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After poking around Dr. Ruf's website I was inspired to check into her ideas about personality types (Myers Briggs type) in children and their effect on learning needs. It was very revealing when I discovered the personality types of my children and read the descriptions. It made it so evident why my son has such difficulty in school and not my daughter. The descriptions fit to a "T" and even had anecdotes that parallel our experiences such as my son telling his teacher that an assignment was "stupid" and "I don't care about the consequences, I won't do it." Interestingly my son and I share the same type while my daughter is quite different.
And true to one of the cliches of psychology, the traits that drive me crazy in him are ones I share! My daughter on the other hand is a cakewalk for the most part which is also part of her personality description.
There is also a discussion of the best types of learning environments for different personality types and I will be using this when I meet with his teacher, school adjustment counselor and principal next week. If you haven't already I would take a look into this part of the puzzle that is our children.

Thanks for writing this! It made me look up on these Personality Types, and I found out I was a INTP, it really tells about the issues I have, and it will help me work around my weaknesses as well as I have become more aware of them.

Thank you again, and good luck with your children!

It is amazing how people have mapped out our minds with such accuracy.

What websites did you use to figure this out for your child? I know there are ones aimed at adults.

Thanks

Thanks for the link! I discovered that ds and I are the exact same, and apparently we fit into a category that describes less than 3% of the population. I'm sure dh wouldn't be surprised!

Jen,

Did you find that the descriptions were pretty accurate?

LOVED that link! OMG was it EXACTLY describing my daughter to "T"! I tried it for my son, (young in age so perhaps it was because I didn't have as much to base the answers on) but found his to be a little less accurate. VERY interesting though! Thanks for the link.

thanks for the link. I tried it for DS4 but when I read the questions, I was a little confused as DS4's personality has significantly evolved over time. When he was three, he was a bit shy, more of the observer type. He still oberserves but not for that long, basically he has just become more confident in his ability to handle new situations. Also he is social but not actually seeking approval from the adults, just from the kids and that too not from all the kids, just from those he is friends with so I do not know where he fits. Anyways... just that I found it difficult to answer many questions.

Ut Oh!

Would you describe DS4 as flexible? if not, pull up a chair, and I'll tell you a story.

This sounds like my DS13, who is an INTP or INTJ. It's hard to tell when they are so young. But the take home message is this: If you have a gifted child (especially a boy) who is social, and not approval seeking, be sure sure sure to get them in a good academic fit situation, because they will not suffer quietly! They also have a tendency to enjoy 'stirring things up' inside the classroom if aren't fully engaged and feeling like they have something to gain by compiling with the Adults.

Well, that's what happened in our house, anyway!
Smiles,
Grinity (ENTP, and how!)

Since I did the questions from the link above I am not sure whether DS8 is INTP or INFP but let me tell you...he is definitely into stirring things up and does not suffer a poor fitting situation quietly. He also has all the other traits like starting a million projects and never finishing them, refusing to do anything he is not very interested in...or doing such a lousy job it is (or should be) embarrassing. Even without being gifted I think this type would have trouble in school. My daughter is ENJ and while I am so not a J, I sure love having one in the house.
They say that the T or F part is more flexible on the site I found and I think that is true. I was definitely an INTP right up until my mid-twenties and I now lean more towards the F side although not always...

I think the information from the personality profile if you feel the description is accurate is an invaluable tool when doing academic planning for your child. It seems like such a simple thing and doesn't take a psychologist and $2500 to determine but it can guide us in making decisions right along with achievement and IQ tests. Especially for those types who will not be into people pleasing or into finishing projects etc. These children will be less likely to show the extent of what they can do unless the conditions are optimum. Since my son does less than enthusiastic work and often rushes through things or fails to complete them I have my hands full trying to convince people that he needs more challenging work.