Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment What would you do? Test scores for my 4yr old

Hi!
I'm in the same exact boat, so I'll tell you our story.

My DS is also 4.5 and scored very similar to yours. He also got a 147 on the wppsi verbal, but his full scale was a couple points lower. Our gifted school is also quite a drive, but it would be the only option besides homeschooling. He was accepted for early kindergarten there, which is all day, 5 days a week. He would still need acceleration or differentiation there, as his strength is reading, and he is at least at a 4th grade level now.

We also have the added issue of many food allergies. This, along with the long days, plus a long commute are causing me to lean towards homeschooling, at least for k. We have a week left to decide, still not sure what to do.


Hopefully your school will grade skip your DS to k once they see him in action.



As far as DYS, we have achievement numbers but not the iq numbers, that pesky 150! Anyways, we are going to wait until 6 and test with the wisc, and apply then if the numbers are there. If not, we'll see how much we have for a portfolio, as we have nothing concrete right now. Mine also doesn't write well, and is in OT.


I'm not sure this was is any way helpful, but at least we can commiserate. Lol!

Hi Amber!

It is GREAT to hear about your DS and yes ...commiserate! I am really active in our MOMS Club here and it's hard not being able to talk to all our IRL friends about the struggles they don't understand.

Waiting on the WISC has been where I've been toying with things for DYS... I need to see how school goes to know if I need help NOW ...we haven't really done school yet (I don't count preschool as the purpose was mostly social). When I started thinking about it, I do have some things for a portfolio--like when he was asked to draw a person and he drew a woman with 3 "baby sacks" and babies inside her tummy and lines for the "blood paths". This was as a young 4.

We did have MAJOR handwriting problems. He wasn't writing ANY letters except O and X for most of the year. I ordered Handwriting Without Tears and in a month he was making recognizable letters. It was beautiful! I was so amazed, I took the HWT instructor workshops and started tutoring other kids too. His teacher was blown away by the change and encouraged me to order business cards to share with her other parents.

OT wasn't very helpful for us. I hope you have seen better results from yours. Does your son have a physical issue such as muscle weakness?

He is borderline low muscle tone. I don't think I've seen much improvement with the ot, but he didn't really "qualify" he tested at the low end of normal, so I'm wonder if I'm expecting too much of a change?

IMHO for the money they need to produce some results. For the OT experience we had, I wished they had done pre- and post-testing to show they were accomplishing something. For the cost of it, I generally felt it was worthless. (Not to say it is this way for everyone but it wasn't really working for us.)

When I did HWT, I just ordered some items off the hwtears.com website--pretty affordable prices. I could kick myself for money wasted on OT that really wasn't needed in our case. After I did HWT with him just a few times, I realized that for my son it was really more conceptual and muscle memory that he needed. He'd been taught poorly, in a non-developmentally appropriate format and in a way that made him feel like a failure. When I did HWT w him, he made the letter successfully (even to his perfectionistic eyes) several times before he wrote it the first time... it set him up for success and it was fun--he would even ask to do lessons. He loved it and was so proud of what he could do.

Hopefully I'm not beating a dead horse here but it was such a wonderful thing for my kiddo that I get really excited talking about it. If you feel the same about your OT, you might check it out. I'd say for less than an OT session you might be able to "cure" him with HWT.

Grinity,

I missed replying here. I think HWT for Gifted is a great niche and Skype is a very cool idea! I still like one on one the best though. What I get out of it is their joy over their success and the lightbulbs going off when they get it. That means the world to me. I guess it might not "feel" the same long distance. I just generally wish Jan Olsen had come up with HWT when I was little because I spent years and years struggling unnecessarily. The least I can do is share it with others. Handwriting doesn't have to be the awful ordeal some have experienced.

Thanks for all your help with my questions! We have such a long way to go till 15... Always fabulous to hear about the paths others have taken. I know it flies by too fast.

Me too. Between that and spelling, it was easy for me to fool myself into believing that I was 'dumb.' I think that for females, having messy handwriting is very 'role-dissonant.'

Keep enjoying what you are doing! Put in a few adverts at state gifted events, and see what arises.

Smiles,
Grinity

Ok crazy question. Would HWT help me improve my handwriting as an adult? I probably actually do need OT... My handwriting was always appalling, I now know that I have low tone and should have had OT as a child. But I didn't, and on top of that my handwriting devolved even further during my last pregnancy and has just not bounced back at all. It's really quite mortifying writing notes to my children's teachers some days.

Not a crazy question at all! I can't promise what HWT could do for an adult but I can tell you how it helped me.

I was the daughter of an Elementary School Teacher with PERFECT teacher handwriting and I was a "hopeless" case. I always held my pencil wrong. I was put in Special Ed in Elementary school to "help my handwriting". They tortured me with every possible device to correct my grip (which was "fisted" in 1st grade). I still remember getting straight C's in 5th grade for "handwriting" which I felt was so unfair since it was not taught and no assignments given and I had no chance to improve. All else were A's in my gifted program.

I spent 2 days at a handwriting workshop to train HWT instructors to learn how to help my son and other children. Day one was PreK, Day two K-5. On day two, I called my mother nearly in tears... the way they taught... I GOT IT! I had written PERFECT cursive in a practice we did (it was combinations like "or" and "ar", "wo", etc). It had been impossible for me my whole life and in a few hours, I COULD DO IT!! I handwrote a cursive letter to my mom that night. She could not believe it. Now I practice a little here and there so it is becoming more natural and less thinking... but with their methods and materials even I can have that clear and pretty handwriting I wished for as a kid.

Grinity-- you hit the nail on the head! It is TOUGH to be a GIRL with LOUSY handwriting. My mom, a MAJOR perfectionist, would unfortunately remind me how my handwriting "made me look stupid." Which was an extra help... She jokingly asked who I got to write the letter for me since she could not believe I wrote it. I'm one of 8 kids and the one with the truly atrocious handwriting... or was the one. I do need to get more involved in the Gifted World in my area. I expect to start having more of those opportunities now that my son is identified and old enough to begin participating in programs.

MumOfThree-- I hope that answers your question. It would be a pretty cheap option to try HWT. I know it has transformed me and my son. The books are inexpensive (like $7.50 US for a workbook) and you wouldn't need all the "extras" which make it fun for kids since you have your own motivation to do it. (Unless of course you have a child that could use it too b/c then you can get the extras and do it together! :)) It's written by an OT but loads more affordable than OT services.

We actually have HWT! I haven't fully jumped into it yet, since it's summer and all, but I think I'll get it out. We are 99% sure we will be homeschooling anyways, so there's no time like the present, right?

I have the chalkboards and books. I didn't get the wooden letter sets, are these necessary?

BTDT - I got lots of help from HWT, but before that I'd make 'teacher note pads' on my computer with check boxs - as in:

Dear Ms. (This year's teacher name),

_ will be picking up child early
_ wanted to check and see if child is turning in his homework
_ wanted to check and see if child is behaving himself
_ wanted to thank you for __________________

Sincerely,
Child's Mom

Yikes!
G