Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school How do I get help?

My son is 4.5 years old - when he was assessed at 3.5, he was at a second grade level academically. Unfortunately, since then my husband was laid off and we are really hard hit by the economy. To top it off, when I took him to register for Kindergarten, he thought it hilarious to mess with the tester (convinced her he couldn't count!) -- now the school won't give him any services until I show updated test results. Any ideas on how to get him help?? Thanks!

Sorry to hear you are going through a tough time. I would try asking in the Elementary section or the parenting & advocacy section. Maybe someone else has some experience with that.

Does he start in the fall? You may just have to go a couple of months without anything until the teacher gets to know him. That is my only idea for you.

GL!

Did you ask the assessor for advice? Perhaps they can call the school and 'work something out?'

Otherwise it's 'sneak a video camera' on the poor kid, so you have physical evidence of what he is up to.

If you haven't been documenting his landmarks, start now. Look up Ruf's Levels for some interesting comparisons.

Maybe you could approach the school and ask for more help. If you can ask if the school could possibly do assessments using their own tests, they might be more likely to believe you and help, since they're familiar with those tests. Try to approach the school like you really aren't sure what to do - it seems to work best when you're seeking their help (so as not to put the school on the defensive or so you don't risk sounding like some of the parents they might be used to who tell them how smart their kid is).

I agree with pauligirl your school should have more information available.
What type of test did they administer an IQ or academic achievement? Specific IQ test are only allowed to be taken every 2 years.
But since you mentioned counting I am assuming it was an achievement test, if that is the case I would have the school test him again a few months into school. He might be more comfortable with school by then and the teacher may have more input in the decision as well.
Gifted does not always mean "good test taker" trust me on that one!