Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment what is DYS- how is it helpful-means why bother

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will be helpful for newbies

DYS has helped to speak with our school about my children's needs that I felt were not being meet. They helped with resources, and guidance in making educational decisions. I was able to contact another parent from a potential school and hear about their experience.

Yannam- Do you have any gifted educational, social or emotional needs that you would like support with?

Hope this helps.

my DD needs educational support

I have enjoyed the educational support and resources provided through our family consultant, and getting together with some other kids who have some things in common with my DS5. Kids his age are not able to play the games he does and do the things that he can, so it is nice for him to see that there are other kids out there. I also enjoy meeting with and being able to talk with other parents. I enjoy seeing what has worked for them and share our joys and struggles. We are relatively new as it has been less than year since we have been in DYS...but so far we can definitely see the benefits.

I have two kids who meet the testing minimums for DYS and I just want to chime in and say that I have similar questions, but have been hesitant to ask for fear of sounding negative.

I'm pretty good at researching stuff, what specifically does DYS do that I can't do for myself? Wouldn't many schools tend to view their involvement as butting in? I would imagine most schools have not heard of DYS. Is DYS more geared towards parents who have not had good educational opportunities themselves (and might have more difficulty evaluating choices), or perhaps need financial aid for testing or enrichment?

And, most importantly, does anyone have any privacy concerns? I admit, I have an active imagination and tendency towards paranoia, but do I want my kids in some database for brilliant children? Anybody read a thriller novel called Gray Matter (joke, sort of)?

I apologize for sounding negative about an organization that is obviously viewed very favorably by most here, but other than putting me in touch with other people what exactly do they offer that I can't do myself? Please realize that I understand they could be very valuable for someone who does not have the time or inclination to research things. I am asking if they offer annything to a family with a parent who is a pretty meticulous researcher already. Are they good at influencing schools? For instance, if we had an abrupt mid-year move is it possible they would be helpful in convincing a new school district to place my kids in a sought after gifted program immediately?

I would like to mention that I think this discussion forum is a terrific resource and I am thankful to DYS for their sponsorship of it.

ETA:

P.S. I originally wrote this before the two replies above were posted. This information is very helpful.

i doubt they provide financial support! but I am not sure

We haven't spoken with our FC beyond the initial howdy-do, but it is reassuring to know that such a person/organization exists when the need arises.

I do look forward to networking with the other families, and believe that DYS makes this easier.

Lastly, the "seminars" that DYS arranges for students & parents are an excellent benefit. Earlier this year, I participated in a seminar about developing math talent that was absolutely superb.

I have to go out the door, but I wanted to quickly address the privacy concerns.

IMHO, they are RABID about protecting the privacy of the kids. Keep in mind that the Davidsons had their own PG kids, so this is not some abstract situation for them! As a result, the organization not only protects the names of the DYSs, but there are strict rules about DYS families not revealing the names of other DYSs. I can tell you that my son is a YS, but I can't tell you if someone else's child is. We could (and I suspect would!) be booted out of the program for breaking that rule!

Honestly, I wouldn't worry AT ALL about privacy, and I generally worry a lot about it!

I have done a lot of research on my own so information provided by our consultant was not really new to me, but for some schools resources coming from a family consultant who has worked with kids of similar ability may mean more than coming from a parent. Our family consultant offerred to give resources to our school and to talk with them, and the school is not really interested. But then there have been times when the school has asked questions about what other kids like him do for math, or what other kids have done before regarding acceleration and schooling. So that has been nice being able to actually correspond with other families and find out what they have done and what has worked (or hasn't worked) for them. And I have yet to do the seminars yet...but have heard lots of positive things.

About the privacy issue, some choose not to be listed on the database. I am not concerned about the privacy issue as I feel pretty secure in how it is set up.

I do enjoy the benefits of DYS, but for those of you who choose not to apply or if your DC is close to meeting the criteria but not close enough to get in...it isn't the end of the world. There is lots of support on this forum and plenty of other resources out there available.

gratified said a lot of what I would say...but I will add. One thing I would keep in mind for PG kids is that the situation can change radically from one year to the next. When our child was early elementary age and joined the program, I didn't think we would need to use the services. I wasn't even really sure why we were joining. As he's gotten older I have been appreciative that when we needed to access support it was already in place. The biggest benefit for our family has been access to other parents and kids through online forums and gatherings. Having that support has been helpful for us.