|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gifted Child's Qualities Not ApparentBy Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D
Q:
My child who is now 8, took the Stanford-Binet v5 when he
was 4 years and 3 months. We were asked to take the test
because his teachers at preschool thought he may not be
absorbing information. We knew he was smart but the test
results were very good. He scored a FSIQ of 138 VIQ of 148
NVIQ of 126 and ABIQ of 145. A: I believe that the results of the Stanford-Binet v5 do indicate your son's potential. I would consider him gifted. And the scores are certainly evident of his above averageness. It is important to note that the gifted are a rather diverse group and their range of attainment will surely be varied. Amongst them, a good number do well in national exams or meet the cut-off points for national qualifications. However, giftedness covers much more than the ability to succeed in tests and exams. They may be very capable of demonstrating some unique talent, leadership qualities, high-level practical skills (e.g., interpersonal skills), high capacity for creative thought, talent in performing arts, etc. Your son demonstrates ability in the social field which can also be a leadership quality. Not all gifted individuals are obvious achievers. They may still be achievers, but very few may actually see it simply due to awareness level of giftedness in society. Some actually underachieve due to learning disabilities; others have their potential masked by factors such as frustration, low self-esteem, lack of challenge, or low parent/teacher expectations. Your son is not underachieving but as you mentioned, is just getting by. He probably finds school lessons meaningless or not stimulating enough for him to have interest. He probably finds some meaning in friendship, hence the socializing skills. It appears that his school has failed to cater for his needs and this is quite common in schools where gifted education may not be given a very high regard or importance. Additionally, when he did not qualify for the gifted program admission, it is automatically assumed that he is better suited for the regular curriculum. Not all gifted children would qualify for the gifted program, especially when they have not been challenged over the years. Being viewed as a “trouble maker” is his way of getting some attention since that is surely more stimulating than being bored! I think what you really need to do is to see a gifted specialist to get help with your son and evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. I really feel that he needs a better learning program to help stimulate him. He probably finds his friends more stimulating and rather spends his time with them. If there is a gifted association in your area, please join the network and meet other parents with gifted children. It is easier to have a gifted child who fits in most of the criteria on a giftedness checklist; however your son is among the few who doesn't. If left on his own, he will just accept being average and his gifts will not be developed. Perhaps, you may want to speak to some at his school for another evaluation and hopefully he will be able to get a differentiated curriculum. It is going to be a long process but you must not give up as he is still very young. Best of luck! 
|
Checkout these other
gifted children questions
|
|