Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
My advice is a bit different than that above.

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Would you push for math services?

Yes. Yes, I would.

Honestly, the way that literacy seems to work for most gifted children is rather binary-- something flips the switch at some point between 2 and 10 years of age, and then they are... fluent. I've not seen a lot of anecdote to indicate that external inputs have much to do with that particular arc for gifted children. Oh, sure-- you can give them decoding skills, and teach particular analysis and writing techniques-- but reading fluently and for fun/understanding/learning? That just comes when it's time. (BARRING a learning disability or other challenge, I mean.)

MATH, though...

I'm concerned about the trend that you saw. Bear in mind that what your child is learning now is numeracy-- not "mathematics" per se. The other thing that he's learning, from your description, is that anything less than PERFECT is "not good enough." That is a huge red flag for me.

Gifted children are incredibly prone to perfectionism-- and task avoidance, even-- and this seems like a situation tailor-made to develop it. frown I'd press for at least SOME differentiation based upon potential rather than just on current performance-- maybe pretesting or even out of level testing of some kind to figure out just what WOULD be more appropriate. Leaving him unchallenged isn't necessarily a good strategy long-term, because he learns that school isn't for learning new things, but for demonstrating mastery. At a level which needs to be perfect.

See the problem? You definitely don't want several years' worth of THAT thinking happening by the time he reaches actual mathematics in late elementary.

Yes, I see your point. The gifted teacher made it seem like the math gifted program was full of savants just listing off numbers. If that's what the class is like, DS would actually not like it. Or if they're giving worksheets out (which would make DS need to write more), he wouldn't like it. The school in general is hyper focused on testing and testing and more testing. And I continually remind DS to just do his best, that perfection is not a goal (IMO), and that struggling and making mistakes are an accomplishment. He doesn't believe me though. smile I keep telling him that the hard work is making him grow and do better.

I think I'm too worn out to pursue forcing a gifted program at the moment, knowing it will also mean I'll likely have to fight for them to accommodate him. I don't want to justify his being in gifted. I want some evidence on what is really going on, and why and how to address it. I feel in a way the Kindy teacher has basically spoiled their thoughts because of how strongly they were saying she didn't recommend DS for either program but if she HAD to choose...

I'm getting repeat testing, hopefully within a few months (why do these things always take so long?), and in the meantime I'll be reviewing concepts with DS, playing with C rods, doing games, etc. Also we'll be starting with OT, getting ophtho exam, and afterschool activities. I feel like I need to focus on handwriting and seeing if there is a LD before delving into gifted help, but then if/when that's over I can fight the next new fight.


Life is the hardest teacher. It gives the test first and then teaches the lesson.