Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources 5 Levels of Gifted by Ruf

I've just found this on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Levels-Gifted...d=I2IAMRH5V9VZE1&colid=2VFRWK3NAVO5Y

The description says "Formerly titled Losing Our Minds...."
I wonder if it is un updated version.

yes it is, at least this is what I remember from the last newsletter I received.

Isa,
Do you know if Ruf added updated data (new children, IQ and Achievement scores etc...) to this version? If I remember correctly, her last book( Losong Our Minds) had WISC III data, but not WISC IV.

It has the same number of pages as the previous version and I haven't seen anything that indicates that it is anything more than a title change.
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From Great Potential Press:
Coming Sept. 15th! Formerly titled Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind, this award-winning book describes differences within the gifted population. A large sample of children are classified into five levels of giftedness based on behaviors and developmental milestones, as well as test data. This gives parents and educators a reference guide to compare with their own gifted children or students. After a child�s intellectual level is estimated, the book provides different educational approaches and practical advice, including how to find the best type of school for each level.
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I've seen the "older" version on sale so now may be the right time to grab it if you don't already own it. It is a wonderful book!!

From the 'News from Educational Options':
When naming Dr. Ruf's book back in 2005, the title Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind seemed very topical. And yet it was not very descriptive of its contents, which describe the behaviors and abilities of gifted children in the spectrum between bright to profoundly gifted and the educational needs for each level. Therefore the publisher and author decided to reissue this book with a new name and a new cover. The new title is 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options.
The newly reformatted books will be available around the middle of September, and we will have new links to 5 Levels of Gifted in the September issue of this newsletter.

I really wish they would address the WISCIV and SBV data. The psych did in his webinar but it would be nice to see it written out in a book.

Hi! This is my first post, so I am not caught up on all that is going on for this forum, but I saw the questions about my re-titled book and have the answers.

The content has not been changed (yet). The test scores given are not updated, but I still give tests all the time and study the issues related to the results. I have retested many of the kids in the book at no further charge to their families so that I can see how they do on newer tests. As with all retesting, scores are rarely exactly the same, but with few exceptions, you can safely compare the old WISC-III to the newer WISC-IV and the SB5. The old SBIV wasn't used very much but is on the same scale, as well. So, you can still trust the published scores of the kids in the book compared to kids now who are tested on the WISC-IV and SB5. Professional interpretation is still very important, though.

CogATs and OLSATs are still on the same scales now as before, too, and you can use them. Remember that the Slossen and SBLM are both on a different scale and scores are relatively to considerably inflated compared to the other standardized tests. The scales also go higher for the Woodcock-Johnson, so higher scores don't mean quite the same when you compare.

Hope this helps. Glad so many of you liked the book already. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Deborah Ruf

Dr. Ruf,

Thank you for stopping by! And thank you for the information on your newly titled book.

I know that many here have had questions when it comes to relating their newer scores to the existing literature. For example, if an article is saying that a kid with an IQ over 180 is likely to encounter certain types of difficulties in school, how does that relate to a score of 140-150 on the SBV? Since the newer tests don't have those "out there" scores, it is hard to really understand where your particular child fits in with the literature based on the SB-LM.

(I also sent you a PM; it is the flashing envelope icon.)

Thanks again for your information, and welcome!

Thanks for posting, and thanks for writing the book. It's what got me over my "gifted denial" and made me realize why my usually happy boy was so miserable in an undifferentiated classroom with no accomodations. The case studies were very helpful to me.

Many blessings upon you for all that you do for gifted kids!

Dr Ruf,

Thanks for dropping by and for the book!! It has helped us a lot in anticipating what to expect next.