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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]First, I think more info is needed. Is he in preschool? Is he happy or frustrated?

Second, at 3 skills are all over the place. I'm not saying this kid couldn't be a profoundly gifted kid, but he could also not be by the time he gets to school age.

Why did your cousin's mom break down, exactly?[/quote]

He is almost 4 and just started 1/2 day preschool. His mom already has a lot going on in her life ,and this is one more challenge she didn't need. She is upset because the school basically told her that there is nothing they can do for him. Even if his math skills came to an abrupt stop today, he is facing years of sitting through math instruction for concepts he has already mastered. I have seen this kid rattle off multiplication facts, and he seems to have deeper understanding beyond rote skills. If he is already at a 5th grade level, he will be wasting time and not learning anything new in elementary school regardless of whether he gets a label of "profoundly gifted" or not.  He's fine now, but if (when) he gets bored, he may also risk becoming a behavioral problem.  I think she needs practical advice on two fronts 1) how to keep him from getting bored in school, and 2) how to feed his current passion for math and educate him on his level.[/quote]

So first, I'd take a deep breath. At the moment he doesn't need to be getting challenged in Math as he's in preschool. He can be challenged by making friends, working or art, learning to share, imaginative play etc. He's a long way from having to sit through boring math classes. Second, I'd have his mom approach his local elementary school. I would have her meet with them to disucss testing him to see if he can start kindergartern in the fall. Third, I would find someone - maybe a high schooler- who likes math and kids and who can be a mother's helper a few days a week and who can do fun math games with him or math puzzles out of a resources book.

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