Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy good article for sharing with family members, mayb

Just a Word on Leveling
Before I began my career in working with and for gifted children, my area of specialty was mental retardation. I taught children who were called, at the time, �educable mentally retarded.� These kids had some skills in language, reading, and comprehending social interactions. They learned slowly, yet they were often able to function in society with varying levels of assistance. In the classroom next to mine was a group of children who were called �trainable mentally retarded.� Seldom could these children be left unattended, as their levels of skill and logic were very low. Often, their education consisted of learning to dress or feed themselves, and language, if present at all, consisted of words, not sentences. Obviously, children in these two classrooms had very different learning needs, and our curriculum adjusted for these individual idiosyncrasies.

When I entered the field of gifted child education, I assumed the same distinction would apply. However, I would come to know children who were �gifted� and others who were, well . . . �super gifted.� I soon learned that few school districts take the time to differentiate between levels of giftedness the same way they do for children with disabilities. Instead, all the gifted kids were clustered under one label, often receiving the same services in the same classroom. Yet, even if IQ alone were used to identify these children, the range of scores might be from 130�180+, which is a far greater range of IQ then I ever dealt with in my class for children who were mentally retarded.
Although it is hard to generalize about the needs of children I have not met, my experiences with gifted children lead me to state the following:

Children with IQs in the 130�140 range can often be accommodated in regular classrooms where teachers adjust the curriculum to meet their advanced abilities. Social and emotional difficulties are uncommon, as there is a large enough pool of children with similar abilities that legitimate friendships can be formed.
Children with IQ�s in the 140�160 range can seldom be accommodated sufficiently in an educational environment that merely �stretches� or enriches the curriculum. Intensive modification of curriculum, including grade skipping, needs to be considered as viable. Too, agemates may offer little social sustenance, as these children will prefer�and need�the company of older, intelligent children and/or adults.
Children with IQs above 160 have academic and intellectual needs that are so unique that typical school resources will be unable to provide fully for their education. For these rare children, a team of professionals (including a teacher, gifted expert, parents, and a psychologist) will need to be convened, much as a similar team would be gathered for a child with severe learning difficulties. Intellectually, socially, and emotionally, these profoundly gifted children are more at risk than others if their level of giftedness is not addressed directly.
In recent years, more information and resources have become available for highly gifted children and their parents. Just know this: Because giftedness varies in both depth and range, your advocacy efforts on behalf of your child will need to take into account both of these realities. If �one-size-fits-all� isn�t true in shoes, shirts, or pantyhose, then it is equally unrealistic to believe that a single gifted program can serve the needs of its many unique members.

Yet, even if IQ alone were used to identify these children, the range of scores might be from 130�180+, which is a far greater range of IQ then I ever dealt with in my class for children who were mentally retarded.