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jenniepepsi · Jul 7, 2009, 02:02 PM

Is there an online test that I can have my daughter take for free to give me an idea if she is gifted or not?

Stratmando · Jul 7, 2009, 02:31 PM

She may be, you may even be biased.
Til you find out, keep supplying what she needs to exercise that talent(Math, Music, Expressing, Solving). What does she do?
Did a Google search "Is my kid gifted" and came up with many, but no experience with any. Good Luck
I got my goddaughter to ride a bike with no training wheels when she turned 3, did a search and found a kid dit it at 2, I would have worked harder if I had known.
Also, when she just turned three, had her able to go to control panel, appearance and themes and then screen saver, then fish, she couldn't read any of the words, but would say the words as she clicked on each step, click and drag took 3 minutes by holding each hand and showing, she would click and drag all Pink fish in to the Aquarium, then Apply. I think she is extra special. I am biased. But others feel she is super smart as well. I just feed her what she needs. She's 5 now. She has had a Guitar, keyboard, harmonica, flutes, others and tried each, if it is something she she enjoys, she will play with
Righ now Art seem like something she enjoys.
She sings and harmonizes with songs as well.
The Google search will help.

Alty · Jul 7, 2009, 02:32 PM

What are the things that make you think she's gifted?

There's no accurate online test.

It's best to take your daughter to a professional for assessment.

jenniepepsi · Jul 7, 2009, 02:38 PM

Its math mostly. She is behind in everything except math. In math she is ahead. She starts kindergarten this year and she is already doing 2nd grade math with me at home. I could be biased however :P

Ill probalby just end up waiting for the school to tell me.

Justwantfair · Jul 7, 2009, 02:43 PM

Gifted children are typically only categorized as gifted if they excel in most all areas of school. They are often not categorized as gifted until following Kindergarten as well. Often school will let you know if they believe that your child has gifted abilities, but if she is behind in other areas, they will not recommend gifted classes, as she will suffer and only fall further behind in all other areas. Often classes have different levels for reading and math as many students absorb the information at different levels in these two subjects.

EDIT: I thought your education was in early childhood development, this should be information they explore in your education. You can only hinder a child by pushing them beyond their capabilities.

jenniepepsi · Jul 7, 2009, 02:46 PM

Good point justwantitfair, with her behind in reading and speech she most likely will not be put in the giften program (called s.a.g.e here) just for math.

Alty · Jul 7, 2009, 02:53 PM

My son was the same, excelled in math but was behind in everything else.

The gifted program is for children that are ahead in everything, not just one subject.

Also, if she's behind in reading and speech, math will become harder once the problem solving involves reading the question, not just the numbers.

With her ADHD and aspergers it's best to take things slow, make sure she's in the right programs to get all the help she needs now so she doesn't fall behind once she's in school.

Good luck.

JoeCanada76 · Jul 7, 2009, 02:58 PM

I did not read anything else. Listen, people try to measure things like this. It does not matter.

Every child is gifted. Every child is special and have there own strengths and weaknesses.

A child is a blessing and gift no matter how well the child does in school or not in school.

Please remember this. You making this important. Will put unnecessary pressure on the kids and could do the opposite effect.

Support your child, give them all the necessary tools but do not test them. They will get enough testing in school.

Your child is gifted. All children all.

jenniepepsi · Jul 7, 2009, 03:00 PM

That's a good point alty. Thanks for pointing that out. Even if she is ahead in math here at home with me, she may not be able to do it independently.

jenniepepsi · Jul 7, 2009, 03:01 PM

I completely agree joe. 100%. My only point is, I don't want her to get bored in school if the work is too easy for her you know?

I'm not even sure why I'm worried about it lol.

JoeCanada76 · Jul 7, 2009, 03:08 PM

That is something you discuss with the school and teachers.

Stratmando · Jul 7, 2009, 05:24 PM

You're concerned and want the best. Feed her as fast as she can soak it up.
Don't know where you will get the energy to keep up, but try.
Some have had good Luck with "Professionals"? sounds expensive. Most claimed "Professionals" are IDIOTS. If you have excessive money, pay them.
Good Luck/Take Care

Alty · Jul 7, 2009, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by Stratmando

You're concerned and want the best. Feed her as fast as she can soak it up.
Don't know where you will get the energy to keep up, but try.
Some have had good Luck with "Professionals"?, sounds expensive. Most claimed "Professionals" are IDIOTS. If you have excessive money, pay them.
Good Luck/Take Care

I tend to disagree with that. Not about the professionals, but about the "feed her as fast as she can soak it up".

There is so much pressure on kids today. Excel, excel, excel. Be the best. What happened to letting kids be kids? What happened to accepting them the way they are?

I have a friend that is determined to force her child into being gifted. Her daughers accomplishments are all she talks about. They spend every night working on reading, writing, math, etc. Not just her homework (which is necessary) but other work, just to make her the smartest, the best.

Whatever extra time she has is spent doing extracurricular activities. Sports, ballet, music lessons etc. etc. There isn't one night a week or weekend that this child has free.

In the summer she's sent to camps. Learning camps. Sports camps. She hates it. In fact, now that she's 10 she's started rebelling. She refuses to go. Her grades have dropped. It's a constant fight because mom wants what mom wants, screw the child and her right to a childhood.

My daughter qualifies for the gifted program at school. The fact that there even is such a program for a 6 year old disturbs me.

So what if she can read, write, do math in her head? She's lucky, she picks things up easily, she never forgets anything she learns. Does that make her better? Gifted?

She's a kid. A child. That's what she needs to work on. Yes, she does her homework. Yes, I encourage her to do her best. If I notice she's spending too much time inside buried in a book, I send her outside to be a kid.

Gifted, not gifted, normal, learning disabled. They're kids. It's not okay to label them, to put them into categories. It's a set up for failure, not only for them, but for everyone else.

Just let her be a kid. Give her the tools she needs, by all means, but don't push her.

Before you know it she'll be grown.

Stratmando · Jul 7, 2009, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Altenweg

I tend to disagree with that. Not about the professionals, but about the "feed her as fast as she can soak it up".

There is so much pressure on kids today. Excel, excel, excel. Be the best. What happened to letting kids be kids? What happened to accepting them the way they are?

I have a friend that is determined to force her child into being gifted. Her daughers accomplishments are all she talks about. They spend every night working on reading, writing, math, etc. Not just her homework (which is necessary) but other work, just to make her the smartest, the best.

Whatever extra time she has is spent doing extracurricular activities. Sports, ballet, music lessons etc. etc. There isn't one night a week or weekend that this child has free.

In the summer she's sent to camps. Learning camps. Sports camps. She hates it. In fact, now that she's 10 she's started rebelling. She refuses to go. Her grades have dropped. It's a constant fight because mom wants what mom wants, screw the child and her right to a childhood.

My daughter qualifies for the gifted program at school. The fact that there even is such a program for a 6 year old disturbs me.

So what if she can read, write, do math in her head? She's lucky, she picks things up easily, she never forgets anything she learns. Does that make her better? Gifted?

She's a kid. A child. That's what she needs to work on. Yes, she does her homework. Yes, I encourage her to do her best. If I notice she's spending too much time inside buried in a book, I send her outside to be a kid.

Gifted, not gifted, normal, learning disabled. They're kids. It's not okay to label them, to put them into categories. It's a set up for failure, not only for them, but for everyone else.

Just let her be a kid. Give her the tools she needs, by all means, but don't push her.

Before you know it she'll be grown.

I disagree with you, You missunderstood me, I don't push her, I try to keep up with her. Like I said, I provide the tools, and she can use at her pace, whichever direction she chooses, and I understand it will change, over and over, I WILL adapt, and TRY to kep up, She feels NO PRESSURE, she enjoys life as a kid.
If you disagree, it is because you don't understand.

Alty · Jul 7, 2009, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Stratmando

I disagree with you, You missunderstood me, I don't push her, I try to keep up with her. Like I said, I provide the tools, and she can use at her pace, whichever direction she chooses, and I understand it will change, over and over, i WILL adapt, and TRY to kep up, She feels NO PRESSURE.

Then I misunderstood.

I see too many parents pushing their children to succeed. Children don't need to push themselves, they need to enjoy their childhood. If not, then you get adults that resent their parents, resent the childhood they missed out on.

You're only a child once. My belief is to let the child be a child.

Does that mean that I don't teach? Don't help? No. I do homework with my children every day. My son has ADHD, everything he does, everything he learns, it's a gift. This year he went on medication, I was terrified. Not ritalin, a mild drug, one that won't and doesn't change who he is, it just helps him focus. There's a huge change in him, for the better. He's finally understanding the things that were so difficult for him to grasp. Homework is no longer a battle, but a joy.

Then there's my daughter. She read at the age of 2. She's always been quick. She learns everything immediately. There's a 4 year age difference between her and her brother. He was devastated. Everything he's worked so hard to gain comes easy to his little sister. Everything he works so hard for, she takes for granted.

So, do I push my gifted child? Do I sit each day with her pouring information into her brain because I know she'll soak it up? Or do I treat them both as children? Equals?

It's a juggling act. How to help one and not stifle the other.

Am I only making sense to me?

Perhaps it's not something you can understand unless you've lived it, or are living it.

All I know is, I have two happy children. Two smart children. Two children that are children. Two children that teach me things every single day. The gift of the first snow fall, the gift of innocence. I'm not in any hurry to take that away. They have the rest of their lives to push themselves, to succeed, to rise above. Right now, they're children. That's the best gift I can give them.

That's all I can ask for. It's all I want or need.

Stratmando · Jul 7, 2009, 06:24 PM

You're doing fine. In your case, I would provide for both as fast as they can go in their ways. They're 2 different people. I don't push her, I try to keep her supplied.

jenniepepsi · Jul 8, 2009, 10:00 AM

Very good points alty! And one that I didn't consider is the pressure it would put on her in the future. Sure she will enjoy it now, but later on, if it starts getting harder, she will still feel like she needs to do it perfectly and if she cant, she will feel like a failier.

Its all so confusing. I'm going to go with joe on this one and let the schools decide :P

JoeCanada76 · Jul 8, 2009, 10:06 AM

Need to be proactive. Make sure you talk with the teachers and school about it. I am sure you already have parent teacher interviews and most teachers will tell you the strengths and the weaknesses of the child.

I think you are doing the right thing Jennie. It is the teachers and schools that will help in making these decisions.

jenniepepsi · Jul 8, 2009, 10:23 AM

Yes, we have a meet the teachers night a week before school starts. I will make sure to tell them. I am already going to request her speech be tested right away

koolkitty899 · Jul 25, 2009, 11:54 AM

My daughter is 12, and ever since she was 3, she has been interested in the Performing Arts. It started with the little ballet tutus, then she joined a drama class, and then a singing class. She has always been the average child in her acdemic subjects, no better than anyone else, yet no worse. Our family are quite well-off, so I put her and her brother into a private school. Her best academic subject is definitely English, and this goes hand in hand with her Drama. Her best vocational subject is by far Drama. In January, she successfully auditioned for Trying Park, a school especially for gifted children in the genre of Performing Arts. She is going there in September for Year 8 (8th Grade) What I did, was I rang up the school and I asked them if there was any way in proving that my daughter had an amazing talent in the Performing Arts, and they said to audition and that the judges would only choose the best. I was so pleased when we got the letter saying that she had won a place. I thought I was being biased, but I then realised that I wasn't and that I was right all along.

I think you should definitely ring up a private tutor, and ask them for advice for your child, I know that for children who are very talented in the educational side, you can have tests or Science, Maths and English.