Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy talent search - what priority?

DD is ill and is scheduled to take EXPLORE tomorrow morning. Without EXPLORE, there is no Duke TIP summer programming for her. I was also hoping to use the results for acceleration advocacy.

What is the most ill your DC have been and you've gone ahead with a GT event? Am I one of "those" moms for even asking the question?!!?

She is scheduled for the all-Austin spelling bee on Tuesday as well. Yikes!

For reference: at her insistence, we attended the Harry Potter midnight premiere last summer when she was running a low grade fever and had vomited earlier in the evening. We chose seats far away from other patrons and kept to ourselves, but she got to say she attended the first show dressed as Hermione.

I might let my DS attend such an event if he had a slight cold and if he wanted to do so, but absolutely not with anything worse. If he has a fever, he isn't going anywhere, full stop, end of story. I don't think it's good for him, and I don't think its good for the other people, some of them more vulnerable, who are exposed to infection this way (you can cut the risk by trying to stay apart, but not usually to the same level the risk would be if you simply stayed away). More importantly, I would hate him to grow up into the kind of adult who thinks there's something noble in struggling on when you're ill, since I think there's far too much of that about and we'd all be better off if more people stayed at home and looked after themselves when they were ill!

In this particular case, if she's ill she's not likely to do herself justice anyway.

So yeah, sorry, I don't think you should have her do these things if she's ill. Of course, young children do sometimes recover amazingly fast, so if she wakes up raring to go tomorrow morning, that might be another matter!

You might consider having her take the SCAT or another test for another talent search like CTY with John hopkins.

Anybody- Would this SCAT give her some advocacy power at school?

(i'm new at this. Maybe someone else can advise.)

I doubt that the SCAT test would be useful for advocating. Even in CTY's territory schools are not that familiar with the test. It's also an extremely short test, very limited in its content and format. No doubt that is why Davidson doesn't accept it.

i think a lot depends on how the child is feeling after tylenol. Also call duke or explore and see if their are alternative dates. A whole summer of fun is a lot to give up. Also depends on if its a cold or a GI upset. Unfortunately quarrentine just isnt effective against the common cold. best wishes grinity

Thanks to everyone for your advice and for helping me to think it out. I greatly appreciate it.

The current situation is hopeful. Temperature is high normal (99.2) and she has held down a small meal for several hours. She slept most of the evening. She wants to test. (I'm glad she didn't get spooked, even if we decide not to go!) I'm hoping she can give it her best shot and then crash for the afternoon.

EXPLORE isn't given again until January 2011. Thinking positive for tomorrow morning.

Fingers crossed that your DD was feeling better this morning.

Thanks everyone!

DD tested and said it was "fun." Now the long wait for the results....

what a relief it's over. Best of luck with your results.

Good luck! I hope that she was feeling well enough. Dd#2 took the Explore on Sat as well. She, too, came out much calmer than I had expected. She was pretty stressed going in, but she said that it wasn't too hard afterward. Dd#1, on the other hand, came out crying and told me that she knew "nothing" on the test when she took it for the first time. I have no idea how to interpret dd#2's assessment of how difficult it was, though, b/c she is notoriously inaccurate about how well she's done on something.