Hi Grinity and Dottie,
The psych was a specialist G&T psych, but she inferred that she very rarely comes across scores like Emmie's.
....she has friends but there are no children that she enjoys socialising with as their interests just aren't the same. Interaction, without fail, leads to tears and frustration and kids are bemused by her emotional outbursts. Thankfully they are 'good kids' who don't bully her but the differences are becoming more apparent with age (she's eight). In essence she relies on me for all of her intellectual stimulation which obviously is neither ideal, healthy or even possible when I have another child. Her demands to learn are constant. I
K x
Ok well that says quite a lot - if this is your local 'specialist' and she describes your DD's scores as rare (assuming she is talking about the unusualness of the strengths, not the unusualness of the spread) than that definitely tells you to put a little purple question mark with any conclusions the tester is drawing. Rare kids are rare, unfortunately, and it is really hard to find true expertise. What part of the world are you in (vague is good enough) ? There are specialists who really 'get' kids like this, and can work remotely after an initial visit. Dr. Ed Amend in Kentucky, USA is one I can recommend highly. He likes and 'gets' parents.
But on to simple solutions.
What do you think about looking at other schools as a possibility. I'm not a huge fan of the 'elite private school' trip, but if you find one that is staffed by wise and caring people, it can go a long way.
Another alternative is a gradeskip. Hate to give up the wonderful teacher, but unhappy all day every day calls for some compromises. As you mentioned, being the older group in a multi age classroom and truly doesn't work for our kids.
Are there summer programs or 'saturday clubs' in your geographic area? Can you find a bright high schooler or local college student to tutor her in a topic of interest? Can you find a book club at your local public library for 'age 9 and up' and wiggle her in? Have you read 'Sophie's World?' We tried it but I brought home too early...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie's_World
Also worth borrowing from the library if you haven't already is:
Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-School to High School (2nd Edition) [Paperback]
Judith Wynn Halsted
Either of these books might be good guidance to give the tutor/mentor.
I would also get ahold of some middle school text books (unless high school level is better) for overviews of 'biology' 'history' etc. The idea is to get her some overviews so you can see what she likes and delve more deeply on selected interesting topics.
If she likes it when she is learning, then keep your eyes peeled for people, places where learning can happen for her. Taking it all on yourself - being the parent, teacher and friend is too much, and yet, you may just 'have too' do it for a little while longer while you get your resources in place. I used to have to say to myself - over and over - 'if he were special needs the other way, would I be trying to find a balance, or would I just shut up and give?' That helped me at least not feel freakish that I was doing 'super-parenting' for no visible reason.
Is she doing a musical instrument? That's a great energy-sucker-upper, and a part of the life where mentorship is expected.
Golly, sounds like you need to go to the school and have a good cry with the teacher or the principle and tell them how exhausting she is and how you would take any crumb they could send your way as far as getting her into a classroom that is academically challenging.
FWIW, I totally get you 'just wanting her to be happy' - DH and I used to say that all the time. What we didn't getis that there exist kids who 'burn to learn' and for whom learning is just as necessary as air and water and physical activity.
I'm currently exploring Heart Rhythm Meditation, and you DD reminds me a bit of me, so maybe she might like it too. I found some information on Meditation and Gifted Families here -
https://sites.google.com/site/giftedmeditation/?pli=1Best Wishes,
Grinity
