I have to ask if anyone else is anxious about the future of their child, and education, etc. I would imagine that most parents are in general...but personally I go through spurts, it comes and goes. My DS is only 4, turned 4 a few months ago. At times I don't even worry about things and tell myself that school will be fine and no need to worry...but then he does things that are just Sooooo far out of the realm of what other children his age do that I will suddenly become concerned about his future and what is going to happen when he starts K.

It doesn't help that I work with children this age all day, so I see where they are at. It doesn't help that I have never met a child that is anywhere near whatever LOG he is (or even gifted in general). It doesn't help that I am not gifted. But if he is reading anything and everything, doing all sorts of math equations for fun, learning parts of speech on his own, building "contraptions" for fun, and playing music on his piano that he taught himself to play, etc, etc, etc...and Kindergarten is still a year away? What new skills will he learn in the next year...and what on earth will they do with him in K? In a class with 25+ students and most likely one teacher, how much "differentiated instruction" can possibly be provided? We live in one of the worst possible states to live in for gifted education, and don't have money for private or montessori schools, and our home district is an average district with no gifted programming. And homeschooling isn't an option because I truly have to work to put food on the table. So what are the options here? I don't mean to sound like I am whining...but thought I would share and get some feedback to see if anyone else can relate to concerns about their child's education.

yes. yes and yes.

but I do what I can do.

I am in a similar boat with working to put food on the table and the roof over the heads.

We are looking at a private school, hoping they will give him financial aid.

If not I will have to figure out how to home school............. I am an artist so I work from home, but that means I am always at work. Making money as a fine artist is a hustle. I am constantly dancing trying to make a buck, no steady income.

My DH is a photographer, so he, like me works from home.

It's rough. Our guy is 7 and we have watched his education decline since school started. we tried skipping, we've tried pull outs.... honestly, i am at my wits end. (ok, yes it was a short drive, but still)

But as my father used to say, "Don't let the B!@#$ards get ya!"

Could you look in to financial aid for private school? How about grade skipping? And there are quite a few people that can't homeschool, but they "afterschool". Meaning they do extra, on-level work with their kids afterschool.

I think we all are anxious. I try to supplement school instruction by getting every educational computer game out there.

I also hire a Gifted Advocate to help me with the school and make sure my kids are getting their legal rights. I sympathize with the teachers and try to support them, but in the end, it's the school that needs to make sure the teachers have the extra help to give children what the law requires. Not every state has gifted laws though.:/

I have lived with that anxiety since my child was 5 and in kindergarten. Up until then, I thought he would do very well in school. I never imagined that my son's curiosity or his ability to read and comprehend his science encyclopedia might be looked at as a problem. When my sister-in-law told me he needed to stifle his curiosity before he started Kindergarten, I just laughed because I was sure that curiosity and the desire to learn could only be a good thing. How could they possibly be looked at as a problem?

But it was. My sister-in-law was right. When my son started Kindergarten I found out that most teachers in our school don't invite discussion about whatever they are learning and this is how my son had always learned best, just the two of us, since he didn't go to preschool. He was reading at about a 5th grade level by the time he started Kindergarten and he could do basic math easily, and he was so excited about finally getting to go to a real school.

But when he started school he found that kids are supposed to sit quietly, perfectly still with hands in their laps, and listen to the dull boring lessons that the teacher reads and then do lots of worksheets and take even more dull boring worksheets home to work on so that any opportunity for learning what they want is taken away from them. And even worse than that, they had to color, lots and lots of coloring, and it better be in the lines.

I know some people afterschool and this works well for them. One of my teacher friends has done this with her kids and she let me in on a little secret. When her gifted kids came home with lots of ridiculous busywork for homework like word searches, she helped them with it to get it out of the way, so they could actually learn at home. I wonder how many other parents are doing this.

Our school is a small town public school where sports ability is really more important than learning anyway. I know that most schools are not this bad for gifted kids and I think in most cases afterschooling can work for gifted kids. My teacher friend's gifted kids seem to be doing just fine.

Although my dd does not sound quite as advanced as your ds she was reading very well before kindy and consumed books to advance her knowledge of animal facts particularly reptiles and dinasours. My advice to you would be to see if there is a kindy teacher at the school with LOTS of experience and perspective. If yes try to get DS in his/her class then work with that teacher so you have an ally and advocate inside the school system. When things began to break down for us if 1st grade it was extremely helpful to have the wonderful kindy teachers opinion to point to in the meetings. "Look we're not crazy even your 20 year veteran teacher has never seen a kid like this!" :-) If that does not look good my next suggestion would be to see if grade skipping is accepted at your school if you think DS could handle himself among the older kids. Good luck. Oh and I have to agree we have bought lots of computer games. Try Chess - we love Fritz and Chester.

take care

So how are things working out for your DS now? I do think that K will be very disappointing to my DS. When he was 3 he started a pre-k program a few hours a week. He was so excited about going that I asked what he was so excited about, his response was "I am excited that I can get a history book at school and learn about history" Yeah, there were obviously no history books in that class.

Anyhow, I must ask how people do afterschooling. This may seem strange, but I have never taught my child anything...other than through play and daily interactions. What I mean is while he does know tons of things, I have never sat down to teach him anything. I think he may enjoy it...but I am not sure where to start and frankly there is a part of me that is afraid to teach him anything because that will just make the gap that much bigger when he gets to K. Is that horrible of me? It's not like I am trying to dumb him down...but not encouraging academic learning unless he asks me about it. Like he was asking about parts of speech the other day, so I talked to him a little about it, and we have looked up things together (like last year when he was repeatedly asking about how doorbells actually work). Anyhow, do people that afterschool do a curriculum, or how do they do this?

thanks. we should try chess. He is totally into wheel of fortune right now. He likes to watch it on TV and then go play it on his computer.

If he loves math try the Singapore Math books. They come with a Textbook, Workbook and Practice Books. You can download a pre test for free to see where DS is before you buy and then just take him through the curriculum at home on your own.

http://www.singaporemath.com

Do you have any nice museums in the area? We have found the children's programs to be amazing. Also if he loves reading you could see if there is any local theatre then get the book, see the play(or movie or dvd) and discuss the difference. How about the zoo? You could get books on animals out of the library and then go to the zoo and try to identify groups etc...

Thanks for the response. I have talked with his school a couple times. they haven't told me what they could do with a child like this other than the infamous words "differentiated instruction" They also told me that they have had "several" children reading before the age of 2 in their program and they are doing just fine. I find that very hard to believe, but I am hopeful that is true. When I called I spoke with the school psychologist a couple times. They do screenings in the spring for K, and we are also planning to do some private testing with him in the spring so that will hopefully be helpful. I would love to meet potential K teachers so I could figure out who would be the best. I am hoping that I have that opportunity. I just don't want him to have a bad first experience.

I did look into other programs, but there isn't really anything except a few private schools around. Montessori is full and the program that goes past K is pretty far away to commute, but is an option if we start making more money. All private schools I have encountered do scholarships based on financial aid, not on any academic skills. So aid is a maximum of 25% of tuition...which still makes tuition over $7,000 a year...if we even qualified. sigh. it will all work out though. I am a pretty positive upbeat person thankfully...just venting a bit. It's been a rough week as DH was recently laid off. Adds to the stress of it all.

Thanks, we may try that. Oddly enough some people have bought him workbooks for presents and he barely touches them. I will ask him if he wants to do them sometimes and he says "no thanks" But I am sure he would get into it. If he sees me looking at it or opening it then he wants to do it. We do go to a couple museums fairly often. they don't have tons of programs. He also can't sit through a movie for the life of him. He watches a few tv shows that he likes...but he can sit through about 45 minutes of a movie and then he is done and not interested in watching the rest. Although I wonder if we haven't tried the right movies. Disney seems uninteresting to him so far. No zoos around, but we have been before. I don't even think like that though. We just went and looked at animals. Not sure if I know the different groups, LOL

Nope, it's very normal, in fact.

But a GT child IS going to have a gap there. It's practically a guarantee. And even if you completely ignored the child's need to learn, that gap would still be there--you'd just be more likely to have a child with a gap AND who doesn't know how to work for anything that doesn't come immediately. That isn't an improvement.

Realize that there is a difference between afterschooling--which should be fun for the child--and hothousing. It sounds to me that you're thinking of afterschooling more as hothousing, where it's parent-driven and "pushy." That's not what this is.

I think afterschooling is best used for kids who a) crave more challenging work, or b) are underachieving (usually due to a long-term lack of challenge in school) and need to be reminded what it's like to think.

In the latter case, the child might even say s/he doesn't want to be challenged, but the parent sees clearly the need. In that latter case, it's a dose of medicine to combat an unhealthy situation. Just as the child might not like the medicine but the parent gives it for the child's sake, so with afterschooling. Usually the child comes to enjoy it pretty quickly, too. Human beings in general like to accomplish things that are not easy. It boosts self-esteem in a very positive, healthy way. So even kids who start out resisting afterschooling tend to enjoy it after a time.

In your particular case, shellymos, I don't think afterschooling is necessary. Not yet. He's not in K yet, so what you're doing--following his lead, answering his questions, not formally teaching anything--is a great strategy! Not until he's in school would I suggest afterschooling to you. And then only if it seems like it would help combat some problems with boredom or poor work habits/ethic.

So my advice (not that you asked me... ) is to keep doing just what you're doing and don't bother with afterschooling until you see a need.

So my advice (not that you asked me... ) is to keep doing just what you're doing and don't bother with afterschooling until you see a need.[/quote]


I totally agree! I was just trying to put some suggestions out there. Most of what we do is in child led. My kids have shown an interest in something and we try to encourage and help them grow and see the possibilities. I started the Math stuff because my dd was interested in doing more and LOVES the workbooks. We have also done some "formal" science stuff which the kids think is a blast! We do it for playdates...erupt volcanoes, change the color of liquids by adding bases and acids. The kids don't always get it but they have tons of fun. Again I think Kriston's advice is perfect feed his curiosity by answering questions and having fun. He is still your baby and you can just enjoy him pure and simple!

If you can get hold of any of the David Attenborough BBC Life series DVDs, you might like to see whether your DS likes them. I bought them for myself but my DS then 4 was instantly hooked, although he doesn't have much interest in Disney etc. either. We all enjoy them, and there is a lot of biology in them, very clearly explained, with fantastic film footage. Makes for some peculiar imaginary play though (e.g. "Let's emit a pheromone that will be irresistible to beetles", or "You can be a marsh pitcher, and I'll be a Venus fly trap"!)

So true: some kids really do crave those workbooks! I know 'Neato's girls adore them, too.

Following your kid's lead is almost never a bad choice.

Yes yes yes!!! We LOVE David Attenborough and the PBS Nature series. It has provoked many interesting discussions and imaginary play scenarios in our house. My kids were also mesmerized starting at a young age....3 to 4. We don't let them watch "regular commercial" television with the exception of Grossology which is really cute btw.

We do let them watch HBO children's programming too. Crashbox, ISpy, ok and - George & Martha and Fairy Tales. Hey a kids gotta have some fun right?

Hi shellymos - I think our son's are similar ages (mine turns 5 in january and will start kindy next year too). I am going through another worrying phase, but i'm trying to stay optimistic. Our school district does have a gifted coordinator, and we are making plans to meet with her now, to give the heads up and to get help with teacher selection. Does your state have a gifted section in the dept of education? If yes, you can call there and they usually give you good advice about who to talk to at a school and when. Also, they might have the Iowa Acceleration Scale for you to borrow and use with the school for help in placement. Some schools around here start assigning kindergarten teachers in March, so we want to be in the loop before then.

As for workbooks, DS liked those a couple of years ago, but he's really not too interested. We have a couple singapore math books he likes every once in awhile, but mostly he just likes his books and legos and video games and playgrounds. We try to answer all his questions, but we're not doing anything formal for education either. I have given up on worrying about not teaching him anything - he's going to learn anyway, and i don't want him to think I don't know the answer or don't know where to look for them!

Thanks for your thoughts and advice. I am always open to advice, and love advice to keep doing what I am doing, lol I agree with the afterschooling and waiting until K. I do know that afterschooling would be a great thing eventually. We do little elements of it now if he asks, I just wasn't ready to do lessons. I didn't really think of it as hothousing at all...but more like "today we are going to learn about _______" and me as a parent deciding what that blank is. I know there will always be a gap...just wasn't sure if I wanted to go through teaching more before school and make the gap larger. He is currently in a pre-k program a few days a week for a couple hours. It is very small so they can provide 1:1 at times. I think his teacher has brought in some things that are challenging for him to work on. I am interested to see how this is working out. I think this is good and some ways for him to experience before K, especially because he needs to learn that sometimes you work on something even if you don't feel like it and even if there is something else you would rather be doing. that's part of life. He told me on the 3rd day that she brought in math equations and they made up equations for each of them to do. He seems to have learned fractions recently and I am not sure how since his teacher said she didn't teach him. He learns lots of things mysteriously.

Good thoughts. I have to say, about 85% of the time I tell myself "things will be fine, you never know how things will work out, he's a great kid and will be fine" etc. etc etc. I am constantly trying to stay positive about schooling. It is just that from time to time (like when I hear things from others, when he suddenly starts doing even more extraordinary things,when others question what we are going to do with him, and when I see what kids do in Kindergarten) I wonder what K is going to do with him. I know in my school here (we have 5 K's) they wouldn't do anything special. And this is a great school. They just haven't encountered children that LOG, and I would imagine that manys schools haven't. They have to teach at all the other child's level and don't have staff for individual work.

I am excited about getting some testing on him in the spring. I would like to learn more about him, how he thinks, and how he learns best. I want my DS to have a good start to school. His experiences so far have not been great. When he was 3 we took him out of a program after 4 months because they really didn't like him and found his behaviors challenging because he wouldn't sit nicely during circle time like the other students. This year he was already "kicked out" of his first pre-k this year after a month. He is now in the second and they think he is doing well. They enjoy him there and have started to provide more challenging things for him to do. He does test limits at times, but according to them not too different than the other kids. I still don't think he loves his pre-k that much, at times he says he doesn't like it..but other times he seems to enjoy going. His current pre-k said they can work with him but that sometimes he seems bored when they are addressing the whole class. They suggested montessori for the future because they can't see what a school would do with a child like him. That's honest, but a little discouraging to hear that from a teacher. I know transitions and disappointments are a part of life, but I just don't want him to have another one just yet. I just wish K could be great and he would love it. That is probably too much to ask, but that is my dream.

Well,,,,it is possible. Is anyone else a little skeptical of this claim?



They do! I don't know what it is about the workbooks, well, I think I do. They love putting a sticker on the page when they are done. But I also think it has to do with the fact that they are self learners, especially the older one.

I will say I have so followed their lead that we are running in to a wee problem in that the older one is very much resisting to be lead at school..........

Well,,,,it is possible. Is anyone else a little skeptical of this claim?


Yes I am skeptical! If they do great then we shouldn't have any problems When I was trying to find my way through these topics and understand her WISC results the GT coordinator looked at one of her scores in the 99.6% and said, "Oh we have lots of kids with scores like that here!" Really....lots! I suppose it is possible but still.

I guess it is possible...but most likely not in our district. I agree it depends on what "reading" entails. But I did go on to tell her that he didn't know a couple of sight words, he was actually reading books. When I hear things like that I often wonder, if there are so many of these kids, where do they hide? And why haven't I met one in real life? Sometimes I feel like I am chasing a sasquatch. Never met one, but I hear rumors of them and hear there has been 'sightings'

LOL!!!

That would surely make me want to respond "lots as in .4% of your students?"

But *I* do see 18 level scores "all the time", . I expect our GIEP team players see quite a few reports come through with an 18 here or there quite often as well. I watched one kid get the "Not-GT" stamp with TWO scores at that 99.6th, . But having actual index scores at that level have got to be pretty rare. [/quote]

That is exactly why all of this can get so confusing. Is she GT, what does that really mean, does she actually need any special curriculum. My thinking changes from day to day

thank you so much for the pat on the back!! it is very reassuring. i'm sure you're right.

The land of many GT kids! That sounds like where I live!

Are Ianfan and I neighbors?

See, that would just prove all the more that I am not gifted if I did make that comment, LOL. Not that there needs to be more proof. I do realize that depending on locations there are more or less GT students. What exactly are 18 level scores?

And I swear I live in the land of no gifted children. I have met two children at our school that are mildly gifted, and some clients that I have worked with in therapy that were dual diagnosed. That's it. I consulted with a psychologist in our area that is very well known in working with gifted children. She told me that my son really needs to meet someone like him, or at least someone gifted. So I guess for now I just wait until I run into someone. And then I pounce on them and insist on a playdate, LOL. That's how it works, right?

Pouncing works sometimes, but I would also call/email that psychologist and ask if she has any client parents of similar kids who would be willing to talk to you.

Oh that would be nice!!! I could really use a soulmate some days

Shelly,

We would play with you if you lived nearby! I'm sure you'll find someone. Try lurking around the local University, find the playground nearest to where all the Professors live

Yes, she gave me a name and number of a parent who wanted to get together with other parents with similar kids, and I left a few messages but got no response. I think I will try again. I didn't leave any information on the message other than my name and who referred me to her. Wasn't sure what to say "Hey I heard you have a gifted kid too...let's get our kids together" That didn't seem appropriate. Anyhow, I am sure after she tests my son she will give me more information. She just told me that after I told her about him. I think I will email her too to see if she knows of anyone else in our area.

There are plenty of gifted kids around in our area I am sure. I guess I would know which playground to go to, LOL..but I live in upstate NY so playgrounds are too cold. Plus my son on a playground is mostly like every other 4yo on a playground. We could switch districts someday if needed. We are in a very middle class area...because we are very middle class. Not that gifted children can't come from middle class families (My child is a walking example of that), but in what I have read it is even less typical then the already atypical highly gifted child.

I'm not sure I follow you here. What is less typical? That an HG+ child comes from a middle class home? I don't think that's true. Most families in the U.S. are middle class, so most GT kids come from the middle class.

Or am I reading what you wrote incorrectly?

Most gifted kids come from Middle and Lower Class homes. Most of the IDENTIFIED gifted kids come from upper and upper middle class homes.

That leaves 80% or more of gifted kids hiding under the cracks.

I'll bet 95%+ of minority gifted kids will NEVER get the education they deserve.

I haven't read the whole post yet, but remember that when school starts, so does "Mom's homework" - you must get him used to working at this 'readiness level' even for 5 minutes a night, 5 nights a week.

You can look into gradeskips, skipping k or 1st, depending of if K is 1/2 day or whole day.

Can you afford a tutor? Much cheaper than private school!

Now I'll post and read to see what was said....
Smiles,
Grinity

This was exactly the approach we took, and for the same reason. It totally backfired...elementary school teacher think a kid is smart if they are doing the skills that elementary school do. So all the soul searching converstaions in the world didn't make them think DS12 was more than 'bright.'

Hey, we only did this because we grew up in the school system, and we believed the teachers when they told DH and I that reading ahead of the class was bad. But we snuck peaks into the back of the book anyway....just felt guilty about it.

Well, G3, you did one better than formal afterschooling, you provided a 'homebased gifted cluster' for your little ones. I do prefer your method, but didn't see it coming fast enough!

Dottie's method of having saving the highest LOG for last is also very effective. But last I heard, she isn't telling how she did it.

((wink))
Still for parents of onlies, or more aged-spaced kids, I think formal afterschooling helps them learn work ethic when the school doesn't provide it. I know that my younger brother got his work ethic from competing with me, but that didn't help me much.

I think starting it when school starts is about right. Since I'm in a situation of 'do what I say, and have observed worked well for others, and not what I did' I'm a little blurry on the details. I just know that by age 7 my little sweetie was singing the 'I shouldn't have to do any work that the other kids don't have to do' song. And we didn't have a leg to stand on because we had always acted up until then that 'school was school's business' because we didn't want to 'make him bored in school' as if that was in our power!

Teachers like things like telling time, reading, addition facts, so I would work on those things in kindy so that the teachers could recognise - hey! this kid knows what we feel is our duty to teach.

I'm much more anxious since DS got his testing & "label" last summer. In preschool, his teacher told me she'd only known a handful of kids to read as well in her 20+ years of teaching. When we moved out of state mid year, his new teacher told me "he could recognize some words". Another 20+ yr teacher but she obviously didn't know him well at all. He's not shy & very verbal.

Still, we just thought he was pretty bright but a typical, goofy kid. It wasn't until the school approached us at the end of the last school year to advise testing & a grade skip, that we fully understood. Since then, he has skipped, is doing extremely well but I worry wayyyyy more. Ignorance truly is bliss! lol Now I worry I've never worked with him much, will he get lazy if still not challenged, how do I make things challenging, how much should I be doing before it's too much, worries about his age, etc. and worry more about his future.

Add to that 2 older sisters (14 & 8) -1 honor student, 1 with no concern for school & grades that show. How to balance all of them, is the middle child being ignored, ack, it's a mess!!

We are thankful though that DS has a read teacher at school (PS) that is wonderful & exploring different interest areas with him. She really looks out for him & has been great about accessing resources for his benefit.

Thankfully, DS has always been drawn to the academic stuff schools will love. He was always fascinated with letters and numbers, etc. What I worry about sometimes is because I don't sit with him and correct his penmanship, that he will have a hard time changing it in a year when he gets to K because he has already been writing a couple years. He knows how to make all his uppercase and lowercase letters and can write neat if he feels like it, but often rushes through. And since he is 4 and I am not grading his papers I don't even bother with correcting him (other than commenting how it is pretty messy at times when it's really bad). He does love reading, and math, and can color in the lines (which I noticed for the first time a few weeks ago when I asked him and he showed me how good he could do). I had never noticed it because he never colors. I do answer questions when he asks...which sometimes causes me to have conversations like I did this morning at 7am about prime and composite numbers (before I even drank any coffee). But I don't think it's necessary for me to go above and beyond to teach him more because he already knows sooooo much and he has many more years to learn. kwim?

You can say "x thought that our children might enjoy each other's company. I'm looking for my son to meet a child who would enjoy the kind of games he likes." That way she might realize that the referal source was thinking gifted.

I do kwym. that is exactly the attitude I took when DS12 was 4. What I feel that I missed was that while it's true that he wasn't in need of learning any particular thing, he was in need of learning how to learn challenging material. OK, at 4 it should only be a teeny challenge, but I want you to have the structure in place so that when he is 7 it can be a bit of a challenge and at 10, a challenge.

I think that with the handwriting, just praiseing the pretty writing when he does it can go a long way. I would encourage having a few 'Handwriting without tears' printing books around the house so that you can say, 'hum, what do 'a, o, d, g and q' all have in common?

(they all start being formed from the letter c)

or, 'hum, are there more letters that start up high, or down at the line?'

(they all start up high)

just to bring some ideas to his awareness.

smiles,
Grinity

I agree. It's interesting, I was just talking with DH about this the other day. My DS typically gravitates towards really easy stuff (to him at least) or really challenging things that he asks for constant help with. He isn't afraid to try new things and is okay if he doesn't excel, but there is often that big gap in his activities which I find interesting. I would like to provide him opportunities to challenge him, while not pushing him too much. We did this the other day when he went on jigzone. I encouraged him to do some harder puzzles since he was just doing the 6 piece classic ones and saying "I am going as fast as autosolve." He tried some harder ones and I was pleasantly surprised at his persistence and how much better he got in a few minutes at doing jigsaw puzzles (oddly he has always struggled with jigsaw puzzles...and it is the only thing that hasn't come easy so it really stuck out to us and surprised us). I want him to learn that not everything comes so easy. He has already learned this some. I do praise his writing when it is good and legible. I don't harp on him when it is messy I just don't say much. But if I can barely read it or he is making something nice for someone and scribbles all over it, I say something about it.

I like your suggestions about the letters and ideas about bringing about more awareness. He will find that interesting. He has always been interested in what's alike and what's different...ever since he was 1 1/2 and mentioned to me that both twinkle twinkle and the ABC's were the "same song" It's developed from there.

Much better than my idea of what to say

My goodness if they are soooo experienced with all of these throngs pg kids then they should have an absolutely fabulous program set up for them.

When I first heard this from my school (i.e. we have lots of kids like yours) I was so relieved, until I realized that they really did not have a clue what they were talking about.

It would just be so nice to hear - "wow, your kid is really unique - perhaps we should sit down together and figure out what would be best for her" ---ahh... dreamland.

We always expected our children to do well in school, and to be in gifted programs (were they provided.) Before DS (our oldest) began kindergarten, we moved to a school district that didn't have a gifted program, but was in a college town. We figured that if the population was filled with professors and others who valued education, all would be well. We purchased a home in the district about five months before kindergarten. We hadn't enrolled DS in preschool - we just participated in a coop with some friends. Of course, whenever the kids were with me, they learned more (fun) academics, whereas when they were with the other moms, they mostly enjoyed a large playdate.

Anyway, once we moved, I set an appointment with the principal of the elementary school where our children would attend. Our intent was for me to explain who this special child was and to enlist his help in placing DS with the kindergarten teacher that could best serve him. I took some of his art work, told some stories, showed him some of the "books" DS had written, etc. The pricipal was quite supportive - which only after the fact did I realize was not as common as one might necessarily hope.

I think that sitting down with the principal to enlist his help, to explain who this child was, and to express how we wanted to partner in the education process was beneficial.

Good luck! And consider yourself lucky to have found support now. I was in tears last night when I found this forum and other info on PG kids. DS is now 13 and DD is 10. Looking forward to exhanging ideas and support!

Of course, I suspect that approach might have totally turned off some principals, too. "You won't believe the meeting I just had, and her kid isn't even in school yet" sort of response.

I think you are probably a skillful advocate with a wise and supportive principal.