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This is where I go back to what I am going to start spouting as the 'bible' since everyone refers to it ... yep Ruf. pg 163 children designated as level 4 b/c they didn't manfest abilities across all of the domains. I understand what you are saying Kriston about PG in one area but that still totals to level 4 overall according to my understanding of Ruf's definition.

As I write this I realize I am starting to beat the dead horse into the ground and its hoofs are sticking out, but I am trying to fully grasp the levels and this child was an example for me to try to do just that. And again we are getting the cliff notes on her... as far as we know she might be rote counting and counting, knows her shapes, colors etc., but since her reading is so off the charts that is what the media is focusing on. But for the sake of this argument let's say she is only into reading and has not mastered the other domains ... if that is the case than she would be PG+ in that area but a level 4 overall.

Oh sure two posts while I was writing... that will show me. Mental note type faster or think in shorter more concise thoughts!

Katelyn'sMom, I love Ruf and her book has really helped me stay grounded through all this. Her outlines and observations are incredibly helpful.

But, there are some really important things to keep in mind. First, her observations were retrospective. She did not look at all kids that were reading at 2 and then follow them forward to see where they ended up. She took kids that were clearly gifted at school age and looked backward. Therefore to apply her data forward is probably not completely fair.

Second, there is a qualitative approach to her work that I found really useful, but at the same time, inherently not quantifiable. I think that the kids she worked with had certain qualities that were hard to define (by scores or developmental ability) that were responsible for much of their placement. If you are a numbers person and want one to one corelation between test score or developmental milestones and Ruf level, you are going to get frustrated. As a counselor, I have great respect for the "gut feeling" of another professional, but I understand it is not always going to be possible to quantify that.

So unless you work with her or one of her students, I would take any placement you get from Ruf's book as just that "rough."

I agree with acs 100%, and I put Ruf up there as one of the two most important books for my development as a parent of a GT child (or two) that I read.

I think her book is good for giving us an *idea* of what ND is and what PG is and what the levels in between are, but strict lines between the levels are hard/impossible to draw--especially when kids can even float between them!--and aren't very useful for anyone. Does it really matter if my son is PG or EG or even HG, if the local schools won't give him what he needs?

I'd say no!

I'm with Dottie that HG+ is the way to go, and I'm with the Davidson Institute in defining HG+/PG as those kids who are beyond the capability of our tools to measure. (To paraphrase badly...)

To use the often mentioned (and often criticized) example of Mozart, would we say he wasn't PG because he was "only" GT in music? Even though he was composing at age 3 or whatever? That seems like a silly restriction to me...

Our local PG group has been in touch with Elizabeth's mom, Katy. The individual who has communicated with Katy has experience with her daughter being in the national spotlight and is aware of the positives and negatives of the situation. Therefore I believe that Katy and Michael have access to good counsel on the matter. Though I have not spoken to them personally about the matter, it may have been that the Today show simply asked to do a follow-up piece. It was under the title, "Where are they now."

Let's be supportive of Katy and Michael. They are just beginning this crazy journey and as we all know there is so much to learn along the way.