Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Child is gifted, but doesn't act it -- advice?

My second-grade daughter easily tested into our school district's gifted program (one of only three students in her grade at school to do so). She performs well in school and does exhibit some characteristics of gifted kids, such as using advanced vocabulary. This morning, she told me, "If that happened, I would have to suppress a giggle."

However, she is not a bookworm, although she reads above grade level. About 20-30 minutes of homework reading and she is done.

She does not gravitate toward her intellectual peers. Her best friends at school are not top students. She frequently plays with a girl in her class who was held back a grade last year. She is generally well-liked, enjoys her class and classmates and teacher, but (if asked) admits it is often "too easy."

She is more interested in sports than reading or music or other more intellectual pursuits (and receives above grade level grades in P.E., too).

Next year, we have to decide whether to place her in the full-time gifted program (which begins in 3rd grade and accelerates the normal grade-level curriculum for the participating gifted students).

I'm wondering whether it will be a good fit. Anyone with advice/experience dealing with a gifted child who doesn't necessarily fit the typical gifted child profile?

Welcome cmac! I think you are very lucky that your DD tested into the GT program without having to go through some sort of nomination process where she may have been overlooked because she doesn't exhibit "typical" GT behavior. Although from what you do say, she sounds plenty GT (advanced vocab, reading above grade level, performing well in school). Not all GT kids look crazy gifted, maybe not even most GT kids. It depends on personality and other factors.

My DS will occasionally voraciously read a book (eg., the Hawking kids' books about George), but usually he'll just read the recommended 30 minutes the teacher wants him to read daily. He is friends with everyone, but doesn't seem to have a best friend (though he did seem to make friends more quickly when he went to a FT GT program). Before the GT school, he wouldn't complain about school much, but we knew when we saw the work that he was doing that he already mastered it years earlier. Once we transferred him, he complained that he no longer had time to daydream, apparently his favorite activity in the regular school.

My thoughts were always that I would have to work harder to get our DS appropriate level work at school, since he would happily fly under the radar and keep his daydream time if he could. I think girls may be in greater danger of not making waves and being teacher pleasers. Obviously, I'm quite biased, but I'd say go for the GT school, so your DD can learn how to learn new stuff, like everyone else already has the opportunity to do. It sounds like she would fit in anywhere.

You have my sympathy cmac. My youngest and 3rd gifted DD exhibits similar characteristics to your DD in the classroom and socially. My other 2 greatly out performed her at the same age, but her WISC-IV and WJIII scores are higher.

That being said, if I had access to a full-time gifted program, I would probably try it.

Hi cmac,
Welcome!

Like what st.pauli girl and revmom said, at a minimum have her in the GT program, since you got in.

Your DD did say, things are "easy" which means she isn't really needing to learn "how to learn" and struggle through difficulty and "working at" something.

I would definitely try the GT program.

Best wishes. Let us know how it goes.