Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Gifted but behind in Kindergarten?

I recently had DS5 tested for LD because of his below average performance in school, mostly in reading and writing, with occasional math mixed in as well.
No LD found, and confirmed gifted (though not PG, so I apologize if I should not be posting here). He dislikes school (too much work per him), and most of our home learning before school focused on subject and desire-led learning and discussions.

I did not work aggressively with him learning to read before starting Kindergarten, as he was at daycare and I felt they were doing plenty (before I knew of the requirements for K).

When I work with him with new concepts, he picks up quickly but is resistant to practice what he is not strong in so fluency is low. Reading has improved dramatically, as well as writing. Math is good concept-wise, but he makes careless errors, leading to low test scores (school tests frequently even in K).

I keep hearing of gifted children reading at 2-3 years old, and I feel that since DS is gifted he should not be behind.

Is it possible this is just due to a late start in early reading skills, teaching methods at school (don't get me going on the reading techniques they teach!), maturity, or something else? Are my expectations too high because he is gifted and I just need to have patience for him to make the leap to independent reading and writing? I've recently focused more at home on a phonics-based instruction instead of the "look at the picture and guess the word from context clues" method. And he can do that, just haltingly. Math I'm not concerned about though he is making mistakes on tests. While working with him he gets answers correct but I just need to remind him to check his work. IMO, 5 is too young to worry about test scores if you understand what that concept is.

Anyone else with similar experiences? I'm even considering change in schooling d/t the worksheet drill method used at our PS. TIA!

I would not worry to much, he is just 5. When is his birthday? I have seen this from time to time when a child is one of the younger students in the class. Sometimes they just need to gain a little maturity and will make the leap.

It isn't uncommon for even PG kids to start school not reading. When they do start they absolutely zoom through grade levels.

I hate worksheet drills for all children, so no argument from me on that!

A child of a family member had no reading or even pre-reading skills (she didn't have a clue what sound each letter made) at all when she started school, and I hear now she is reading 3 years ahead of her grade level. Some kids read early and some don't. And I agree that you don't have to read early to be gifted.

I'm sorry I do not know exactly when or why it clicked for her.

I would not be too concerned from what you have written.

Just a thought, have you had his eyes checked? My DD took off with reading when she got her glasses. It might be an avenue worth exploring if you haven't yet.

FWIW, my DS 4.5 is also likely gifted but his interest in anything academic is often SO incredibly minimal. He just has better things to do with his time. His sister was reading thick novels by this age, but they just have different interests and personality.

The issue may simply be that what your perception of what was happening for him at daycare was very different from reality. Marketing materials often say something very different from what is practiced there.

Thanks for the replies and reassurances. I had an optometrist check his vision prior to school but nothing else checked as far as vision. He is 5 and 7 months now. His prior daycare was reviewing letters and their sounds and trying early Bob books. At the time I was unaware what K is like and thought they were pushing him too soon. I was remembering my youth and playing all day in K. But daycare teaching was cursory as he actually needed remediation with half his letters. Now he can sound out many words but can only say a few fluently. I'm stuck between wanting to push him to catch up with his class and "peers" (most older than him), and not pushing too hard. It's such a hard balance.

Overall, I'd say don't worry - nothing you've described sounds out of the ordinary for a gifted student (even for a PG student - some children read early, other children are busy observing or building or whatever and don't start reading until they're ready to).

What I do wonder about is what prompted the testing for possible LD - was it your decision based on what looked like underachievement in school, or did the school suggest testing? Is your ds generally happy or ok with school, or is he having meltdowns over school work? Has he said that schoolwork is hard?

The reason I ask those questions is - I have 2e kids with LDs. Nothing you've said *on it's own without other reasons for concern* really indicates anything is up - other than the possibility that you've landed in a school that is too all-about-achievement and test scores, which (jmo) isn't usually a good match for most early elementary students. However, if you've seen any other signs such as behavior issues, complaints of work being too difficult (when you'd expect it would be easy work based on your ds' ability), or if a teacher has expressed concerns, then I'd take another look at the test results. Teasing out LDs at this age is tough - most students aren't diagnosed until they are at least in 2nd-3rd grade, and with gifted children who can compensate well sometimes it's much later before anyone recognizes an LD.

polarbear

Your son's school sounds pretty intense. Public or private? Perhaps a competitive district? What are the expectations he is not meeting? What is he able and unable to do? In K, most kids can't really read or write much yet, or do math beyond facts 1 to 10 and counting to 100.

Just wanted to add - ita with all of what um said. I was also wondering what the expectations were going *into* kindergarten. Our neighborhood schools really don't have expectations, even our gifted magnet had kindergarten students who weren't reading all that much by the end of K.

polarbear