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I think that's a big part of it. Kids don't have as much time to devote to the hours they need to log. Also, I know of several kids that don't have the money for insurance so they haven't gotten their licenses. And I even know of one teen-age boy for whom driving makes him nervous, and he just figures that for now he has enough friends who drive that it doesn't inconvenience him. The article I read actually sites all the new technology as a reason for more kids driving later -- driving isn't the end-all and be-all of socializing that it used to be. In the end, though, I think that it just means that the 16th birthday isn't quite the driving milestone that it used to be and that can only be a good thing for grade advanced kids.

I've noticed that around here too. The parents talk about the big 16 and driving and a lot of the kids really don't want it. We live in a small to medium size city and I think it has gotten to the point that kids are nervous about driving in the traffic.

I'll never forget walking into a little store where the owner is a retired teacher. She asked how old my DD was (she wasn't even 2 yet) and wanted to know when her birthday was... she is an August baby. The woman quickly went into how I need to hold her back and trust her my daughter will thank me for it since all of her agemates will be able to do big milestones like driving before her. Than DD started talking because she was excited that the owner had a dog in the shop which means she was being her normal self. The woman's mouth dropped open and she couldn't believe DD was not even 2, yet she still couldn't get past her speech of holding her back. I just laughed and said chances are the child will need to be accelerated so I'm certainly not worried about her starting school being one of the youngest in her class.

Val - I like the response for going away to college. And good idea too.

they will test him in february...then decide if he needs further evaluation....then if he still is in the running we will meet with a team to discuss an iep. if we make it that far, they said most likely they would recommend he start a year early (this fall) as his primary accommodation. who knows how long that will take???

dandy...thank you for all the links....they made for great reading!

My SIL is 36, and she still hasn't gotten her driver's license...

I didn't get mine until I was 18, since I failed driver's ed. There were no negative social repercussions. Instead of driving my friends around, they drove me.

I was defining "social issues" the way the teachers seem to, meaning things like respecting authority (ie being compliant and doing worksheets just because that is what that age/grade is doing). I do see your point, and I agree, but I was trying to speak their language. I get the impression they are giving us the "social issues" lecture not because they care so much about our kids but because they don't want to be held accountable if we are unhappy with social issues later, so my tactic was to let them know that I am fine with any social issues that go along with DD getting her needs met academically. I use DD9 as an example to show that her social issues have greatly decreased since her academic situation is improved. I do also stress that DD9 prefers hanging out with other kids like her or older kids and adults.

I'm sorry if my post upset you, but I'm glad you made the point about how social issues are not a prerequisite for giftedness.

LOL Dottie!

This is such a challenging issue, and I wish you well and hope for all kinds of success in whatever decisions you make for your son!

I may be a dissenting voice in the crowd, but I can speak from personal experience. I tested at at 12th-grade reading level when I was in the first grade, and my parents decided to move me ahead a grade. While this somewhat addressed my needs for new intellectual stimulation, it was a decidedly awkward experience for me, and remained so for the entirety of my youthful education.

I was intuitive enough to easily realize that while I had many intellectual advantages, I wasn't as emotionally mature and certainly wasn't as developmentally mature. This was difficult in the early years, as I was always one of the smallest girls in every class, wasn't as coordinated as my elder peers, and it took a while, probably three years, for me to adjust socially. Social status is such a valued commodity in public schools, and physical prowess is such a standard measure of valuable masculinity in boys, that I urge you to consider that aspect of the issue.

Such developmental delays became a real point of contention for me as adolescence loomed. It was so difficult - even as a girl, where daintiness and fragility can often be seen as attributes. I cannot imagine how emotionally frustrating it would be for a young boy to try and fit in where he is physiologically truly inferior, simply because he is a year to a year and a half younger than everyone in his social set.

I absolutely agree with the educational ideal of advancing our children according to their intellectual needs rather than age, but if MY child is the only child out of the bunch moving along that way in a public school system and social environment, I would hesitate before making such a decision.