Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Ruh-roh... WISC-IV results are in...

He mentioned to his Mom that he got to leave class for a couple of hours. He viewed it entirely as playing games and doing some mind tricks -- he didn't think of it as a test at all, so is none the wiser -- for now.

In terms of differing abilities, in our discussions I've often used the "all brains are different" approach as well, and he's fine with that. He's also met people (& is related to some) that are top-notch sports people or music people. Additionally, we have a SDD relative and an employee w/DS, so he is close to people of all different skills & abilities.

We've had a few issues with him bragging about his brain, but given the number of times he hears people say, "Oooh, you're soo smart," I can understand him feeding off of that once in awhile. But, in general, such bragging is verboten, and he knows it. (He's always free to brag around us, though!)

The challenge is when adults (who should know better) ask him, "You're really smart, aren't you?" Sometimes it rhetorical, but other times they stand there, waiting for an answer. There's just no easy way out of this one. We've tried showing a little modesty with "I do okay, but you should see my sister!" or a similar deflection.

Or you could simply ask him to say: "Thank you" with a smile and move on. Just because someone expects an answer to that question doesn't mean they need one. I think people think it's so cute to hear a small child say yes, to that question. It's not so cute when the child is older.

Anyone taking odds on whether the folks at the school will say: "We've had lots of kids with those kind of scores"

And thus begins my second guessing...

I've lived with this kid for his whole life and in looking at the various "levels" charts that are out there, I've never considered his behaviors to be at the upper-end... or any where near the "scary" gifted, which is what my sibling is. I've lived that life with him for years and just don't see it here.

Needless to say, I'll be following up with the tester in the morning!

Thanks so much for all the support.

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As for the school -- I'm hearing whispers suggesting the opposite: "We've not had a kid like him before and don't think there's anything we can do within the school."

Wow! Those are breath taking scores. Like others I've never seen top scores on all 3 indexes. He is extremely smart and without any doubt PG.

Take a deep breath and start filling out the DYS application.

Sounds like this won't be an issue with the school but if anyone does try to claim there are many kids with similar scores, I'd explain the difference between modern IQ tests and the older versions. Here's something from an old thread
http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....G_Older_and_Modern_Scores.html#Post48921

I saw this on a presentation and thought it was useful in understanding the differences between my IQ scores and DD's.

Level of Giftedness
Older Ratio IQ Scores/SB LM
130 to 144 MG
145 to 159 HG
160 to 179 EG
180 and above PG

Modern Standard Scores/eg:WISC IV and SBV
130 to 137 Gifted
138 to 144 HG
145 to 151 EG
152 and above PG

Presenter: David Palmer, Ph.D., is an educational psychologist specializing in GATE testing, IQ testing for educational planning, and learning disability assessment and consultation. He also directs the Palmer Learning Center in Orange County, California.

To access go to http://learn.uci.edu and create a new login. Then paste http://learn.uci.edu/cms/course/view.php?id=2829

I think that may be more likely. Statistically they probably have never seen it. If you didn't have scores and they just met your child, I am sure they may say something suggesting that they have seen lots of kids like that go through their school and they did just fine. That's why we had DS5 tested before school because I didn't want to get that and when they saw the scores they didn't say they had seen lots of kids. They said some okay things at the meeting, but one thing they said was a story about one kid who skipped 2nd grade and that he still has friends in highschool and is doing well even though he is a little smaller than his peers. They were attempting to hint that one gradeskip is okay, but more than that is not good socially. That was their ridiculous point. I thought that was quite and ignorant story to say, but I am sure it was well intended. They just haven't seen it and don't know.

your sibling? Ahhhhhh I've often read that gifted parents don't see it in their children b/c their children seem more normal/average to them.
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There is a homeschool boy which I've been told is so far out there to be unmeasureable. I've seen this kid in a book discussion group and I know he'd be just fine in a college level discussion and he's 9yrs old lol. He takes all his courses through CTY online (math, science, language arts). That may be an option for your son if he likes that sort of thing and still do art, music, pe with his classmates at school.

While it's easy to rail on schools & teachers (although some are truly deserving), I've always believed that given the political & financial constraints and often dismal (if any) parental support, there are some that do a darn good job.

Being in a smaller school/district has advantages for us in that we don't have a lot of the political & bureaucratic redtape that many do.

One of the main reasons for going through the assessment is that any conversation now will have a relatively objective set of facts on the table. Both the school & private psychologist have agreed to work together on planning, and this united front will (hopefully) help to offset the "pushy-parent-knows-nothing" mindset of some admin & teachers.

I truly understand that by asking to work within the system, I am expecting an awful lot of everybody involved. But as discussed in the "Frustrated Parent" thread, our only options at this time must include the public school.

I'll be heading to the bookstore this weekend. In all my reading, I've consciously avoided any of the HG/PG-related content (thinking it would never apply), so have very little like that in my library. Guess I'll be clearing off some shelf space.

I've always compared him to the "norm" of the wife & me. Figured he was right in there somewhere -- MG-ish. So in that context, yes, he was definitely "normal" to us.

And I've read through the various LOG charts (again last night, imagine that) and feel as though I'm stretching to ascribe some of those characteristics to our son. But as someone mentioned about her own child, our DS hasn't been exposed to an awful lot of stuff, and has been constrained by the grade-level-lockstep.

The only true exception to the "lockstep" is reading, where he's progressing rapidly. I've seen glimmers of this same degree of advancement in math & science, too, but he's never been "unleashed." Wonder what he'll be doing when he is?

Pass the scotch again, please. Actually -- no. Payroll day, so gotta get to work. The natives are already getting restless.