Did you get your second child tested too? Our first was tested before she turned 5. We vowed at the time to get #2 tested as well. But as the time draws nearer to get on the waiting list, I am wondering whether we should.
We were desperate for information to help the elder child. School found it helpful. We found strengths in areas we didn't realise. And she was going through a very tough time.
Younger daughter seems fine and happy. We *think* we know her areas of strength.
Did anyone get their 2nd child tested- after their first. Was it as helpful?
Re: QUestion for those who had testing for one child
Author: JW
Date: 06-12-09 21:00
Oh lordy. It was the same scenario at our house.
Based entirely on a sample of one family here of course..... Yes - get the second one tested if you can. Where one sibling is gifted the others often are too (Heritability + similar environment).
We had second child tested just before she started school. Mostly it was out of a sense of fairness (eg, we've got all this lovely info about #1, let's also get a profile of # 2's strength and weaknesses). She has always been much more easy going than #1, is very sociable & happy, didn't appear to us to be having problems of any sort, but also didnt' seem to be radiating unusual smarts. (except that she had started to show a real affinity for numbers.....)
We were expecting the test to place her as high average, with mathmatical reasoning being her strongest suit (maybe gifted for that area alone).
Blow me down with a feather, but her overall IQ score was extremely high, *and* her verbal scores were almost as high as her non-verbal.
We were very startled - the information was extremely valuable and has really made us re-think things with her, and notice things that we might otherwise have missed.
Our first child is extremely verbally gifted, and her oral expression is way ahead of her age group. This child is much less orally expressive, and I think it might be easier to miss (it will be very interesting to see how her written expression develops). I also think she is only just starting to hit her strides now with her intellectual curiosity (ie. developing at her own pace and a very different one from her sister).
So, we're extremely pleased we tested and will do so again with number 3 when the time is right.
I had my first son tested at around the same time as your daughter by the lovely Rose at 4 years 3 months and the information that was gathered from testing has been invaluable.
#2 son is, I think incredibly bright, but so different to #1. I'm not sure if he is HG like #1 but I will test him as well but at 6 years of age instead.
#3 son is very much like #1 but I will wait until he is 6 years old as well. The only reason we tested #1 early was because we needed 'proof' of his abilities as he was (and still is) attending and international school abroad.
What school does your daughter go to? #1 is studying the PYP (International Baccalaureate) which is discovery based learning and he is just thriving. I think Selwyn House had/have this curriculum?
I wish that every child in NZ was able to be tested so that their true strengths and weaknesses can be recognised before school.
Re: QUestion for those who had testing for one child
Author: Linda
Date: 07-12-09 19:13
And in a slight threadjack...
What if the second child doesn't appear nearly as intellectual as the first?
I also thought on testing #1 that would definitely do #2 (fairness, etc) but now that #2 is nearing 4 years old and has nothing obvious going on I kind of scared of the 'not gifted' result. Hard enough not making comparisons now without test results as well.
Any thoughts?
I think for Nikki that testing would be good because I think there are probably overlooked strengths in #2 (maybe I'm too close to my own to see anything).
Re: QUestion for those who had testing for one child
Author: JW
Date: 08-12-09 08:03
Linda, I think that's a really good question. Two scenarios I suppose:
1) the test results surprise you - (which they did in our case) and your non-intellectual seeming kid has heaps of potential that wasn't necessarily apparent. This is a very good thing to know IMO, although it raises a pile of other questions (eg. if they aren't showing that intense thirst and internal drive for knowledge, what kind of educational environment is the right one for them. Is it a temperament thing - and how much push/motivation is best?)
MY first child meets so many of the criteria on those gifted checklists it was just so very apparent. Our second child (at least at the time we had her tested) met very few of them. She tested very highly. (I still haven't worked out what this means really in terms of the whole "Gifted kids" thing!)
Scenario 2: The test results don't indicate your child is in the gifted range. (They are just a snapshot in time, and of course not the whole picture of your child and their capabilites). You're already wondering, so it won't come as too much of a shock, and it seems to me it would be good to have some objective info on the situation one way or another. AND the report provides a whole lot of other info that can be very useful to you as a parent, in supporting your child educationally gifted or not.
Re: QUestion for those who had testing for one child
Author: Linda
Date: 08-12-09 10:03
Thanks JW,
You've really cleared up the thought process for me. I'm now thinking test and live with the result (valuable either way) rather than not test and live in ignorance (current state).
Re: QUestion for those who had testing for one child
Author: Nikki
Date: 08-12-09 17:44
I too, am thinking test. Mainly in order to be fair. But we didn't think we needed to test miss #1 until things were desperate and then it was a long wait to get to the top of Rose's list.
My first daughter attends a school which does the PYP (Bacc). It's a good fit.
Re: QUestion for those who had testing for one child
Author: Anon
Date: 08-12-09 20:37
We have two children and have had both tested. Our eldest wasn't tested until after some time at school (when we realised there were 'issues'). Because of this, the early schooling did not cater to him, there was despair, heartache, and school became an 'issue'. It still is (and we're looking at homeschooling now). Our youngest was tested before starting school and went in with teachers who were armed with information. Schooling has been so much easier for our youngest and I think this is because it never became 'an issue'. For this reason, I would advocate testing before starting school.
Our eldest was the happiest child you could ever hope to meet, until school started. *We* knew strengths, weaknesses, how to meet all needs. School started, and as the teachers had no clue about our child, needs were not met. We got our youngest tested so that he did not experience the same. *We* knew strengths and weaknesses but the teachers needed to see it from an 'expert', not parents.
Have just been browsing this site for the first time. Have 3yr 4mth son accepted in gifted education centre in Auckland. No official testing. Where are they tested and is there a website I can visit to get on this waiting list which sounds very long.
How do I find schools that have PYP (and what is that exactly? website?).
And why does giftedness run in families? Is it therefore more parent participation based? I can't keep up with all his questions and find myself learning alongside him. But he always has my time (more like demands my time, actually).
Any help for newbies would be very much appreciated, eg. things you have learned along the way, helpful websites, tips etc.
Re: QUestion for those who had testing for one child
Author: Anon
Date: 27-02-10 08:40
Vanessa
Welcome to the forum.
You might want to re-post this under 'various' if you haven't already done so. You might get more replies that way.
Browse through all the sections on this forum and you will get an idea of the kind of issues that many of us face, but keep in mind that often people post on here because they have a concern, need to vent, etc. Some of it can seem 'negative' but often we don't feel as much of a need to post about the stuff that's going well. So it might seem to a newbie as if this is all difficulty and challenge, but it's not of course. And it is so great to see those posts about something positive - like a particularly understanding teacher or friend, or a sensitive child developing ways to cope with intense emotions. We need more!
Check out www.hoagiesgifted.org That is a fantastic site with articles for those new to giftedness. I highly recommend it. The information may seem overwhelming but as you're obviously eager to become informed, you might find it interesting.
I might get a chance to post more later and I am sure others will too but two things come to mind. Enjoy your child, and remember that he is a child. Sometimes gifted children can appear so "adult" in their vocabulary, understanding, perhaps physical skills, etc that it's hard to remember that they may not have the skills to regulate their behavior,or cope with intense emotions etc.
Another tip is something that a woman said to me regarding dealing with other people. To my knowledge, this woman's child is not identified as gifted (but of course could well be) but her advice certainly applies to us: You are his mother and *that* trumps everything. Whether it is responding to comments of other parents as your son displays clearly advanced abilities, or, discussing your child with teachers down the line, remember that. Everyone will have an opinion and some of those opinions will be welcomed and extremely useful. But there will be times when you have to battle with others so remember that. Mum trumps all. (Sorry to sound so negative but I do think it is so important for the parents or caregivers of these kids to realise they have every right to advocate for them and teachers in particular can make you feel 'wrong' for doing so. Don't let it happen).
(Firstly, I see someone else is also Vanessa so I will be Nessa instead)
Thank you for that tip about Mum trumps all. I needed to hear that as already I have preschool teachers who say although he understands complex reasoning and interprets ideas with ease he is unable to mingle with other kids and is still learning social skills, plus he doesn't know phonics yet. Now I can say that his social skills with our 6-9 year old neighbours is just fine and he plays well with them every day after school. Also, he went through the alphabet "A says, a" etc and got every one of them right with me, so he was just pretending which he likes to do. He counts to 100 when he can be bothered though tells me it's boring. I also read the post about "dumming down" at kindy and I think that is exactly what he does. Perhaps once the teachers are informed they will be able to help and understand him more.
I don't find these posts negative. These are real issues which we need to have an understanding support network for. Already I am finding I can not mention his success to anyone. Not friends, coffee group or most family (just grandparents who can't say anything to friends either).
Thanks for the Hoagies website, wow, great site to visit and such a mountain of information, just what I was after.
I know what you mean about behavior and being emotionally sensitive. He is also sensitive to certain loud noises (waste disposal, vacuum) and we thought he was very spirited. Instead, we discovered that cutting out all sugar (even sweetened yoghurt and juice) produced a happy lad who is just strong minded. Because he grasps concepts so well, we explained that sugar makes him aggressive, so he told us he will only make healthy choices, which he does. By giving him the simple rule "Control your own behavior" it made him responsible for his actions and within a day he was remarkably controlled, taking a deep breath and saying, I'm controlling my own behavior. I was shocked and delighted at the immediate improvement.
Anyway, sorry to go on, I just have no one I can tell about this stuff. Boy this feels like a relief.
Re: Newbie needing to know where to get kids tested. Recommendations?
Author: Mum to 2
Date: 27-02-10 21:30
We did it the testing the other way around. #1 child was 'bright', but coped and cruised through school with no discernible quirks.
#2 was the difficult one from about 3 years old. Preschool was a nightmare (Kindy referred him to GSE who diagnosed Aspergers), and if preschool was a nightmare, there is no word to describe school, so we got him tested. Lo and behold, we had an exceptionally gifted child who had a mind that could think like a 16 year old in an under 8 year old body. Profile was pretty much 99.9th centile across the board. A few answers as to why he was like he was, but no solutions to the problems!
About a year later we decided to have #1 tested (more to look to see if there were reasons as to why he was such a space cadet and couldn't keep a thought in his head for more than a minute). He was 12 1/2 years old at the time. He was assessed in the 93rd centile for GIA, but you could have blown us away to find out that he was extremely dyslexic. He was in the top spelling group, an excellent reader etc. We wondered how he could have nearly completed 8 years in education without a teacher noticing. Apparently his intelligence 'masked' the symptoms. It hasn't been a problem until this year (he is doing accelerated NCEA in Year 10) when he's running out of time in exams.
We're planning on working with him on how to time tests by going through the paper first and working out how much time to allocate to each section, but someone mentioned to us yesterday that we might be able to get him some more time to complete exams through the Ministry of Education. We have to provide them with the psych report. We'll be pursuing that one!!
Hi. Benn ethere done that I would conatct the Indigo assessment centre and find out. They are very reliable. I would also look into the I Can Do It program. No matter what the label is that we put on our kids I think the best thing is to give them a strong and consistant support system and this is the onlt thing that has worked for us. Take a look wwwICanDoItLifeSkills.com
i am just wondering what 'testing' you are refering to.
i work in a daycare and we have a gifted child.
parents are wanting to know what to do next and we are wanting to provide him with some extension
Re: Newbie needing to know where to get kids tested. Recommendations?
Author: Sue
Date: 07-05-10 23:14
Am late to this thread, but have comments for different bits of it.
1 Testing a second child - we had all three of ours tested. The second child in our family was the one I was doubtful about and so was tested last. I was doubtful just 'coz she was so different to the other two, but when we compared test results, while her profile looked different from the others in terms of things she was strongest in, their overall scores were within 3 points of each other and all gifted. Linda Silverman's research has shown that if one sibling is gifted, there is a good chance that others will be too, so it is worth testing 'just in case'.
2 PYP - Vanessa asked about this. PYP stands for "Primary Years Programme" and it is the primary school version of the International Baccalaureate programme. There are a small number of schools in NZ doing PYP now: Kristin School, Glendowie Primary and Waiheke Primary in Auckland, St George's Prep in Wanganui, Chilton St James in Lower Hutt, and Selwyn House in Christchurch. (Note - only Glendowie and Waiheke are State schools.) If you want to find out more about the PYP IB programme, have a look at their website - www.ibo.org
3 Nicole - the testing people are referring to is a psychometric assessment by an educational psychologist (what used to be called an IQ test). Most ed psychs will assess a child from around 4 years of age. If you are keen to learn more about gifted pre-schoolers, I recommend a couple of books - "Gifted Young Children: A Guide for Parents and Teachers" by Louise Porter and "Young Gifted Children - Their Search for Complexity and Connection" by Cathie Harrison. (Both in NZAGC library.) There is also a brief overview of how to meet the needs of gifted pre-schoolers by Sue Breen on the Gifted Education Centre's website - http://www.giftededucation.org.nz/artandpub.html - scroll down the page to find it: "Tips for Working with Gifted Pre-schoolers".
Where is the best place to get a psychometric assessment done in Wellington/Wairarapa? I have a preschooler so what age is the best aged to get assessed?
Hi newbie
We have only just had my just turned 5yr old tested and we are very glad we did - we now have the ammunition we need so that schools dont just think we are more parents who think our child is gifted, but we have a good report to back us up. They now take us seriously and seem very encouraging. We contacted Susan Hunt whose name appears on the One Day School's list of recognised psychologists and she was lovely with our daughter. She tested her over two mornings, took things at her pace and encouraged her through the various tests enough to be able to give us a good all round report. Her telephone number is 04 234 7704, email susan.hunt@aquilas.co.nz, she's in Whitby on the outskirts of Porirua.
Just as a further note - the word "ammunition" wasn't meant in an attacking sense! Obviously our first goal is to make sure our kids are happy at school and continue with their love of learning. The report is great to back you up but using it with a view to asking the school what they can do for your child rather than telling them what you think they should be doing has been a good approach for us, making it a team effort towards the happy goal! Early days....
I have just had my son assessed and am concerned about the limitations of the testing. I was expecting tests on memory, patterning and sequencing....but there seemed to be a reliance on language based knowledge.
I know my son and I need someone to find his potential so I can better get his needs met. Should I go back to the psychologist and ask for furthur testing?
Hi - we are new to this, but would like to get our son assessed/tested. Can anyone recommend someone in the auckland area (south ideally) and what we need to ask for?
Thanks
Kathy
