Re: dd5. Adopted at 10 months, started walking the day after she left the orphanage, doing somersaults at 12 months, amazing fine motor skills even as a baby, has always learned new things with ease despite being 3rd child and not a lot of 1:1 attention. She was not an early reader or math whiz (that I have seen) but she just gets things very quickly. I had her tested as a young 4 yr old to try to rule out ADHD and determine LOG, FSIQ was 124 but psych (who did NOT specialize in gifted) said she suspected would be higher when dd was older and more cooperative. I just feel like this kid is >MG.

Now dd is in kindy at public elementary with a very large percentage of gifted identified kids. They screen next year in first grade and there is a once/week pull-out after that. She is cooperative in school and behaves well and is a teacher pleaser. I don't think the teacher really has a clue how bright she is.

So. I contacted a pscyh from the Hoagies list who is well respected and who I have heard good things about. She wants to do a full eval. and not just a WISC, which I get, but of course that is a lot of $--$2550 including initial consult with parents and child, 5 hrs of testing (will prob. take less than 5 hrs though so less $), comprehensive report, and feedback session.

It is a huge amt. of money for us. My kid seems happy now. So I just don't know what to do. Bite the bullet and get a full eval. from someone whose opinion I trust, and who will be an ally at the school if it turns out dd needs acceleration? Wait and see what happens in the fall when they screen all of the kids? Have her tested with just the WISC with tester who tested older dd--doesn't specialize in gifted but might still be useful--and I think it was around $500.

Argh. I hate to assume that dd is fine because she seems happy, I'm sure my parents thought I was perfectly happy in elementary school. I never would have thought of having older dd12 skip 6th grade without testing though, and it was clearly the right choice.

But what if I spend all of that $ to find out she is MG and the school won't do anything different anyway?

Any advice or BTDT? My dh will have a heart attack when I tell him the cost of the full eval.