The teachers indicate the above as traits where DD may be lagging behind others in the class. My questions are –
1. What is the best way to explain her behavior to the teachers – and the fact that DD is not really “lagging behind”, but just has unique interests and capabilities not on par with rest of the children in the class.
2. The teachers are not trained on Giftedness.
3. Would you recommend anything we can suggest the teachers to do in the classroom to help DD enjoy the class better?
Teachers may be trained to observe/screen for possible signs of learning disabilities or learning differences. Disengagement, distractability, living in one's head, lost in thoughts, staring into space, not communicating as expected can be indicators. A child who is gifted with high intelligence may also have LDs... this is known as twice exceptional or 2e. The book "Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses" may be of interest. Brief SENG overview
here.
1. You have observed some of the same behaviors which the teachers have noted, however you understand/interpret them differently. You may wish to share with the teachers the positive academic/intellectual milestones you have observed in your child. Be sure to keep a log or record of these milestones. You might choose to use select portions of your collected documentation for future
advocacy.
2. You may wish to share:
- that some of your child's interests and achievements/milestones may indicate a high IQ, although that has not yet been confirmed by a formal assessment.
- to learn more about the special learning needs of high IQ children, teachers may join the free Davidson
Educators Guild.
3. We don't really know from your post that your child is not
enjoying the class... just that her behavior is not as expected. A few ideas:
- It may be possible for a teacher to ask the class to raise hands to vote on which book will be read aloud.
- The teacher might also ask children to suggest how they as a class should behave while a story is read.
- The teacher might engage your child gently in private conversation, asking:
- - what she likes about the geoboard, and/or
- - what she is thinking, and/or
- - what other toys she might like to play with, and/or
- - what books she might prefer to read, etc.
