it's a marvelous opportunity, but it was also a little overwhelming to me and DS7. Smaller groups fit us better. YMMV, of course. HG+ extroverts would have to be in hog heaven at the DYS annual meeting! It's really quite amazing!

The biggest helps to me personally have been the contacts with other GT families and the wisdom and fun gained from those connections, and the educational and parenting support and advice from the consultants. I like the feeling that someone has my back and we're not in this alone. It's like insurance more than anything.

The free online seminars with experts in a variety of fields are also a pretty neat bonus! They have seminars for kids and parents, and they're a pretty amazing opportunity.