Anonymous wrote:We do live in Lake Wobegone, don't we?

My husband says that MoCo is just like Lake Wobegone, where all the children are "gifted."

Anonymous wrote:She ruins many of our weekends as she has to do her homework or stay home studying for a test!

What a fabulous mom!

I think Mozart was gifted. Or Einstein. Lots of the people above are talking about kids who are brainy or smart, but who aren't inventing the next sustainable non-fossil fuel energy source anytime soon

DH is working on that now. Will give you the results when they come out!

3 for 3 in the exceptionally bright category. Giftedness is a relative term and carries no measurable meaning. My family and DH family are exceptionally bright, no nitwits in either family tree. None of the 3 have "issues" and don't agree with the statement that the truly exceptional are usually 2e. Oldest didn't begin speaking until age 2 and spoke in complete complex sentences, including prepositional phrases. Probably the smartest of the bunch. Younger 2 are exceptional in learning as well, but in different ways.

I often have to ask to know if my kids need to be in AAP. Their testing scores were good enough, but I could not see much of the gifted behaviors in either of them. Like many parents here, I have had super easy times with academics throughout my life and went to college at 15. I remember 90-95% of what my teachers said after hearing it just once. Up to this age, I still remember where I sat in first grade, my teacher and her look, how she taught us counting, and many many tedious things. I can still do the AP testing questions for calculus BC for my neighbor's kid even though I have not touched them since college. My good memory and reasoning became a big problem when it comes to evaluate my kids. I just don't think they are smart. I often could not understand why my daughter needs to study before a test; why she only gets an A- or B+ for something as easy as physics HN or chemistry HN. She ruins many of our weekends as she has to do her homework or stay home studying for a test! I think she is average, however, her friends, friends' parents, teachers or other adults keep telling me that she is smart and can be what she wants to be. I am still skeptical about her ability but quite satisfied that she is a happy, well-rounded kid.

Now it is time for my son and I have even more doubt. He is in the pool, but I just can't see much of the gifted behaviors. I don't even hear as much compliment to him as to my daughter at similar ages. My DH and I decide not to fill out the parents' referral form. He will go if he can get in with the testing scores and teachers recommendations. BTW, when my daughter was in second grade, we did not do the referral either. She got in with her testing scores (back then the testing scores ruled, I think).

As for the worthiness of AAP, two of my daughter's friends did not attend AAP but made to TJ. I feel that the only advantage of AAP is the math curriculum. They jumped two grades by the end of 6th grade.

Not at all. He is just quiet, serious beyond his years and does love to learn. I know his scores were enough for the pool but most likely he also did well on the gbrs as all hos teachers always compliment me on his behavior. I never had the courage to ask to actually see it though! Now, my DH's nephew, yes! But like someone said, if you have to ask or test then probably not. This kid could have gone to college at 12. Never had friends, always with the adults. Top college and top recruit to a big name in silicon valley. Guess what....no one can work with him and out of a job ( again). Glad my ds is bright and likes to learn but also glad he is not gifted like his cousin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gifted isn't all that. In fact, I read an article once saying the ideal IQ for success and happiness in life is right around 130.

My friend's DS is so smart he reached the end of some of the IQ test sections without missing any questions. But he has been in self-contained special ed classes since preschool because he is too emotionally volatile for the regular classrooms. He doesn't have any friends. I'm sure she would gladly trade away some of his IQ points for some EQ.

Be grateful for your well-adjusted, socially-normal bright children.

This is so true.

+1 (or would that be +2?)

Truly being gifted is usually correlated with a lot of emotional sensitivities and puts a lot of stress on a parent who tries to keep up with their child's needs. Check out sengifted.org for more information. Parents of these children are not bragging and would probably be a little happier if their kids were just really smart.

Also, to those who say people who have said yes on this thread are lying ... Silly. Of course there will be more yes answers on this thread because those are the people who will disproportionately respond.

Anonymous wrote:Gifted isn't all that. In fact, I read an article once saying the ideal IQ for success and happiness in life is right around 130.

My friend's DS is so smart he reached the end of some of the IQ test sections without missing any questions. But he has been in self-contained special ed classes since preschool because he is too emotionally volatile for the regular classrooms. He doesn't have any friends. I'm sure she would gladly trade away some of his IQ points for some EQ.

Be grateful for your well-adjusted, socially-normal bright children.

This is so true.

Anonymous wrote:"Johns Hopkins says he is gifted..."

I love how Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford trade on their brand names to bilk gullible parents out of millions of dollars in fees for these amazing classes that are only suitable for the truly "gifted," whose needs are so different than "typical" kids. I hope that ego stroke was worth the $7,000 you spent last summer.

Duke accepted me in the TIP back in the late 80's. I was a pretty smart kid. But would I say I was "gifted" in some exceptional way? Nope.

So you're in the top 1% in the nation on a standardized test. Big deal. All that means is that you're one of the 43,000 smartest American kids to be born in the same year you were. Take away the age cohort. So you're in the top 1% of Americans in intelligence. Wow ... you're one of the 3 million smartest people in the country. You want a cookie or something? Get over yourself.

Why so bitter?

Being healthy - physically, mentally and emotionally - is a blessing. The rest does not matter.

I read it from a paper long time ago --if you have to ask others if your kid is gifted or not, it is likely that he/she is not gifted. because if he/she is, people will tell you loud and clear. so stop wondering. your kid is not if you have not been told. they could be advanced in certain ways, but truly gifted kids are very rare. and we should be happy that our kids are just normal and smart!!!

Anonymous wrote:DC was tested using the WPSSI-III at 3y4m and scored in the 60th percentile.

Both DH and I were in the gifted programs in school and did very well. There is a streak of genius on my side coupled with ADD and mental illness. FIL was profoundly gifted and went to university at 14.

Giftedness was not even on our radar until DC started speaking like an adult near 18 months, reading and adding at 2.5--shocking everyone. DC reads chapter books comfortably now at four (for fun, not forced), and can skip count any number (6, 12, 18...72.) Just figured it out--manipulates numbers better mentally than I do--taught me a few tricks. No concept is ever too abstract...

Even with a test score that says average I believe pretty close to gifted, possibly 2e, because of genetics and performance.

I had a friend like that. The best thing she ever said to me was "...no point in talking about it. No one believes you and they get mad!" Yes, her children are gifted by any measure.

I think Mozart was gifted. Or Einstein. Lots of the people above are talking about kids who are brainy or smart, but who aren't inventing the next sustainable non-fossil fuel energy source anytime soon.

In this country, I think giftedness is a substitute for the fact that schools are reluctant to stream (ie track) classes by ability or put a child up into a class with older peers. Hence schools have created the "gifted" label to deal with well performing kids.

At my high school, all the brainy kids were in one class, whereas here, my kids are in classes with kids of all abilities, so the teacher has to deal with that challenge.

DC was tested using the WPSSI-III at 3y4m and scored in the 60th percentile.

Both DH and I were in the gifted programs in school and did very well. There is a streak of genius on my side coupled with ADD and mental illness. FIL was profoundly gifted and went to university at 14.

Giftedness was not even on our radar until DC started speaking like an adult near 18 months, reading and adding at 2.5--shocking everyone. DC reads chapter books comfortably now at four (for fun, not forced), and can skip count any number (6, 12, 18...72.) Just figured it out--manipulates numbers better mentally than I do--taught me a few tricks. No concept is ever too abstract...

Even with a test score that says average I believe pretty close to gifted, possibly 2e, because of genetics and performance.