Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Introduction

Hi, all! I recently discovered this forum and, I must admit, I'm relieved. Always good to have those who are on the same page to talk with!

We homeschool 9yoDD and have since the beginning. Being an only child myself, my experience with "other children" was, at best, neutral and, usually, negative. So, my experience with "normal behavior" for any age is, shall we say, almost non-existent?

Since we homeschool, the whole "gifted" thing wasn't even on my radar. I mean, I knew Dd was bright, but she didn't seem particularly precocious, reading at 5.5 (normal), etc. However, I wasn't aware at that time about different types of giftedness, beyond academic testing or grades.

Her strengths are definitely relational, verbal, and lets not forget the emotional gifts as well. At 6yo, she compared, quite succinctly, the plot of the Star Wars films to the fall of the Roman empire. I mean, I knew I had my hands full, but.... LOL! Her imaginary world is HUGE, not because she's lonely, but because she needs *hordes* of actors to people her complex and intriguing verbal stories.

Anyway, we've recently had her assessed for visual information processing with an OT at a nearby university (within their pediatric optometry program). The results were a tad frustrating, in that they indicated no problems that could be corrected by Vision Therapy. (She wears glasses for myopia and her eyes check out fine.)

Dd complains of "dyslexic like" symptoms (the Eides would call it stealth dyslexia) when reading smaller print, though the larger print found in grade 3 level texts seems to be OK. She shows sensitivity to the brightness of the page (Scotopic Sensitivity) which we're "correcting" with a blue filter.

The OT believes Dd has asynchronous physical development relating to what she's comfortable reading, though her ability to comprehend, scan, and decode words is at a high school level (the testing wasn't pinpoint specific on this, but the OT was clear.) She would rather read adult-level novels, but is stuck with the neurological ability to read Thimbleberry Tales, at least for now. <sigh>

So, my struggle is to find materials for Dd to read that she's *able* to read, without headaches, blurriness, halos, or "ant-like" marching words, but that aren't babyish. She just finished listening to the Mitford Series of books - all nine - and has heard all of the Harry Potter books at least twice each. I'm considering a Kindle, which would increase the font of texts to something she can manage.

Then there's the handwriting/dysgraphia, which wasn't an "official" diagnosis by the OT, since the focus was on visual concerns. But, while her writing was in the expected range for her grade level, her speed was one standard deviation below grade level. We're "negotiating" keyboarding, though the slow speed of it is driving Dd nuts.

I suppose that Dd would be considered 2E, though I don't know that it matters so much given our circumstances. But, I'm thrilled to find a group with knowledge, ideas, suggestions, and resources! Thanks!

Welcome, Mingo!!

Welcome! The Kindle sounds like a great idea

Hi and welcome! Would large print books work for her?

Hello, Mingo! We're glad you're here! (I noticed you earlier on the book thread...I loved Harriet the Spy, too--had the belt, the notebook...but only Dad's pigs to spy on, so sad!)

Jamie's idea about the large print books seems like a good one, as does yours about the Kindle. I wonder, too, about publishers who specialise in fine printing? The paper is so much nicer, there is far more care taken with the typography, there are generally wider margins and more leading--all in all, an art-press book should be a good deal easier on the eyes than a mass-market paperback. We love David Godine's books, for instance ( www.godine.com ), and of course there are many other small presses out there.

peace
minnie

Hi Mingo, Welcome!
I love audio books, and for me, I can get through books that are much more challenging (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, for example) while driving to work than I could if I had to sit down and 'only' read.

It would be interesting to see what she would read if she didn't have to get through her bottleneck of vision issues. I'm also thinking that a different professional might give a different answer. Do you have any highly regarded Behavioral Optometrists nearby?

Has she read 'Tuck Everlasting' or 'Phantom Tollbooth' or 'Wrinkle in time?'

Some of my favorites.

Also poetry can have beautiful language without tons of print - 'Seedfolks' qualifies as a prose poem IMHO, although it packaged as a novel.

I'm also pondering how we can get you 'out among the normals' for a few hours - it really really helps explain stuff. Can you volunteer to teach a morning of religious school to 9 year olds? Or visit and observe a public school for a morning?

Smiles,
Grinity

Bottleneck= a learning challenge that is still in the normal range for age but causes a gifted kid to have a noticeable daily challenge.

Thanks, everyone!

Minnie, good idea on the small presses. I'll take a closer look at such things. One thing that helps with mass market stuff is that the cheap paper is less "bright" to Dd's sensitivities. But, given that we discovered a work-around on that, we've now got more options.

Our library's large print selection is pretty "ick." Mostly NYT best sellers - not appropriate for a 9yo. I think, however, there is a way to get large print books via the state's library system (for free), but I need to find out how to qualify her for them.

Grinity - I recently put Phantom Tollbooth on our list (a book I'd not encountered before). And Wrinkle is on our shelves, though I've not suggested it yet.

What she's *wanting* to read at the moment is Watership Down by Richard Adams. Sadly, I've only got a cheap version - the paper is great for her, but the type is tiny! The library's copy is no better. Second on her list is a Star Wars novel (sorry if that makes anyone cringe) and third is a fantasy series about cats (Warriors).

As for being around "normals" for a while...! Ha! At times, I teach at the local community college, so I see "normal" high schoolers - you think I would have caught on, eh? I mean, Dd is *much* more mature than a good percentage of the students I teach. And I know she could out-analyze a few of them, too.
I do teach Sunday school as well (in rotation) and sometimes that clues me in.

Dd's best friend for years is also gifted and so I've probably come to see them both as "normaal" rather than outstanding in any way.

I've always made an effort to abstain from the "comparison game." I grew up with that with my parents and, quite frankly, have probably gone too far the other direction in trying to avoid that mistake. LOL! But point taken.

I'm not familiar with Behavioral Optometrists. Can you give me an idea of what they might be able to do? Our testing was through Indiana University's school of Optometry, pediatric ophthalmology. They do Vision Therapy and such there, though most of Dd's assessment was with an OT. Our "regular" ophthalmologist teaches at I.U., so we figured we'd covered our bases - but perhaps not....

Nothing wrong with Star Wars novels, and there are lots and lots of them. DS13 went through an 'Animorphs' stage around 4 years old, lucky for me that he couldn't read, so I got to edit on the fly. Yuck! Some of those gross images are still with me! But I love SiFi, highbrow or low.
Speaking of SF/cats, she is probably ready for one of my new favorite authors: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Wynne_Jones
Encourage the Chrestomancy Series first,IMHO

She might also like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_(novel) although it deals with heavy stuff in a gentle way. And if she likes that, there is a whole 'The Giver' series she might like.



Now all you have to do is open your eyes! With your history (mine is similar) it's admirable that you've tried to let your values over rule your good sense, but denial has to go when it's at the expence of your own child. I do think that we as a culture have some work to do to be able to speak respectfully about
a) different people developing at different speeds
b) different people developing in different ways and to higher or lower capasities in particular areas.

I think that every child IS a gift, but not every child is gifted. I would never put an upper limit on what someone can learn, but that isn't the same as not meeting the needs of children who are outside the norm NOW. I'm sure that in time, you will be able to develop a mature and nuanced respectful view of differences between people, and we can all walk 'arm in arm' as we spread these new words and ideas widely.

It is sad that this is the best our parents could do, but we will do better.


This is happens all the time.

I can't quite tell if you are digging in the right patch or not.
See if this helps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_optometry
There is a link at the bottom that lists 'parctitioners near you.'

Best Wishes and Welcome!
Grinity

Welcome!

Grinity,

I think it's the same animal. The Vision Therapy described in the link is what I.U. offers, as needed. The OT works in conjunction with the pediatric ophthalmologist (darn "h's"!) and mentioned that "visual information processing therapy" could be indicated, but that her deficits here are mild and (verbally) she said it may not help at this time.

I'm still waiting a reply to the OT on a lengthy e-mail with some follow-up questions. Hopefully, we'll get a bit more detail to run with after this.

And thanks for the book ideas! I'm of the "too many books, not enough time" species, but it's tricky trying to guide DD sometimes!