Hi all!

I'm just wondering if anyone might have a similar experience with a DC. We are going to have our DS6 tested this spring as per his grade 1 teacher's suggestion, and I have long wondered whether he was gifted. In the meantime, I am so curious about the way his mind works.

One thing that has always intrigued me about him is that he is very prolific with his drawing and he always draws such interesting, complex pictures. For instance, he has drawn the solar system (not accurately, mind you), comets hitting a distant planet and all sorts of aliens doing interesting things, mountains with swinging bridges, Batman in his Batcave with all sorts of computers and evildoers shooting laser beams from their lair and with a generator to power it, an old abandoned building (complete with boarded up windows and cobwebs) amidst a sea of fire and batpeople swooping in, and that's just a tiny sample.

It's not that they're exceptionally accurate or that it comes from any deep level of knowledge, but I find his creativity to be so much fun.

I have a child who has tested with a GAI in the highly gifted range, and he has been drawing since he could hold a pencil/crayon etc. He draws creatures, fish, solar/planetary systems, whatever he is currently interested in. He is incredibly prolific, drawing at least 25 drawings a day often more (that said, his current media of choice is a pencil, so he doesn't spend any time coloring them in). His are not always accurate, but most of his drawings are original creations out of his head, so I don't really worry about that. So yes, I think art and imagination can be part of it. Sometimes creative kids have a hard time with regular school, especially if they would prefer to draw things that they are imagining than the things that the school project requires that they draw. Or the things they are imagining in their heads are more compelling than what the teacher is teaching.. etc.

Also, if both your child's teacher and you think your child is possibly gifted, he probably is. If either you or your child's other parent tested gifted as a child, well, there's a strong genetic component so then the only question is how gifted, and what if anything you need to do about it

From what you described, your DS is definitely very creative. My DS7 started drawing alphabet characters since he could hold a pen. He loves using colors in his drawings although he doesn't like the coloring book that much. He's tested with DYS qualifying score.

Ajinlove,

DYS qualifying score? I am new to all of this...

Davidson requires IQ or achievement test scores at certain level to apply for the Davidson Young Scholars program. I know the WISC-V score should be 145+ for Full Scale IQ, GAI or a couple of subtest scores. If you are interested, you can check out their website.

http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/

You've received great replies above. I'll just add that the definition of "gifted" provides at least a partial answer to your question. Definitions of gifted can be found on many websites, including the US Department of Education (USDOE), National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), The Davidson Database, Hoagies Gifted Education Page, and others. There are also lists of commonly observed behaviors of gifted kids on these websites and others.

Individuals who have tested in the intellectually gifted range (generally IQ 132+) may have exhibited early and/or frequent drawing/rendering/sketching/doodling skills... however not all creative/artistically gifted individuals are also intellectually gifted.

In general, giftedness can occur in one or more realms: athletic, artistic/creative, leadership, intellectual, and/or specific academic strength. In addition to exceptional gifts, children may have one or more learning differences or learning disabilities therefore be termed twice-exceptional (2e). For the most part, gifted forums focus less on athletic gifts because there are other sources of support for developing those gifts, and focus more on developing the gifts and meeting the needs toward the end of the lists earlier in this paragraph.

Thanks to each of you.

Indigo, I'm guessing that he is probably gifted with language as well. He has always loved to play with words and has an impressive vocabulary (at least I think he does). From the age of 3, he would use words like "soaring", "investigating", "gather", "chorus", "hypothesis", etc. And he speaks so differently than most kids - "leave the door ajar", "quench my thirst", "harvesting snow", "good engineering", "scurried across", "slipped past", and so on. The other day, we were reading a Batman book and he said "Poison Ivy said 'divine', get it?". It took me a second. I'm assuming his strong vocabulary is also a possible indication that he could be gifted.

It's all pretty fascinating to me. And while I was never tested as a child (we lived in a small rural town and it was never even considered as an option), I think I probably would have tested as gifted. I learned to read before heading off to school, don't remember a single time when I ever actually had to "learn" anything at all through school, and struggled a bit at first at university because I had never learned to study.

Mind you, I should add that DS is probably only MG. And quite frankly, I think most people and their DC on here are on a whole different level. I thoroughly enjoy reading posts just to see what some of these DC are accomplishing!

For my 2 cents: your child is probably more than moderately gifted. It is sometimes difficult for gifted parents to see profound giftedness in their child as the child may blend in well with gifted parents (who may also underestimate their level of giftedness... an "imposter syndrome" corollary of the Dunning-Kruger effect).

Advanced vocabulary can be a sign of giftedness and/or reflect the words and phrases which a child commonly hears in an enriched home environment.

Over time, if the use of vocabulary seems to develop in a manner which others may describe as stilted, formal, or pedantic and does not help a child connect with others, this may possibly be a sign that the child is on the autism spectrum. And/or would make a good lawyer someday.

If a child is both gifted and has a learning difference/disability, this called twice exceptional (2e) and the child is eligible for special education services such as remediation/accommodation to help them fully access their education. This can help a child connect well with others to best develop his/her gifts. The Wrights Law website is an excellent source of information.

Testing may help reveal your child's profile. All are welcome on the forums, regardless of IQ, test results, profile, etc.

He is definitely in a somewhat enriched environment (I'd say we regularly use advanced vocabulary around our DC and we read to them A LOT), but part of it is also innate. He comes up with expressions and phrases and words that I know we don't use.

Thankfully, it's not at all stilted. That's part of what is so funny - we'll be having a perfectly normal conversation or they'll be playing some imaginary game or something and he'll throw one of these zingers with no affect whatsoever. The other day, we were at the pool and I was helping him with "sit-dives" and he said "You just made me dive seamlessly!" and laughed with giddiness. Whatever this all means, this aspect of it sure is fun to witness.

As for making a good lawyer, one of those is enough in the family.

This is my (HG+) kid, to a fault.

I felt nearly the same way you did about my DS before he took the WISC.

I strongly second this notion.

I sincerely doubt that our DSs are on par! I did a quick scan of a few of your posts, and I can guarantee you that my DS is not applying laws of physics. He will use the word "engineering" correctly, but certainly wouldn't be able to make a suspension bridge out of match sticks or anything. In my view, that's a critical difference.

Mind you, there are other aspects of his intelligence that are really interesting too. He has always had a neat ability to perceive things in an interesting way and/or make neat connections. We were stuck in traffic once when he was 3 and he piped up with "We need Sergeant Murphy!" (a character who is always directing traffic in Richard Scarry books). He was 4 and would compare the whipping in the ice-cream maker to a tornado. He sees a spot where kids were digging in the snow and he says it looks like a meteorite crater. He sees a big fluffy snowfall and says it looks like a snow globe. And there are countless examples like this. I just love his way of seeing the world!

He also comes up with the wildest questions sometimes, like last year: "Mommy, what do you call that when you look at the sun and it looks small but you know it's really, really big?" or "How did the very first plants get made?". But it's not like he's going to turn around and learn everything about evolutionary biology or anything!

Whatever it is, it's still pretty cool to witness. But if he's anything more than MG, I'll eat my hat.

This is all very associated with some level of giftedness. And yes, don't expect physics breakthroughs necessarily… there are some of them on here.. but there are just as many who have kids who look like NT kids and get tested because they seem to have behavioral things going on and then they find out the kid is HG+ and that's where the behavior was coming from. It's actually considered better in a lot of ways if they are MG because they often need less interventions.

So… once he is old enough to test reliably (maybe around 7 or 8) we shall see if you will have to buy a new hat -

I agree with LAF. Your DS may not know how to apply laws of physics, doesn't mean he's not HG. I've known my DS7 is gifted since he was just one something. However, I never realized he is PG until he took the WISC-V test last December. He started off with being obsessed with alphabets and then started writing and drawing them and then he started drawing other things on iPad (using his fingers) and on paper. Sometimes he's pretty creative. His most recent love is drawing abstract things with different colors and shapes. So until your DS is tested, you never know

Hah! I don't remember exactly what I said in the past about DS "applying the laws of physics," but I'm pretty sure it was deductive and observational (such as being able to say that inertia contributes to a particular physical phenomenon). He's not solving world physics problems just yet.

And when mine was 3, he thought that those cheap vegetable steamers looked like a peacock tail. It is definitely fun to listen to. Your kid and mine are most definitely cut from the same cloth!

So that you're ready, I recommend this one: http://www.coveryourhair.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/nacho-hat.jpg

... or an Easter bonnet with Peeps upon it!

Ok, I'm likely not gifted because I can't for the life of me figure out how to quote others with the nifty little box... Can anyone help me? It's a very useful feature that I can't figure out how to use...

If you click on the Quote link below a post, it gives you a good starting point to understand the markup involved. But basically you use square brackets [ and ] with the word quote in them to start a quote, and the [/ leading characters, the word quote and then a closing ] to end it.

Thanks, George C. It's the / that I was missing.

LOL, one need not be autodidactic to be gifted... curiosity and a drive to learn may be better hallmarks of giftedness than being self-taught. You're certainly curious and this is a safe place to ask questions.

How to Quote:

When signed in to the forum and reading the post of another, there are a number of clickable options displayed in blue text in the lower right corner below the post (Reply, Quote, Quick Reply, Quick Quote, Notify, Email Post).

Select and click "Quote".

This will quote the entire post you have been reading, and place it in an editable text box window, which is the beginning of your reply. Edit at will, removing the text you did not wish to quote. Note that the quote begins with square brackets and the username of the person who wrote the text... and ends with square brackets.

Once you get used to the square brackets, you can edit matched sets of square brackets into your replies as you see fit.

I love the peacock tail analogy. I just love those gems.

I guess it remains to be seen. But judging from the responses from people more experienced than I, maybe I'll be careful what sort of hats I buy in the next little while. I'll be looking at labels closely to see the fiber content.

Thanks!

Curiosity and desire to learn are certainly qualities that DS6 and I possess. And speaking of curiosity, I'm very curious to see what his results will be.

Hi RRD,

Just chiming in to +1 LAF's point about highly gifted kids not necessarily matching the popular image of "genius."

My DS (now 8) sounds very much like yours, verbally. Many an adult has been backed into a corner by his nimble thinking and quick arguments. Beware the loophole with this kid!

Like you - I thought he might be gifted but not highly or profoundly gifted. He asks/says those interesting things ("Time is the most powerful thing of all because if time didn't exist, nothing would exist."). He loves to learn new things, and he does learn them quickly. E.g., once he DID learn to read, he went from K level to reading just about anything in a matter of weeks.

But he didn't read early, didn't/doesn't do accelerated math, etc. He doesn't demand extra academic work, isn't a musical prodigy, hasn't built anything breathtaking or written intricate stories or any of the amazing things you see kids on these boards doing. Nothing. At. All. Just those flashes of something I can't quite describe.

Nevertheless ... suffice to say, I needed a new hat.

Enjoy your little guy. He sounds like a treat!

Sue
P.S. Another follow-up to LAF's point, we had him assessed because of towering behavioral and emotional challenges the poor guy was struggling with.

I'll just say that I'd be shopping for my 4th or 5th hat by now. Heck I would have gone through 2 hats just for DS alone. The first time we tested was eyeopening, the second time was even more shocking and you'd think we would have known better by then. Then I'd probably deserve a giant sombrero sized hat for DD's scores. You'd think after DS's two rounds I would have learned something but apparently not.

I'm not even limited to underestimating scores since I know another kid who I really thought would be MG that turned out to be lower than that.

So yeah. Apparently I have no clue either way

He truly is a treat, when he isn't driving us crazy. And because I can't share these anywhere else, here are some of my favourite quotes (I started noting them down after a while because there were so many of them) (and I know there are many of them, but I just love sharing these):

4y10m (in response to a joke about pants have legs but can't walk): "But they don't have feet and they don't have blood, so of course they can't walk."

4y10m (after I told him my gelato flavour was salty caramel and Skor, and without missing a beat): "Skor can be used for a name (character in a show he used to watch), a goal and an ice cream flavour."

4y11m: "DS3, you're being Loud Loser". Mommy: DS4, where did you hear that? DS4: "I made it up. Like Rude Randy and Polite Pete. And I'm Quiet Quack." Mommy: Oh, it's really great that you made it up, but maybe we should say Loud Larry instead." (Polite Pete and Rude Randy were characters a child behavioural specialist had introduced to deal with some behavioural issues)

4y11m: "When I grow up, I'm going to have two jobs - superhero and author. Wait. And illustrator, too!"

5y: "Look DS4, the colour tablet is dissolving!"

5y: "I will just pretend I'm a lighter version of myself and I'll float to the surface."

5y2m: "Daddy, your hair looks like a forest" (snow sticking to his hair looked like snow-ladden trees)

5y3m (building Sam (his first robot)): "I just need to make another small adjustment. There, now that's good engineering."

5y4m: “Mommy, did you know that a long, long time ago, meteorites hit the earth, giving us a rich supply of water?"

5y4m: "It looks like a little mouse scurried across the page."

5y5m: "Behold the XT Flyer!"

5y5m: "Mommy, I am looking at the constellations. This is the Big Dipper, cause look..." (Pointing at a picture with a starry sky)

5y5m: "Mommy, how were plants made? No, I don't mean from the seeds and stuff, I mean how was the first plant made?"

5y5m: "Mommy, how does evolution work?"

5y5m: "Mommy, you know if you lost all of your blood and bones, you would just be a big sack of goo and skin?"

5y5m: "After you die, your body goes into the ground and you decompose."

5y5m: “Pretend you don't know where my secret laboratory is.”

5y5m after DS4 said his favourite animal is a turtle but that it’s so slow: "But if a predator comes, it can hide in its shell and it will think it's a rock. It has great protection."

5y6m: "The butterfly is mimicking! Don't let nature trick you!"

5y6m: “Sunday is always “son” day, which is why me and DS4 always party.”

5y6m (as I was helping him with sit-dives): “You made me dive seamlessly!”

5y7m: “Mommy, what causes the tide? Oh yeah, I forgot! It’s the moon’s gravity that pulls the water toward it!”

5y7m: “Do you know why the clouds move? It’s because the wind pushes them. And they don’t move any faster because they are too heavy for the wind to push them any faster.”

5y7m: After daddy said it was like there was a war going on in his tummy: “Actually, there IS a war going on in there between the germs and your white blood cells!”

Again... you could have written this about my DS7.

I know those flashes well. He gets on these streaks of inspiration and you're just along for the ride. He recently explained to me that, when you draw a triangle, you're actually drawing an infinite number of triangles at once because the line that you draw the triangle with has a thickness which can be divided infinitely. One of my other favorites was when he was on a philosophical tear. It ended with, "Dad! We [our existence] are nature's art!"

I love reading the cool things these kids say. Thanks George and RRD.

I'll just add one more that was my all-time heart-melter. We were talking about bloodhounds and how they can find a person based on their unique smell. DS was really fascinated by the idea that every person has a smell that is all their own. He grabbed my hand, pressed it to his nose and sniffed. Then he said, "That is a sort of ...'Mommy' smell. It's warm and feels like love."

Love it. And funny, DS6 once said something quite similar about my scent. What is it about these kids?

My DD13 who is PG, also starting drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon. It actually became her centering activity. Whenever life was frustrating for her or she wasn't fitting in or just having a bad day as soon as we gave her time to draw something she was able to re-center and deal with life again. I would keep encouraging his artistic side by having the supplies on the ready for whenever the mood strikes.

George C, I just found another precious one like this - I was watching old videos of the boys and I found one when our oldest DS was exactly 2y6m: He was hanging off a door handle with one hand and said “I’m a orangutan." Thought I'd share.