I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to think at the moment!
Of all the challenges a parent could face, having a gifted child really isn't that bad. All I have to do is look to some of the neighbors and their "real" challenges, and my concerns are quickly put into perspective. After all, I bet many would be willing to swap their particular "challenge" for ours, right?
My wife & I both were in the GATE classes throughout our schooling, so the concept wasn't totally foreign to us. BUT, the resources available today are drastically different (less!) than what we enjoyed all those years ago.
Even with our experience, though, I, too, have been hesitant to test because I didn't want to label him. He skipped K, starting 1st @ 4y thanks to the encouragement of his teachers (I was an absolute nervous wreck), and has advanced steadily... albeit at his own dizzying pace, but we've still avoided testing.
This past spring, though, he took some language test (Peabody?) at school that resulted in lots & lots of phone calls between teachers, support staff, and us. He was apparently off the charts...
We knew he was strong, but this blew us away. And also changed my thinking.
We are now waiting for an appointment with the district psych team, as they want to administer the WIAT & WISC before school starts up again.
As the school admin explained to me, the reason for testing at this end of the spectrum is the same as testing at the other end: We all need to know what we're working with... what he's capable of (or not) so that we are not making decisions for his life based on hunches or educated guesses.
I must admit that after that Peabody test, I am now officially curious to find out "what we've got under the hood." I hope that doesn't sound crass; I'm just being honest.
While I've not been an active participant at this site, I have been lurking, reading, absorbing... for months & months. It is truly an incredible resource.
Here's one of my favorite sites for "setting your bearings" regarding gifted kids...
A Nation Deceived Read through some of the personal stories - from both parents & students - and see if this helps in your overall understanding.
My apologies for droning...
