In looking at testing options for my DS, over and over I read that it's very important to have a diagnostician that is intimately familiar with HG kids.

I'm in New Mexico and there just isn't anyone here. The Gifted Development Center is in Denver, CO which is at least driving distance (long driving). I was wondering if anyone had heard of it or used it? The head of the facility is Dr. Linda Silverman.

We didn't use it--I'm in the Midwest--but it is well-respected. Dr. Silverman is a big name in the GT world. You could certainly do worse!

We live in Colorado and went to the GDC for testing. We were very pleased. In fact, I'd like to re-test dd7 and also maybe test ds5 and ds5 if I could convince DH to cough up the money. We're spending so much lately on specific things, I don't think he'll go for it. Maybe we'll re-do dd and then do the boys next year...

The only thing I'd like to change about the experience was the final report. It included a lot of background info, which had been provided by me on the forms. I didn't think that any of it was really relevant to entry into a gifted program (or at least more personal/private, stuff I wouldn't tell a school even if it were relevant), if we had been planning to use the report for that purpose. In the future, I'll ask that the written report leave that out, and stick to the basic test results and recommendations.

It was pricey but included a 2-hour conference - come with a list of questions!

They were really great with dd. DD is very introverted (she had just turned 6 at the time, almost two yrs ago). The tester was able to get her to answer through a stuffed animal LOL. Now she's come out of her shell a lot more and will probably talk the tester's ear off....

They are also great with recognizing 2E issues, and making recommendations regarding further diagnosis, treatment and accommodations for them.

by the way, it's in a tiny house. Not a huge waiting area if you are planning to bring all of your kids. We brought everyone (at that time, dd6, ds4, ds4 and ds11-mnths) (mostly because DH just came with us on his way to work downtown) and survived, but if we test dd later this spring, it would be dd8, ds6, ds6, ds2 and ds10-mnths, and I'll be getting into the third trimester of pg, so I think I'll just send DH with dd LOL! If you head west down Colfax you'll run into a (slightly sketchy but ok) mcdonalds or a wendys (maybe both).

We traveled there from TX this past November to have my DD tested. It was well worth the trip and expense. I flew Southwest for next to nothing and went alone with my DD6. We left DH and the other two little ones at home.

PM me if you'd like more specific information. I have to get everyone ready to head out the door right now, but I'm more than happy to tell you about our experience.

Just wanted to add, I went to a Linda Silverman talk a few weeks ago and she seemed *great* --- I know my ds6 would love her for testing!

And now, you can ask DITD for advice, too.

i know this is an old thread to resurrect, but was wondering if the children tested at Gifted Dev. Center were given the S.B. L-M?
After reading about it, I'd like to have it done as a next step for my two children, one HG and one 2E. They've already had Wechsler tests but I went to a folksy local psychologist (never dreaming of these results) and feel I want them seen by someone with more expertise, but don't want to waste money on giving the same test again.

Thanks for resurrecting this and bringing it to my attention. I am copying a question that I posted earlier today under "Eide Clinic", similar to yours.


My DS11 is enrolled in a GT program and has a diagnosis of dysgraphia, anxiety, and ADHD. I'm considering having a more complete set of testing done that might help us to prioritize services for treatment. For example, dysgraphia can lead to anxiety, ADHD can lead to anxiety, ADHD and anxiety sometimes look very much alike, giftedness can look like so many other things.

My question is, has anyone ever been to the Eide Clinic in Edmonds, WA? We are in Spokane, about 4 hours away, and could travel that far. Alternatively, we could get to Denver (further but doable) to Linda Silverman's Clinic.

If you've done this, did you learn anything new? beyond the information we have, which is WISC IV, a psychologist's diagnosis, and our own observations?

Benny

Hi BWBShari

I actually pm'ed you because you are in Edgewood and I'm in NM, too. Although he is not a highly - gifted specialist like Silverman, I was very pleased with Bob Walsh at Rubin Educational Resources -- and Santa Fe is closer than Denver. Let me know if you want more info by pm.

I don't want to say anything out of turn here, but I did read some things about Silverman that gave me "pause". She apparently was let go from her university post and has had an odd number of kids test in the 200 range, which has made some made some people anxious about her methods. Also, there was a New Yorker article about a HG boy who committed suicide, the link to the partial article is:
http://positivedisintegration.com/newyorker.pdf
She was the one, according to the article, who tested him and advocated certain decisions for him. I am not in any way implying anything negative, I am just aware of these issues with this doctor's name.

Again, I am just passing along something that I am aware of, not making any judgements since I haven't met her and am not an expert.

Elizabethmom, I think the controversy had something to do with the SB L-M. Somewhere along the way I think I came across an article or something from Silverman addressing this topic. But it was a while ago, so I can't remember the details. If I run across it, I'll post more.

Emotionally, that was a difficult article to read.

It reminded me of this article, especially the case study of Jared: Major Depression and and Ethic of Silence which starts on page 8. He had a profound ability to deceive nearly everyone and blamed himself for not being able to "figure it out."

http://psych.wisc.edu/henriques/papers/Jackson.pdf

Thanks for that article, it looks interesting and sobering.

elizabethmom, thank you for your post. its always a hard decision to share negative information but its really needed for a balanced forum.

elizabethmom and inky thanks for those articles.

In response to the question about whether we had the SB L-M at GDC, we did not. We were scheduled to do so but my daughter vomited the morning we were supposed to test (appears it was a 24-hour bug). We ended up pushing everything back a day and only did the achievement test, which gave us what we needed for the school.

Our tester was not Dr. Silverman but was Bobbie Gilman. We really liked her.

I was reading David Palmer's Parent's Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education. This quote caught my attention:


Uuugh, all sorts of questions from that. Are highly competitive schools a contributing factor or is it just more likely that a highly competitive school would have young people who excel academically and are highly creative?