Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Bright or gifted ?

How do you know if your child is "bright" or "gifted" ?? If your child does well in school, has no behavior problems, doesn't complain of being bored - could he/she still be gifted ? I am SO comfused about my son. He is incredibly well behaved at school - the teachers have nothing but good to say about him. He is 6 (turns 7 in June), and in 1st grade. His teacher is in the process of testing his reading level - he aced 4th grade level reading and comprehension. Today he read 5th grade level with 99% accuracy, so she's going to also test his comprehension at this level. He already goes to 2nd grade for math (which he says is easy), and attends gifted enrichment classes weekly, even though he hasn't yet been tested. He just doesn't sound like many other kids I read about - he wasn't an early reader - knew simple words before K, where he really took off in his reading. He has always loved numbers - could count to 100 before K - can do alot of math in his head - knows multiplication, division, fractions etc. He just doesn't sound like a "normal" gifted kid LOL

I'll stick my neck out and say gifted. Most 6-7 year olds are not able to do those things yet.

DS16 is exactly like that. To be honest I was clueless about him being gifted even though he exhibited most of the classic signs before he started school. It was the preschool teacher that identified him. The school accommodated him without testing and as a result he wasn't tested until he was 11.

All through school DS has been very well behaved, has had no behaviour problems, doesn't complain, he is effectively compliant to a tee. The school says he is an impeccable role model for both teachers and students. Sound familiar? And yes, he is EG/PG.

Just like all kids gifted kids have lots of different temperaments and personalities. Just because your kid doesn't seem to have what you think may be the typical gifted child behavior that certainly doesn't mean that he's not gifted...just as having a kid that does act out in class doesn't make him gifted.

I agree with kcab that it sounds like he has a teacher that's appreciated him. I have not had one of DSs teachers mention giftedness to me (he is PG) and as a result none of them have tried to do anything to accommodate him. We have had a very rough year last year but since I've pushed in getting him accelerated he's been a different kid.

If he's reading and doing math as such high levels there's a very good chance (I think) that he'll test gifted but if they're already moving him up for some subjects in school you might not need to test him. I had to test DS just to get them to do something different for him.

Beyond the classroom teacher, the entire climate and atmosphere of each school can vary widely, as can the personality of a particular grade level within a school. In some instances, despite all things (behavior) being equal, the way different teachers or schools perceive and respond to the gifted child may differ so much as to cause the same student to acquire labels ranging from PIA to exemplary student . -My son experienced this metamorphous after switching schools two years ago.
Your son sounds gifted (and fortunate).

It's weird to talk about one's kid, but even worse to write about oneself. Nonetheless (deep breath), here goes. I was that kind of kid -- well behaved, attentive, loved by my teachers, accelerated a couple of grade levels in English and Math. Things started going downhill in 5th grade and became loathsome in 7th-8th grade -- due to, I think, a combination of growing boredom and peer issues. Ninth and 10th grade were good peer-wise, but by then I had gained an unhealthy disrespect for school. After 10th grade, I went straight to college, which on the one hand, saved my sanity, but on the other hand, I somewhat fumbled because I had no study habits to speak of (work habits, yes; I was used to handling large amounts of work; but being challenged was something completely new to me). I'll stop with the story of my life there (I turned out fine, by the way; we're a resilient group, I think, but would have had an easier time if my needs had been addressed). My point is: Yes, your kid is gifted; I'm so glad for you that everything is going fine, but be alert (without being paranoid!) to warnings that things have changed, because (if) once they do, you might want to look into the cause and think about an intervention.
I wish you and your ds all the best.

Thanks you so much for your reply - and for everyone else's. I think the one thing I have learned from reading this forum is that things can change in a heartbeat, depending on the learning situation the kids are in. I know how lucky I am to have a child who is so well behaved at school - and I realise how much his teachers have appreciated him so far. Thankfully - I pretty much already know which class he will be in next year - the teacher he goes to 2nd grade for math for has made it clear that she really wants him in her class next year We'll see where it goes after that ! I know that I personally loved school until I was about 12 - after that, I really disliked it, and left school at 16 (this is going back a few hundred years, I was educated in England, where it was more common to leave at that age) - I really want my son to have wonderful school years !

Ha! Yes, things can change in a heartbeat, but I was thinking more about the slippery slope, or the frog in the slowly boiling water. That's when being watchful pays off... But, anyway, so glad to hear things will be probably be going well in the near-long term. I've read so many horror stories, it's nice to hear about successes.

From the looks of "Able to do 5th grade comprehension", I'd say he's gifted. I was like that in first grade, too, as I read at a 4th grade level at his age, and did comprehension on that level, too. He seems to be intelligent, and they are at least getting him some intellectual/neurological stimulation.