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    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 FrameistElite 03/29/26 01:47 AM
    That's what I would agree with because of my parents' problems and teacher problems even if I'd say I could have done better by taking my own initiative.

    Though even if I had a more asynchronous profile I will still choose the skip in hindsight and fix my problems via discipline or if necessary a psychiatrist to advocate that I am fit for higher education early.
    23 37,240 Read More
    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 Eagle Mum 03/28/26 08:59 PM
    @FrameistElite, it sounds like you weren’t given the opportunities to optimise your learning through your school years. If so, you have my sympathies. My kids experienced both forms of acceleration (whole grade and radical subject) and I do believe the different forms best suited their individual profiles.
    23 37,240 Read More
    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 FrameistElite 03/28/26 01:50 PM
    In that case I tend to agree as it makes things way easier, however I do not necessarily agree with the unstructured format of self-study as it could very well backfire with credit issues as well as procrastination and complacency issues.

    Perhaps Principals are most likely to agree with the least amount of disruption - though perhaps to develop character, willpower and mental willingness to grind perhaps transfer to a school that would allow a grade skip even if the kid would not be the best?

    I'm not the best student in my top ranked university even not grade skipped due to a discriminatory conflict before but if I had sent all the documents to that university in 2023 I think I wouldn't have mastered each course within the first few weeks and I wouldn't be at the top or near for every course, but I personally would not have cared.

    I think that the way of radical acceleration in the same age group may (bluntly) often be an ivory tower that does not account for the realities of life. I personally would've preferred to be with an older grade even if I wasn't the top in every subject, I would've fought for my position and developed my character. It is a big reason why I enjoy long distance running.
    23 37,240 Read More
    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 Eagle Mum 03/27/26 11:33 PM
    Originally Posted by FrameistElite
    While I concur that grade acceleration depends on the child, I do not necessarily believe that the threshold should be as high as sometimes stated. Even if they may not be globally advanced, I do not necessarily believe it would be the right call to keep the child with age peers, especially if the kid calls for it and is willing to sacrifice to make such acceleration happen.

    There is a reasonable range of behavior and maturity, and if a school is not willing to accept a reasonable range, perhaps that isn't the right school for you. Not saying there is any wrongdoing, but personally, I do believe in giving people an opportunity and also giving grade acceleration to those students who may not be globally advanced. That is because they can accommodate them.

    To clarify, I wasn’t suggesting that a child has to be globally advanced to be eligible for acceleration. I merely described that in our experience, it certainly helped make acceleration successful in mainstream schools which do not have any particular policies or provisions for gifted students.

    School principals, who are responsible for the welfare of the whole student body, are most likely to support any proposal which minimises disruption. For my son, who remained with his age peers, the simplest way was to allow him to engage in parallel activities as a form of informal acceleration. I’ve given examples before - completing multiplication homework in Roman numerals, other number bases and choosing his own set of spelling words for each week’s activities of finding definitions and writing. By upper primary, he was given a lot of free time on class computers without being singled out - the teachers announced that anyone who finished assigned tasks to standard could spend self-study time on the computers - DS would very quickly finish the set tasks, thus meeting all of the school’s obligations for student assessment, and be allowed to spend a lot of time in self directed study.

    The different acceleration strategies for my kids were all seamlessly effective.

    Acceleration during the formative school years also sets the stage for the future years. Accelerating the student to the level at which the tasks become challenging for that individual but still mainstream for the cohort may meet their most basic needs at that stage of development, but doesn’t provide as many opportunities for the gifted individual to explore outside the box, whereas keeping DS with his age cohort made it obvious that he was so far ahead of his age cohort and even his teachers, that they were willing to support strategies that let him forge his own paths. At one of our top ranked universities now, he has usually mastered each course within the first few weeks of each semester and is at or near the top of every course, most recently being the only student to correctly solve a fluid mechanics question in a test, because he not only used the conventionally taught approach, but applied what he called a ‘sanity check’ and then critically analysed the solution to find a common trap of thinking. That is exactly our hoped outcome of education.
    23 37,240 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Advocacy of 2e to prevent possible discrimination FrameistElite 03/27/26 04:48 AM
    I'm not a parent yet, but perhaps I'll have kids in the next few years. For now, I tutor students, and many of them have asynchronous development and yet wish to skip grades.

    There have been a few main issues that seem to recur:

    1) Rigid authorities
    I knew many of them would say the students have to be mature socially, emotionally, and physically (compared to their age) as well as academically to skip 1-2 grades, but I know this isn't quite true. Yet some of my students think to not skip because the gap felt insurmountable even when perhaps it might not be. Also I knew many students with disciplinary issues who still wanted to skip - is there a way to advocate for them?

    Any tips or help for this? Theoretically they can improve their aerobic capacity and listen to learning materials by Zone 2 and 3 runs and their top end speed by Zone 4 and Zone 5 runs? As for social and emotional maturity perhaps we could find some tolerant people to help improve their social-emotional maturity?

    2) A lack of study skills
    As similar to Faylie's post - How to get child to actually "study" - I have seen this in many students who think the gap is insurmountable but actually it can be closed with study skills and discipline. Yet I knew students who can't even finish 5 minutes of proper study in one go - any tips for improving this? If they cannot even finish 5 minutes of proper study then how would one manage 2-4 hour exams later on in education?

    3) Social backlash (potential discrimination and harassment).
    Especially if the students appear to struggle at first even if the struggle was merely temporary that could be fixed by improved studying, or assessing them for 2e (taking into account their developmental level, not chronological age)? Some people said that if they were struggling in their age grade and things they need to learn without the pressures of university-level academics (for middle and high school students) but the alternative is that the pressure of university-level academics is a wake up call for them to improve before they may be on a course of destruction. Does anyone know how to distinguish between these? In some cases the social backlash could meet the threshold of discrimination and harassment so perhaps labelling and official psychiatric letters declaring minors fit for college could be necessary?
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    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 FrameistElite 03/26/26 06:08 AM
    While I concur that grade acceleration depends on the child, I do not necessarily believe that the threshold should be as high as sometimes stated. Even if they may not be globally advanced, I do not necessarily believe it would be the right call to keep the child with age peers, especially if the kid calls for it and is willing to sacrifice to make such acceleration happen.

    There is a reasonable range of behavior and maturity, and if a school is not willing to accept a reasonable range, perhaps that isn't the right school for you. Not saying there is any wrongdoing, but personally, I do believe in giving people an opportunity and also giving grade acceleration to those students who may not be globally advanced. That is because they can accommodate them.
    23 37,240 Read More
    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 Eagle Mum 03/25/26 11:29 AM
    The appropriateness, or otherwise, of grade acceleration really depends on the individual child. My daughters were both early entrants and thrived, mainly because, as their school principals in both primary & secondary schools commented, no one would ever have guessed that they were younger than their classmates as they were globally advanced, so much so that when they competed at sports in their correct age group, their eligibility would often be questioned by other parents.

    My son’s development was initially more asynchronous and it was absolutely the right call to keep him with age peers and advocate for radical subject acceleration.
    23 37,240 Read More
    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 FrameistElite 03/25/26 05:08 AM
    I don't really resonate with the concerns around grade acceleration because I believe that the "social-emotional impacts" that people are often worried about may be overblown (at least 1 grade) and a larger problem that I am concerned about is potential harassment or bullying rather than any social emotional immaturity. Sometimes a grade skip does force accountability which I very much enjoyed and I am more concerned with some red tape rather than these vague concerns.

    If there are social emotional concerns perhaps they could be resolved... maybe some acting training for advertising, or even... advocacy for labels, if only to give a certificate that the person does not have a disability so people can stop mistakenly thinking the child is disabled (in some cases)
    23 37,240 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Re: Help! Gifted Son w school trauma FrameistElite 03/25/26 05:04 AM
    Feel free to ask though you may need to advocate and get the adjustments necessary
    5 6,654 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Re: Help! Gifted Son w school trauma monawoqa46 03/23/26 06:12 PM
    You’re not alone, many parents have been where you are. It’s incredibly hard
    but things can get better with the right support and adjustments. Trust your instincts and keep advocating- you’re doing the right thing
    5 6,654 Read More
    Identification, Testing & Assessment
    Re: "Gifted" or just "Talented"? FrameistElite 03/21/26 04:04 PM
    Which grade do you intend to put her in? Maybe start her in 10th or 9th would do this year as last year she was above average for 8th grade test, but bear in mind that "above average" does not necessarily mean as great as what some may think. 75th percentile in the class is the upper quartile but not necessarily the top. I was 98th-99th in grade level before they let me skip and for me 1 skip was enough to get into a very top university afterwards.

    I agree with that and that is a reason why I would prefer labelling - if only to have a report stating that her skills are way above average and therefore to accommodate her. At least that's the official paper to support you in case there are any conflict or worse - legal matters (imagine discrimination against 2e).

    My opinion is to report her as grade 10... but it depends on that 8th grade test to be fair. I would prefer AP rather than CLEP for international transfer and standardised benchmarks. I'm OK with her in in person campus at 15-16 full time starting off with AP credit. My concern is more to do with any potential age discrimination and harassment rather than any capability issue - if you do so perhaps have a lawyer on call in case there is serious age discrimination from the university.

    I think the best would be to have a good amount of hobbies, CLEP/AP and then go to university in-person at 15/16 that is what I would do. Even if she goes a little bit wild I am more concerned about others' reactions to her (which we could fix with mediation or legal action) rather than her own capabilities.
    6 3,435 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Re: How to get child to actually "study" FrameistElite 03/21/26 03:45 PM
    I would continue what you are doing for now; it's not simply regarding the concepts but also the study skills as well as applying the things to paper. I would say that sometimes brute force dictation could help for languages and perhaps ask her to blurt out the things she remembers as well as summarise notes and give herself quiz questions? That might work? Any past papers? That could also be fine.

    I think that she should apply herself to regurgitation in the form of questions and there is a reason why we memorise formulas in mathematics and sciences - it is probably far easier to solve the models if you already have the formulas in your memory rather than having to derive them out.

    Even if developmentally her executive function may be on par with age peers, if her IQ is genuinely extraordinarily high that could still indicate an EF disability. But this is complex - I know psychiatrists who even extend this further into maturity and personality.

    I think that the daughter should try to apply herself in small periods of time, perhaps that may work better? Also she should learn how to finish the things she promises to start within the time she promises to do so - it is a very important skill.

    If she finishes 99% of the way to her university/high school applications and then forgets a few documents to finally enrol, by the end then she effectively is forced to take a gap year. Don't forget about that. That became me. I still regret it to this day though fortunately because some people were stupid and chose to harass me I have legal recourse.
    6 3,450 Read More
    Learning Environments
    Re: URL for NWEA 2015 MAP score/percentile converter funtimes 03/20/26 01:40 PM
    Map report says Norm reference data : 2025 and User norms*

    8th grade DS scores dropped a few percentages out of 99%

    Also having a rough EF year bc they removed his IEP for ADHD. Can anyone tell me if this drop is perhaps from the reference data or if it is most likely accurate and maybe dt/ less support? And FWIW they have embedded EF tasks into course grading and he is miserable.

    Being held out of Gifted and Honors.
    8 85,194 Read More
    Twice Exceptional Jump to new posts
    New Journey Klast 03/13/26 09:51 AM
    Hi

    I have been told I fit the 2e, silent genius profile. With the "genius" being my "nature" and "silent" being my traumatised "nurture". My life long traumas being: Temporal lobe epilepsy, CEN, Arrested Development, Brain cancer and CPTSD.

    The temporal lobe epilepsy was caused by a prolonged febrile convulsion at 18 months of age, causing brain death to right temporal lobe and right hippocampal atrophy.
    Epilepsy was completely cured with a temporal lobectomy when I was 20. The permanent hippocampal/temporal lobe damage left me with reduced short term, working memory.
    My parents didn't understand the effects of the epilepsy when I was so young so I ended up with CEN and Arrested Development.

    I did a school IQ assessment in the early 1980s when I was a preteen, I scored in the high 130s. I seem to be a pattern recogniser. I see the fractal concept all around me.

    The brain cancer appeared when I was 39. It had been growing for 10 to 15 years. It was an Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma Grade3 tumour, the size of a plum, in the left frontal-parietal lobes mainly effecting the Broca's speech area. Expressive aphasia, milder version of what Bruce Willis has. I can have heaps to say but it just wont come out.

    The CPTSD is the overall effect of everything I have been through.

    A computing analogy is that I have really good processing power, but my memory is corrupted and my comms are intermittent.

    Before I turned 50, I was able to compartmentalise all my traumas and disappointments and go through life thinking "I will get back on track to a normal life soon". It was then that I realised I had run out of time, my life was pretty much over (genuine midlife crisis?).
     
    Now, 2 years later, I feel like I have been through an extended Dark night of the soul. That I am probably undergoing ego death, individuation, integration etc. Feeling like I am sick of going through my public life like I have one hand tied behind my back. Everyone thinking my invisible disability, is just me being lazy and uncommunicative. I would love to retire now but I have over ten years to go.

    I have been told I am at a stage in life where I need to stabilize and conserve.

    That I need to consider the question:
    “How do I reduce load without detonating the life structures I have built, that keep me safe?”

    Plus I am on a journey to refind my 'tribe' The old ones nolonger fit. Too much trauma/memory issues to fully fit in the intellectual/academic tribe. And I find the nonintellectual (people who want simple answers to complex problems) tribe to be too limiting and closed off.

    Thanx
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    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: Grade Acceleration K-1-2 Henjamin 03/13/26 04:18 AM
    As a parent of a gifted child, I resonate with the concerns around grade acceleration. It's crucial to consider not just academic readiness but social-emotional impacts as well. Balancing these factors can really shape their trajectory.
    23 37,240 Read More
    Twice Exceptional Jump to new posts
    Dyspraxia/DCD and giftedness NT2018 03/09/26 10:20 AM
    Hi,

    I’m interested to hear from people who have or who have a child/children with DCD/dyspraxia and giftedness.

    How did it manifest for you/them?

    My 7yr old struggles with writing co-ordination, gross physical co-ordination and organisation of thoughts around writing. He has hand hypermobility, low muscle tone and poor core strength.

    He can’t get a diagnosis. He meets 3 of 4 diagnostic criteria but the 4th (significant impact on daily function) he can’t meet as they say he is clever enough to mask/strategise through his day.

    Irrespective of the diagnosis, we’ve started therapies to support the deficits found but a diagnosis would be helpful to access full support from school and for my son’s well-being…he doesn’t understand why he has to have all these interventions if there is nothing wrong with him and why he is so bad at Phys Ed and free writing.

    Is this issue common in the 2E community- that high cognition delays or impedes diagnosis?

    Thanks for your views and for sharing your experiences.
    0 169 Read More
    Identification, Testing & Assessment
    Re: "Gifted" or just "Talented"? Faylie 03/04/26 06:35 AM
    Honestly, I had originally signed her up for the 8th grade Stanford test last July as well, because at that point my main concern was making sure she had adequately mastered her lessons before allowing her to begin high school material. (She tested above average academically on the 8th grade test as well.) I've never normally been worried about comparing her to age peers, just about evaluating academic mastery. However, in terms of intent with "labels", our needs shifted this past autumn, and that was why I had her take an actual 5/6th grade (age-equivalent) Stanford exam, as well as the online SB.

    I wasn't going to mention religious activities in my original post. But we are members of a church, and I needed to explain to the pastor this spring why my daughter would not fit well into the "required" religious education classes. (Her philosophy and historical studies have taken her beyond her age peers, and she found the classes underwhelming.) So, normally yes, labels are not an issue when she is only enjoying theater or piano, but certain other activities do have a more rigid structure that require firm argument.

    Also, with her beginning high school level material this year, we have begun exploring college roadmaps, and I realized I might need to prepare to advocate in that arena as well. I had thought of something similar to what aeh suggested, reporting her at grade 11 regardless of her age. Currently, based on her abilities and interests, we are considering allowing her to CLEP some subjects when she is 13-14, then take part-time classes to finish off online community college for dual credits when she is 15-16. I do not think I want to throw her into an in-person campus environment too young, echoing your concerns, FrameistElite, but I'm hoping online classes will be fine.

    As you suggested, she does however have some weaknesses, specifically in her study and executive skills that I mentioned in another post. I've encouraged her to be fully flexible if we need to slow down and take more than one year on a subject, but even if we pulled her back a year, she would still be ahead enough to need a game plan.
    6 3,435 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Re: How to get child to actually "study" Faylie 03/04/26 05:50 AM
    I understand that children develop differently, and I'm grateful for the various perspectives, which certainly are helpful in thinking about the issue from different angles. The Amazon resources look promising - thank you!

    I have never particularly over-emphasized rote memorization in my DD's studies, and I especially avoided learning models where children are taught to memorize lists they don't yet conceptually understand. My primary concern is that her failure to apply herself to memorization or fact review has been causing her prolonged frustration which dampens the learning experience.

    For example, she wanted to dive into solving linear equations, but because her multiplication was not fully memorized until last year, it was taking her half an hour to solve one equation and causing her emotional vexation. She understands the concepts and process perfectly, but stumbles on clerical and transcription errors. Similarly, in science, she is enthralled with her chemistry and biology lessons and soaks up the concepts, but won't retain her vocabulary terms. I've been using math computer games and Quizlet flashcards to reinforce memorization, and it has helped somewhat, but that makeshift solution doesn't carry over into all studies.

    I had read that advanced students who fail to learn study skills can suddenly struggle when hitting high school and college, and I was wanting to avoid that. Even if, developmentally, she may be applying executive skills on par with age peers, academically she cannot progress much further without learning some better study skills.
    6 3,450 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Re: How to get child to actually "study" FrameistElite 03/02/26 10:06 AM
    Even if some asynchronies are not really associated with impairments, well they need to be accounted for and there is some leeway with DSM interpretation. I myself don't particularly like the DSM criteria for SpLD.

    Highlighting the why is important, though at some point these reminders should be lessened.

    The crux of the matter - which study skills is she perhaps lacking in?
    6 3,450 Read More
    Identification, Testing & Assessment
    Re: "Gifted" or just "Talented"? FrameistElite 03/02/26 09:52 AM
    Yes, I generally agree, although I also see an end game of parenting as defending liberty and ensuring that the child retains freedom, even if they are not as healthy or holistic.

    Sometimes, if one wants a goal, such as early admission/skipping levels, some sacrifices may need to be made. Which ones are you willing to make? Which ones is she willing to make?

    Are there any behavioral matters which could put college admissions off her early admission? Be careful, some universities are not supportive or worse harassing towards early entrants.
    6 3,435 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Re: How to get child to actually "study" aeh 03/01/26 09:01 PM
    Frameist, I think there are multiple possible perspectives on the topic of asynchrony. I would agree that large asychronies can be as impactful subjectively as normative deficits in another individual. In my professional work, I actually do not favor the DSM criteria for SLD --which reference only age-appropriate--when in the context of gifted-level cognition (I prefer ICD-10, which includes intellectual ability--"unexpected underachievement".) ADHD does not really focus primarily on developmental level; the focus is impairment. Likewise most emotional disorders. So I think there is more latitude to consider that impairments in high cognitive individuals may look quite different from impairments in those of average cognition. This is why I generally weight functional impacts more than pure numbers--but I also am careful to look at subtle functional impacts, such as the amount of time and fatigue required to accomplish tasks, impacts on self-concept, and relational challenges--the costs of compensation, in other words. I am sympathetic to your experience, as I have been the first to identify twice exceptionality (or even disabilities in learners who were only above average, and not nominally gifted--though some of those may well have been artifacts of prolonged lack of access to appropriate instruction and remediation) in numerous upper grades students, and regret that 2e is not better understood among my co-professionals.

    But some asynchronies do not appear to be associated with impairments. There is no particular reason to consider developmental coordination disorder in a five year old who can generate expressive language at a high school level but is still working on letter formation. (Unless there are motor delays that appear unexpected even for five-year-olds.) It is not necessarily an impairment for a 10-year-old who is conceptually capable of calculus to struggle with managing the independent note-taking, homework completion and classroom etiquette expectations of an university classroom. Not to mention navigating a 40,000-student open campus on their own. These are really environmental deficits that originate from our society's traditional age-grade-locked educational institutions, with rigid curricula. Homeschooling allows parents to adjust expectations so that most aspects of development are in their zones of proximal development, even if they are at very diverse levels.

    To your point about executive functions, that is certainly an area that should not be overlooked in any learner, but needs special attention in gifted learners. I appreciate your responses, as they encourage greater clarity in my communications. I also did not really learn study skills until my third round through graduate school, when I already had multiple degrees behind me. Ultimately, it was my higher level of interest and motivation in that field (as well as, I suspect, frontal lobe maturation) that brought me to the point of acquiring some study skills. I applaud you for having had the insight as a child to try to acquire higher-level study skills. My approach to teaching EF in my own children has been to weave practice into meaningful activities of daily life, as well as to stay on top of instructional level so that the intrinsic challenge will create immediate feedback and application of study skills.

    In the homeschooling environment (where the OP is), it is possible to highlight the why of study skills much more easily, by attaching them to personally-meaningful goals and consequences, rather than restricting them to checklist items that may feel like busywork. Many of the strategies that parents teach their children for activities of daily living are equally useful for academic tasks. On a practical level, we used schedules, routines and checklists for schoolwork, which were scaffolded by a parent initially (i.e., one-on-one instruction, to numerous reminders, to fewer reminders), and then transitioned gradually to student-managed. Student voice and choice were also important, such as when one DC decided that they would use extreme block scheduling (one entire school day devoted to a week's worth of science, one to history, the other three weekdays for English and math). At the beginning of middle school age, it was predominantly parent-directed, but by 15 or 16 it was almost entirely student-directed. As a side note, the DCs who went into brick and mortar high school had markedly better study skills and self-directed learning skills than most of my students do, I think in large part because of practice managing their own learning and time.

    If OP wants specific resources for executive functions and study skills, here are a couple of classic works:

    https://www.amazon.com/Smart-but-Scattered-Revolutionary-Executive/dp/1462554598/ Peg Dawson & Richard Guare's Smart But Scattered.
    (Their website, with some freebies: https://www.smartbutscatteredkids.com/)

    https://www.amazon.com/Improving-Childrens-Homework-Organization-Planning/dp/0932955509/ HOPS, from the National Association of School Psychologists

    But if the OPs actual concern is simply with rote memorization of math facts, rather than broader study skills, the above may be a lot more words than strictly necessary! In that case, Frameist's tips for memorization are probably the way to go.
    6 3,450 Read More
    Identification, Testing & Assessment
    Re: "Gifted" or just "Talented"? aeh 03/01/26 07:31 PM
    Thanks for your clarifications, Frameist. You are correct that there can be many other factors which would warrant formal evaluation. If you read my other posts, you'll see that I often reference the need for a question to be answered or a problem to be solved as the drivers of evaluation. In this case, the OP did not report any particular concerns other than an appropriate match between cognition and instruction. But it is certainly helpful to remind readers that there are many reasons to evaluate (especially since most parents are not professional evaluators).

    Obviously, I am generally pro-testing, or I would not be in my current profession! At the same time, it's important to empower parents as critical observers of their children. Evaluation data is only one source of information regarding a child, obtained during a short time frame under specific conditions, and should always be interpreted in the context of the human first, rather than interpreting the human in the light of the numbers. Involved parents--especially homeschooling parents--have a much broader and deeper experience of their children's learning needs and strengths, over more diverse contexts and a much longer time frame. I find that their insights are extremely helpful. As you are likely aware, research on gifted identification has found that parent nomination is much more accurate than teacher nominations, and not too far off of standardized testing.

    In any case, the big picture is that the end game of parenting is a happy, healthy, holistically growing human who has satisfying relationships internally and externally. As you note so astutely, intellect is only one component of this.
    6 3,435 Read More
    General Discussion Jump to new posts
    Re: How to get child to actually "study" FrameistElite 03/01/26 06:55 PM
    I would reply with my own experience in hindsight as well as from mentoring and research. I do not fully agree with aeh's opinion on the matter.

    I would say it is important to learn study skills early especially if your daughter is gifted (standardised testing?) as often we learn to coast by osmosis until it affects us down the line, such as myself when I was a freshman at university and had to transfer to another university due to a significant discriminatory conflict. It would teach her ways to study especially when she arrived at HS or university and begins struggling against the curve (especially some T20 unis in the US).

    I wouldn't be the man I am today without the study skills I attempted to learn at 11. I would have been close to flunking out of university and I am an intellectually gifted dude.

    I would first start out by introducing shortcuts to memorise some parts of the multiplication table, for instance 4x4 = 16 = 4^2 = 2x8 = 1x16 to see the factors involved in 16. Similar for 25: 5x5 = 25 = 1x25. Perhaps she could time herself with the Pomodoro method, and if her executive function is weak maybe start with 10-minute study and 10-minute breaks then after three 10-min study sessions take a 25-min long break? It's not much, but some people are weak in EF and ADHD is a more common disorder than you might think.

    Just because she may be "very much on track with her age-peers in this respect" does not mean there is no weakness. If your daughter is gifted then it could perhaps be arguable she is weak in EF and attention compared to her developmental age (not chronological age). How was she like when she was younger? Is she physically healthy?

    For my experience, I got diagnosed with ADHD after starting another university after transferring myself out due to a discriminatory conflict. That is a genuine, correct diagnosis at the time and probably before.
    The huge mistake that psychiatrists made was to interpret symptoms relative to age. This is incorrect and this is where I believe aeh has erred. The DSM criteria for ADHD states that symptoms should be excessive compared to developmental level (including age, IQ and intellectual maturity). This doesn't imply that your daughter has ADHD or other disorders but it may be worth considering. Even for social emotional development they benchmark against developmental stage (not age only).

    As people, we live in a society, and there are certain inherent requirements in the society. Perhaps you could read The Social Contract for a libertarian political perspective of this.

    Perhaps your daughter could teach your siblings or begin paid tutoring if possible? Does she have medium-term or long-term goals?
    6 3,450 Read More
    Identification, Testing & Assessment
    Re: "Gifted" or just "Talented"? FrameistElite 03/01/26 06:39 PM
    I would personally say your child is gifted, especially if she used the SB-5 and got a 143. The other stuff is academic tests and perhaps your child is relatively weak in attention or processing speed or even executive functioning. That is an interesting difference. Personally I would say a 130s or above IQ is gifted.

    I would rely on the FSIQ to say that she is gifted, and technically under many definitions it works (130+ or 140+) so I would say she is gifted. But the SB is supposed to be taken in exam conditions in the conditions set, not online.

    If I had to make a decision based on your child, I would say she is gifted but needs confirmation with a genuine IQ test in full standardised conditions.

    Unlike aeh I do not necessarily believe that simply monitoring development and being aware of needs with "clinical judgement" could suffice for homeschooling in many cases. There are many complex conditions such as personality-related problems if the teen/preteen is very egocentric and has a pattern of it. That is why I prefer standardised testing too as a junior mentor/researcher and former teacher/tutor.

    How early admission do you want to lobby for her and how many levels do you want her to skip? What other courses in other subjects did she take? I would probably focus on enrichment in non-academic hobbies as well as other holistic attributes, for instance survival skills. Besides, if your daughter is not perfect (for instance, has a vice or similar) at least she has many other decent qualities and decent friendships who will accept her. I personally am not willing to be extremely harsh on a teen for enjoying some vaping while keeping to between lectures and spend their money responsibly but soem parents are black and white it seems.

    If she is doing Algebra I and Chemistry then it seems she would be ready to enter university maybe 3-5 years later or 6. While I personally favor early enrollment I would prefer if the college she goes to is a quite decent college, perhaps top 100 or a decent liberal arts school. In my personal experience in hindsight I would go to a college who is supportive of people including early-entrants as well as decent. And hopefully they would be able to fit in, join parties and all that.

    I do see a need for advocacy based on labels as whether she is gifted or simply an extremely hard worker changes things. If the latter, people may be skeptical. If the former, perhaps it would be better. Sometimes gifted girls can hide disabilities better by compensating with their great intelligence (especially if the 143 IQ is genuinely 143 IQ in standard conditions). If daughter has some executive function or personality or personal problems, in my opinion a label could not only help give them autonomy but also accountability for her as well as others. Some people discriminate others because they perceive others as disabled even if they are not. This is where I appreciate aeh's opinion but don't fully agree in this aspect.
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    Parenting and Advocacy Jump to new posts
    Re: What’s important for gifted child at elementary? FrameistElite 03/01/26 05:48 PM
    Welcome NT!

    Unfortunately it seems as if the school has misguided views on giftedness. You can be gifted while struggling with one aspect and not be able to demonstrate it academically.

    I'd personally push a little bit harder but don't push too much, perhaps lean on supplementary Ed Psych report or transfer him elsewhere.

    Any other concerns? While enrichment may be sufficient to maintain a child's intellectual curiosity, it may not work as well for 2e. Also... perhaps be transparent and remember that for gifted children they do not need to "fail" in one area to be learning disabled or dyspraxic. If all other areas are highly superior but one is average, that suggests a very clear weakness.

    Perhaps typing or a laptop might suit him better as an accommodation in some areas.
    2 2,377 Read More
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