I agree with what Dottie said, word for word - and achievement testing is a good idea, for just those reasons.
I wouldn't worry at all about the "lower" PSI. 128 is a fanatistic score there, and still at the 97th percentile.
Totally - PSI and WM don't factor into what makes a kid gifted, but they sure are nice to have! My son's WM is around 128 and with his strong Verbal and Performance scores, it's sort of scary to watch him use his WM. His PSI is around 100! That's a problem, because all those amazing ideas inside just jam up at the lips. 128 - not a problem, except for the problem that it (potentially) makes elementary school even more like nails on a chalkboard.
Statistically most kids in DYS are "barely qualified". The 145 score in and of itself is very high.
Weird but true - isn't Math strange? Remember the shape of the bell curve - 2/3rd of DYS kids are bunched up on that line.
I will say that it's still not a bad question. I ask myself all the time if hanging out with kids who did calculus in 8th grade is bad for my son's ego, and then I remind myself - it's better for him to meet them now than to spend his entire K-12 years thinking he's the be all and end all, only to get to college and have reality hit him in the face. At least I'm around now to help out.
And what about me? Is hanging out with Moms of kids who achieve much more than my own son shift my perspective? Who knows? A child's personality makes so much difference...some are very achievement orriented, some are inspired by an ideal and will work tirelessly IF the subject is of their own choosing, some are quite content to appreciate the world's beauty just as it is. That's what I've come to learn, and I think it's worth the risk.
Plus, I get teary-eyed remembering the look of sheer joy on my son's face when he gets around real peers. Plus the look of sheer joy on my face when I get around real peer, like my Dottie dear! That's worth the risk too.
Love and More Love,
Grinity
