He is not identified as gifted by the school district right now. However, I know that on days when he does not get a lot of intellectual stimulation his sensory seeking behaviors in particular really flair up, for lack of a better term.
We talked, in his IEP meeting, about having him do more physical activities when necessary (he is a squirmer and a toucher - he touches EVERYTHING), but I am worried they didn't grasp the importance of his need for intellectual stimulation in addition to the physical.
I have found, at home, that there are times when he is being very difficult that if I take out his human body book or strike up a conversation about some worldly topic, better suited for an adult than a 4 year old, those behaviors will be minimized.
For example, last weekend he was having a particularly difficult time later in the evening (which is typically his worst time of the day)and our normal evening routine was not cutting it. I suggested an extra bike ride, but he was very unenthusiastic. After I got his brother to sleep, I took out his human body book (usually reserved only for daytime) and we opened up to the page about the human brain. We were talking about neurons and how they affect the 5 senses. Within minutes, he went from bouncing around, not listening to anything I said and totally in his own little world to calm and totally engaged.
I am worried that there are going to be times when they think he needs the physical and what he really needs is the intellectual. He has a very keen awareness of how his body is feeling and will tell you when he "has too much energy inside." I know this is going to be a learning experience for all involved in the process, but I just want to start out with the best possible plan.
What did you do to have your son recognized as gifted by the school?
