Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Could this be "domain-specific" giftedness?

As far as I recall, I didn't take the vocabulary test; I went through a free program for people with LD, and because I suspected dyscalculia, I think the psych pretty much honed in on that and did only the tests related to the areas he was interested in. In other words, it wasn't a full battery.

I do remember the analogy test, though!

CIX is Composite Intelligence Index, and the other one is for memory.

Thanks for your time!

I think that the thing to think about is why it is important to you to have that gifted label. I do know kids for whom reading came easily and early and who are not gifted per WISC IQ scores. I also know some whose IQ scores are erratic or which don't fully represent their intelligence due to learning disabilities. I would not really want to be one of the latter.

If you are seeing areas where you struggle in life (it sounds like you had a concern due to your presenting with the concern of dyscalculia), then it is worth considering what types of accommodations would help you overcome those weaknesses. I'm assuming that you are a recent high school grad given that you listed your age as 18 on another of your threads. If you are needing accommodations in college that you did not have in high school, it would be worth seeking out the help of the college's counseling services early on and seeing whether they see reason from your current test scores to give you accommodations such as extra time on tests.

That aside, it sounds like you have a need to explain your differences from your family and that "gifted" might be a way to do that in your mind. If it isn't giftedness, it doesn't mean that you don't have reason to feel alienated (it sounds like you might feel that way) or that you aren't a wonderful person in your own right even if your family hasn't accepted you.

I know I don’t have the gifted label for IQ, and I’m OK with that, but would the psych really say I was a gifted reader if I wasn’t?

I have a whole list of accommodations.

Thank you for your time!

I guess that depends on how s/he is defining "gifted reader." Is it in terms of achievement or verbal ability? I tend to define gifted as ability moreso than achievement, but I know that not all do. For instance, my local school system would most likely define you as gifted in reading as well b/c they define gifted in reading as high achievement coupled with something like teacher recommendation, parental recommendation, high grades, behavior such as sensitivity, or ability scores.

I think achievement, but I did tell him about my reading on a nearly 7th grade level in fourth so he probably took that into consideration, although I did not mention the pull-out reading program I was in during K, or the reading before K.

I think I’d be less likely to feel like giftedness explained it if my parents were more into reading. I mean, I don’t think I would’ve gotten into it so much if I didn’t have a knack for it, especially being in an environment that didn’t and still doesn’t encourage it.

All I know is that reading has always come naturally to me, so it must be a talent or a gift or something. I’ve never, ever had to work at it, and I’m grateful for that.

Wouldn’t ability scores only be on IQ tests? I thought IQ tests don’t have reading subtests.

I really appreciate your trying to answer all of my questions. It means a lot to me. Thank you.

I would give up worrying about giftedness. It just doesn't matter. Do your best in life and you'll go far. (And for what it's worth, I don't think that the notion of giftedness applies in a useful way to reading, which is just a skill that enables learning.)

Thanks for the advice! I agree I'm a little fixated, but can't you be talented at it just like sports or art?

True, IQ tests don't have reading components but they do have verbal components and people who are considered gifted in a Language Arts/Reading/Writing realm based on high ability usually fall into that category based on consideration of verbal ability (analogies, vocab, etc.). Ability scores are pretty much IQ scores but there are multiple choice "ability" tests as well such as the CogAT, OLSAT, etc. I'm not personally a huge fan of them b/c multiple choice has a lot of issues for some kids.

Absolutely and that's part of the reason I don't love the whole term "gifted and talented." Those are two different things to me. Gifted, whether it be in sports, art, or academic pursuits refers to an innate difference. Talented refers to achievement in the pursuit which may occur even in one without an innate difference in wiring, ability, etc.

Of course, this is all my personal opinion . I'd suspect that, b/c this board tends to draw more families of highly gifted kids (those with IQ scores around the 99th percentile or so), I may not be way out of the norm here, but perhaps that is fodder for a new thread!

One other question that comes to mind: you've mentioned a few times your parents' dislike/lack of interest in reading. Intelligence is generally considered fairly heritable. I may be misreading here, but can we assume that you are indicating that you don't believe your parents to be gifted? I am wondering if you have anyone else in your extended family who would be considered gifted or highly intelligent. There can be some hit and miss aspects to intelligence when there are variations within the family.

I don't think they're gifted readers, obviously, and when my results came back, they weren't surprised by my gifted scores, but I don't think they really knew what to do with me anymore than they did before. (They buy me books and then leave me to my own devices.)

I mean, I don't want to say my family isn't smart or anything...I'm just talking about reading here!