It's a two edged sword - when you test you are really biting into the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. On the one hand knowing 'what is going on' is a good thing but on the other hand knowing leads to more worrying - LOL
We elected to test - we are both reasonably intelligent people that blindly (and mistakenly, it turns out) assumed that everyone is intelligent ('what's the big deal?' we thought). When our DD started to show signs of social isolation AND just soaked up arithmetic and simple geometry and algebra like a sponge we read around the issue and all roads led to getting her tested (we tested IQ and achievement). Testing revealed that DD was pretty bright.
Finding out more about just what can happen to a bright girl if she is not given the the right mental stimulation early enough (they mature earlier) gave me more than a few sleepless nights. But, it also allowed us to focus on the issue and address it in an informed way. Overall, I would recommend getting her tested. We used the WISC-IV and the Woodcock-Johnson III but our DD was 7 at the time. Perhaps there are other tests more suitable for younger children.
We are also from a rural area (of a densely populated state) where all of the resources are sucked up by the cities. Our DD ended up as such a big fish in a 'bowl' (cannot call it a pond even) that it was not funny. Luckily, our community really values its school and the school values its kids.
Armed with the test results we were able to get our DD subject acceleration last year and she will be skipping 3rd to start 4th after the summer. Throughout her time at this school to date DD has luckily been really supported by her teachers but I am glad that she has the results. Also, having the results allows DD to participate in G&T enrichment activities outside of school - I am not sure how much this would impact your situation.
Last edited by madeinuk; 07/31/13 06:10 PM.
