Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy new here - need advice

My son was labeled as a GT student last year. He tested several grade levels above. However, he really struggles to get normal classwork done. He is in 4th grade. I feel strange asking for him to get harder work since he struggles to get much done. Confused about why he struggles if he is gifted. He hates to write but LOVES to read. Reads anything and everything. I am just trying to learn about all this gifted stuff.

Welcome Scrap1!

My son struggled to get homework done. It would take him forever. One day when I asked him why was this so, he said, "Because when it's stuff I already know, and it's sooooo boring, I just can't focus on it." He knew he had to do it, he would cry if I told him it was fine NOT to do it, but it was like pulling teeth. I read that some kids really do have a mental block such as my son described.

Now, this might not be your son's issues. Is he organizationally challenged? Or the tasks too large for him? Or the tasks not laid out well? Is he distracted easily by visual images in the classroom or noise?

Have you tried giving him challenging work at home? How does he do with that? Is he able to stay on task? Is he able to complete the work? Does he grasp the concepts quickly?


Dazey

I was wondering if your son did fine last year with his school work? I think you should try giving him something harder at home that is similar and see if that goes better. I don't have experience with this particular question you have but it might be worth a try.

I've been here about and month and found this place very helpful. Welcome.

Thanks Dazey for commenting. He definitely struggles with focusing on homework and school work. However, he will focus so intently on things that interest him. We pulled him out of school last spring and he finished the year at a online charter school. They tested him and said he should be placed in 8th grade level classes this year. So it is strange to me that he struggled to complete 3rd grade work last year. This whole GT thing is confusing to me. He is attending a new school this fall and I suppose I should talk to them about all this but I am a little hesitant. He is definitely organizationally challenged and seems to struggle when given more than one task at a time and is easily distracted in a classroom. But he can sit and read 3 Hardy Boys books in one sitting, tested at a 9th grade reading level, read 750 words a minute on an online speed reading test, loves to read about science and history and seems to have close to a photographic memory. So why can't he complete 3rd grade worksheets?! I am frustrated.

I wonder if he may be equally frustrated but not know how to express it.

Someone on here said something a while back (there I go showing my NONphotographic NONmemory) to the effect that if a child who is in sixth grade because they are the chronological age to be in sixth grade was forced to sit and do 1st grade worksheets, they would act up, but people are surprised to find that a child who is capable of doing sixth grade work when he is 6 years old will act up when he has to do 1st grade worksheets.

If I had to sit and do 1st grade worksheets, I wouldn't think much of it, either. Or, in your case, 4th grade worksheets.

I noticed that you mentioned that he hates to write. Is writing slowing him down? Is it the act of physically writing the answers on the worksheet that is stopping him? To check this, try having him dictate the answers to you and see how that goes.