I will be a bit of a contrarian. I first reviewed the RUF levels probably about 3 years ago, at which time DS would have been 7 years old. My thought then, as now, is that the guidelines are far too general to determine where a specific child actually belongs. Its potential for error is largest for a gifted child born from non-gifted parents that are wondering for where their child strands.
Here is where my DS10 fits among the various levels:
Possible contra-indications of giftedness:
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* Did not start speaking until past 24 months, perhaps close to 30 months.
* Is well adjusted socially, and was elected student council rep for his class.
Level 3 Attributes:
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* Could solve 35+ piece puzzles by age 2
Level 4 Attributes:
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* Loved books as babies, paid very close attention
* Started reading somewhere around 3-4
* Has read all the books on science (particularly physics and genetics) in the children's section of the library, and is now working on history.
Level 5 Attributes:
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* Made letters and numbers as a 1-year old using straws, toothpicks, etc.
* Spoke with near adult level complexity when he finally started speaking
Other Attributes Not on Ruf List:
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* Has mathematical skills exceeding the average college bound high school senior.
* Is nationally ranked in chess.
So given all this, where does my son fit on the Ruf scale? I have no idea, and until we feel the urgency to get him tested for Davidson or Johns Hopkins Study of Exceptional Talent, the exact measurement matters little to me now. However, I have the reassurance of knowing that I was identified as gifted as a child, and that DS has abilities that vastly exceed my own.
However, if I was not gifted, and my son was say 3 years old, and I saw the Ruf scale, I might have thought my son's talents were not exceptional.
