Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment To DYS or Not to DYS

Yep- I'd agree that while DYS says my son is PG, I consider him to be HG+. Maybe it's just my own denial :-) But I see traits in other kids that are more like a Ruf's Level 5 that just aren't in him at all!

Apply if you feel like you would like the benifit - they may say yes and they may say no, but I sort of doubt that they will say no based on the prodigious talent question. Afterall, you child is 7. I guess the point of DYS is that they will help guide you to'develop your child's talent' so it would be pointless to only accept the kids who are already shining in societally recognized ways and well on their way. Talent Development is a slow process! I agree with Kriston on this one - generalist are needed too. Personality matters so much! I really would be suprised if there is an expectation that 7 year olds whould have 'clicked' already. Apply!

As for the PG label. I would never call my son PG outside of a setting that 'knows' Davidson YSP. Inside YSP I say: 'Mildly PG' instead of 'Wildly PG' Outside, I say 'unusually gifted' or 'more than ordinarily gifted' because people who are expecting the behavior of a 'top 5%' kind of gifted will be very confused! I've heard Bob Davidson say that 'Profoundly Gifted is beyond what the IQ tests can measure' and in light, yes, that's my baby.

If you think about the shape of the bell curve, then it's true that wherever you draw the line to separate gifted from bright, or PG from HG, you will end up with many, many more folks bunched up near the line than to the Right of the line. ((wish I could draw this)) So, but this reasoning, about 2/3 of the parents of kids who make the cut off probably feel (like I do) that they child is 'only' mildly PG, yes?

So - apply - see what happens - and if your son is accepted, you will be in very good company.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

In my family, we have 3 examples of PG children. DC18 is laid back and more of a generalist who decided to memorize every statistic relevant to Major League Baseball as a child (probably Ruf's Level 4 and definitely not "prodigious" in the sense of being Mozart-like or coming up with new math theories by age 6), but he is definitely at least HG+ and fits a lot of the behaviors of PG children/teens.

My father is an intense, one area sort of PG (Level 4 from what we have pieced together). He did fly through the math curriculum quite rapidly from an early age, although not "prodigious," as the term connotes in my mind.

I have always fit the very intense, very driven, very more-of-everything PG category as the nine-year-old doing college level work for every subject when given the chance and spending my summers doing medical research and tagging along for physics experiments (Level 5). I am not sure if I would call that prodigious, per se, but I definitely had more intensity and drive to pursue any topic in depth than my dad or DC18.

I think that some of the differences are the result of personality differences or area of specialization. All of us had high enough scores to be considered PG, but, I think, PGness expressed itself differently according to our unique traits.

I love the "mildly PG" and "wildly PG!" That is a great description and might be a better way of explaining it than my above post...

We did DYS while dd's scores were current, even though we didn't feel like we needed it immediately. Everything in DYS is optional. I'm really glad we have it in our "back pocket" for later it we need it.

If she is PG++, it will present itself in time, especially if her teachers have the resources to educate her. (DD is 7)

Best,
Chrys

I really like this way of looking at it. My dd is, again, by some definitions PG, but she is MOST certainly not a Ruf Level 5. There, that drive and personality mentioned above by LilMick, is a requisite.

Wow, I am overwhelmed with all of your responses and so appreciative of your thoughtful insights. I feel much more comfortable with the the whole prospect now.

I am not certain we will avail ourselves of all that DYS has to offer. However, I certainly have felt "alone" (especially at the beginning of this journey), so I love the idea that we would be among others who have shared similar experiences. Guess we will forge ahead and see what happens!

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!

Sometimes I feel as if DYS is more for me than for my kids at this point. I have made friends in the group and lean on them heavily for support, advice, and general friendship. Sometimes I feel a little selfish about it, to be honest...

But I remind myself that a happy mommy usually leads to happy kids, and that the help and advice I get trickles down to what I do with the children. They get the benefits, though usually filtered through me.

As our YS and potential future YS get older, I'm hopeful that they'll be able to take greater advantage of what the program offers through the more direct means.