Hellobee Boards

She is 22 months, so no I don't think she's gifted. Even if I did I would never get her tested unless it was to get into a G&T program.

It's hard to tell at such a young age. I have to complete several GT referrals a year at the campus I work at--many parent requests are for students that are high achievers, but not truly gifted...they are few and far between.

We'll have her tested for the gifted program for kindergarten. She's advanced for her age, but I don't know that that means she should be in the gifted program. We won't be testing her for Mensa, I remember seeing the news about a 3 year old joining.

I think she's too young to tell! (She's only 2 yo)

No, I don't think so. It's tough b/c I think I have really high expectations for her though. My sister and I were never tested, but both of us were very quick learners, and my sister especially was an extremely gifted child -- e.g. she was drawing human figures when she was 2.5, reading entire books at age 3.5, and memorized all of the states and their capitals at age 5. I have to remember not to compare my daughter to that benchmark and just let her advance at her own pace. She's amazing and has her own talents.

I think/hope she will be smarter than average but the "gifted" label makes it sound....yeah, Sheldon-y. But if that gift comes with the ability to, say, cure cancer? Awesome

@twoofeverything, I totally know what you mean. I've met some exceptionally smart people at work and they are surely in that gifted spectrum....they are difficult to relate to. Quirky beyond average. I hope my kids are bright AND well rounded

@twoofeverything: Totally get what you're saying and agree. As a teacher, the majority of my 'gifted' students are just really dedicated and high achieving, rather than that much more intellectually advanced than others.

I try not to think about these things, and just let LO grow as she may. I would be very happy if she was simply dedicated and excited about learning.

Nope! I think he's very intelligent and I know he will do fine but I not into the whole "gifted testing" thing. I DO want to always push his limits and encourage success, but let that be level appropriate.

Yes, my eight month old is a GENIUS. He turns the pages correctly without even being prompted when I'm reading to him. Clearly he's on his way to Harvard or Yale.

Haha...kidding, obviously. Although I did graduate from high school with one of those rare kids who was a genius but also had pretty good social skills and was friendly with lots of us despite being significantly younger.

Nope, but my grandmother (LOs great grandma) is totally convinced that she is

I think it is so tough to say when they are really little. My husband was super smart even as a young child... He would finish the math book for the year the first week of school and would be given an encyclopedia to read in class a lot of the time. School was much better for him when he was put into a G&T program. If I get a sense that my child is not being challenged I will absolutely get him/her tested.

My LO is only 2 years 3 months but people have been telling me she is exceptionally smart since she was 18 months. At 18 months knew all her letters (like you could point to a letter and she would tell you what it was), she knew all kinds of colors (like silver, grey, gold) and could identify all kinds of shapes like diamond, pentagon, octagon, etc. And now she knows all kinds of sight words (the, on, is, has), knows all her phonics, and can read 50+ simple words (cat, rag, pet, dog, etc). She's doing 28-34 piece puzzles and has an incredible memory). Her teachers are always telling me how advanced she is but she is very much a playful silly child and doesn't come across as gifted...just very curious. When it becomes clear that she isn't being challenged in school we will get her tested but not any earlier than that I think

@sandy: just wanted to say that i think it's really cool all the things that your LO is able to learn at a young age! that's definitely ahead of the curve :). it's great to be curious!

my LO seems about average at the moment! hehe

i don't really care too much about gifted etc for my LO's, but i do care that my LO will be challenged appropriately and the bar will be set not too high not too low, wherever he ends up going to school/learning. i hope he is always able to enjoy reaching for his potential, whatever it may be

@sandy: C has always impressed me with how much she knows! My LO is now 18 months and can't do any of that yet.

My almost 12 year old is an extremely advanced reader and has been since he was 5. It can be a blessing and a curse, he attends a charter school which does not offer TAG , thankfully. When he was going to public school he was in TAG and didn't care for it. He's average in math, history, and science, he's a talented writer as well.

My 2.5 year old can repeat the alphabet and count to 10 by repeating after you She's pretty gifted in the shrieking and tantrum department!

Is it crazy that my first thought was yes? She's only 19 months and isn't talking much, but I think she's gifted at something. She has an uncanny ability to kick DH's face while turning around and having her little butt in mine, for instance! Hehe!

If she was truly "gifted" I don't believe in tests and advanced programs until she's a LOT older, anyway. Children's minds are supposed to be advance in different paces. A "genius" 2 yr old's mind may not continue to learn at that pace at age 8. Their little brains are simply immature. I think the experts say it's closer to when kids' reach 3rd grade that the tests are more reliable.

@Silva: I totally agree. There are a lot of really really smart kids and I think that accounts for 98% of kids in G&T programs. Are they truly "gifted"? Doubtful.

My daughter is verbally advanced, and I am truly amazed by the amount of imagination and empathy she shows at only 20 months. She seems compassionate and intellectually curious beyond her age – but truly gifted? Far too early to tell; and likely no.

We definitely have educational expectations for her, and will do everything to foster a love of learning and love of education - - which doesn’t necessarily correlate to having her tests into G&T or pushing to skip grades as I think too much pushing can turn learning into a chore. Although, I also would be interested in her taking tests if they could really benefit her or help her get ahead. We'll try to walk the fine line between making sure she is sufficiently challenged academically and being a "tiger mom"

So, I don’t know what we’ll do yet!

My kid kicks in fibonnacci sequences so….. lol

Honestly I don't know if we'll have her tested if it turns out that we think she's advanced or whatever. I don't really understand the distinction between high achieving/gifted people? Also I don't know if it matters if she is.

I was… whatever. I was doing multiplication and division at 4 years old. It was pretty clear initially that I was more advanced than anyone else in my classes without putting in any effort. They tried giving me extra work in 1st-2nd but that wasn't enough and I was bored so then they skipped me into 4th. My mom wouldn't let them test me for the gifted program for 4th grade because she thought I'd already be the weirdo who skipped a grade I didn't also need to be one of the nerdy gifted kids. But then it was still clear I was bored so they started bussing me to the high school for math when I was in 5th grade. And things basically went on like that-- it would be pretty clear what I needed even though there was no testing and the school/my parents found ways to challenge me.

But the thing is-- I still don't know that any of it mattered? I guess it sort of kept me out of trouble because I didn't goof off as much since I wasn't quite so bored, but I was still a total slacker and it just wasn't my personality to like school or put in any effort. And even though things come easily to me academically I don't enjoy it or consider myself an academic so when I went to college I did not pursue math like my parents/teachers begged me to and instead did a degree in sociology and now I have a perfectly uninteresting and not particularly impressive job because being "smart" doesn't matter to me.

I guess my point is…. just because your kid IS smart or gifted or whatever doesn't' mean that using those talents is going to make them happy. Or that they should necessarily have some big impressive career some day. I always sort of resented that everyone thought I HAD to be something so impressive because I was smart, whereas I sort of just want normal stuff… house, family, career in art. I hope that I'll challenge my kid in whatever way she needs to be challenged but even if she IS gifted I hope I won't push her into thinking she has to be some traditionally "impressive/successful" person just because she COULD be if that doesn't make her happy.

Heck yes, my son is brilliant! He counts in three languages and understands the abstract component of numbers ( what two represents, not just identifying the number).

But then, he doesn't get what he wants and dissolves into a tantrum in the corner.

In all seriousness, if you have a genius, you know. And I know my son is smart, but not a prodigy of any sort.