How to tell if a child is gifted?
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When they are preschoolers, everyone around them are worried and anxious if they do not start speaking or are not able to string sentences together. Parents worry, teachers raise alarm bells, grandparents wonder why like that. Then when they finally start yakking, and start formal schooling we want them to keep quiet.
I think kids must be thinking we adults are a confused bunch.
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EN:
O, EN, didn't realize that was the result of the psychological assessment. Now we are in the same boat. :(, but it is really not that bad, we will be ok, yah?
Now 9 diagnose as AS, I need to keep reminding him to lower his tone and to stop yakking so much.
Yeap, the school is time pressured to follow syllabus closely. Too much questions by children will be a waste of time as the goal set will not be met. Kinda sad right.
It is very sad that kids are asked to shut up in schools and something needs to be done. I think the teachers ought to learn to listen to the kids sometimes as well. I believe in letting the child learn himself as well as through friends and groups and from the teacher.
I was thinking about starting up a school for twice exceptional, just playing with the thoughts. Anyone wants to teach? I can raise funds and all that... I'm also not sure if AS kids can get exemption from school easily. Wonder if Deminc knows... if so, we can create a very interesting curriculum without worrying about PSLE. -
2ppaamm,
i can’t say for sure. there are broad guidelines in place, but every child is considered on an individual basis, so there is still wriggle room for MOE to say no.
What I can say is
- there ARE autistic/ASD children who received the exemption in the homeschooling community. They are not subject to PSLE, and I understand from the parents that the exemption is "for good"; no need to reapply year after year.
- This year, MOE put together a new info package for those who want to homeschool. Two of the additions/changes are:
"Pt. 7: Children diagnosed with special needs shall be exempted from CE on grounds of their special needs condition rather than on the basis of being homeschooled. The CE-exemption on grounds of special needs has to be supported with relevant documents (e.g. reports from registered psychologists)"
"Pt.13: A child exempted from CE on the basis of special needs is not required to sit the PSLE. "
Pt. 13 goes on to say that if the parents apply for exemption on basis of homeschooling, even if your child has special needs, he still must take the PSLE and must meet the higher benchmark.
So in your case, you need to apply on basis of ASD, with official reports from psychologist with something that says our local schools cannot provide a suitable learning environment for him, or he is unable to understand the complex social rules in a classroom and will be better served being exempted and finding his own path in his own time. I think another letter from school that says the teachers can’t cope will help. (Their ineptness may yet turn out to be a blessing in disguise!) Emphasizing, even exaggerating the social difficulties (disruptive, misunderstanding/bullying, etc) , will aid your cause. If it’s me, I will also add in any emails of complaints or incidents I may have received from schools to strengthen my case.
If you try to apply for homeschooling on the basis of being able to provide a tailored programme for him, you will probably not get permission due to the fact that you are a working mum. There is now a clause that says that working parents are considered unsuitable since they can’t possibly have the time.
This is my general sense of things. I hope it is of some help. Even if you don’t get the approval, I’m sure GEB will get a nudge in the side and will try harder to help you find a good match between schools and your son. Isn’t there a GEB officer assigned to your child? Can she help? -
sleepy:
My dh's simplistic theory is if a child is more advanced, lagi should stay in same level, no need to study till face 'green green', got mood & time to enjoy scenery, day dream a little, why not? :lol: I tend to lean towards the other spectrum. If a child is able to progress at an accelerated pace, why not?
Both views are valid. I think at the end of the day, it depends on your child's personality and inclinations. Some want to go fast, some are more reflective or prefer to have time to do their own things. I think our system can suck up a lot of time. If the child is not very academically inclined, he may prefer to go at normal speed so he has lots of time to do his own stuff.
For those interested in parenting stuff, I would recommend reading up on Terry Tao's father. TT is a maths prodigy and has two younger brothers, one of whom is ASD. His parents spend a lot of time considering what is the best way to bring him and his brothers up. His father spent a lot of time talking to researchers of gifted children/gifted education, and decided that rather than full-speed acceleration, they will go for what he described as a pyramid model of education.
Through train acceleration is going through the levels as quickly as you can, and the results is deep but narrow knowledge base. The Taos chose to hold him back at certain levels, BUT during these time, he did more courses than his peers. ie, he ended up with a much wider knowledge base, but of course greatest proficiency in his area of passion, ie knowledge base is pyramid shape. Studies have shown that the most innovative minds are usually well versed in a number of different fields - maths/music, technology/biology etc.
Socially, they didn't want him to be too far from his peers, especially during the teenage years. The pyramid model helped to slow down his transit through the upper grades, but of course, he being a prodigy, still earned his PhD at a much younger age than his peers.
It's a very interesting read. -
sleepy:
My dh's simplistic theory is if a child is more advanced, lagi should stay in same level, no need to study till face 'green green', got mood & time to enjoy scenery, day dream a little, why not? :lol: I tend to lean towards the other spectrum. If a child is able to progress at an accelerated pace, why not?
Having experienced the scenario your DH painted, the reality is that the teachers will generally do not allow that - daydreaming, feeling bored & restless in class ... the child finishes the work fast, he tends to talk to others, help or disturb others. Understanding, perceptive teachers will allow him to take out a book to read or give them other tasks to occupy themselves - no-nonsense teachers will give your child a really tough lower primary life (until GE streaming).
I believe that gifted kids will progress at an accelerated rate by himself even if the parents did not realize the child's potential and step in to intervene. However, it's just amazing how much further they can go with a little help. -
keroppi:
agree! Lower primary was like hell. However, ge was the deep blue sea. He continued to do work quickly, dream etc... I guess this little help has to come from somewhere else.
I believe that gifted kids will progress at an accelerated rate by himself even if the parents did not realize the child's potential and step in to intervene. However, it's just amazing how much further they can go with a little help. -
2ppaamm:
This post is funnier. Can't imagine you worrying abt statutory rape.
This one is kind of funny. I remember having to seat my son down on the day he had his first outing with his uni friends. I had to explain statutory rape to him, etc. He told me he already knew and he was not going to venture into those things, anyway.
Sending a kid to college early, like in all things, will have its ups and downs. Whatever decision we take, we right it. Always tell the kiddos there's no such thing as a right decision. We RIGHT every decision.
I don't know how to cut & paste posts quickly & there are so many posts in 1 day.
Your son certainly sounds ready for college cos he has a generous disposition to life. I still think 16 is a safer age for most kids. Agree there are exceptional kids and parents. Your family seems to have a strong internal locus of control.
It is not meaningful to aim to be popular.
It is no point trying to be someone else. Being comfortable with oneself is more impt. People enjoy the company of people with sunny disposition & avoid unhappy/depressed persons.
I'm not sure if a unique sense humour can be taught. It may help a bit if one interacts with a humorous person. Probably having a diverse interest in many things may help a bit more.
Personally I don't like being mediocre. Either I don't do it, do enough to get general social acceptance (remain anonymous) or I do it very very well. I hope my girl shares my worldview.
I feel super KS as she is only 18 mth old.
:love: -
pingsped:
I share the same view. I hate competitions and I dislike to have to conform to ONLY ONE way of doing things.
Personally I don't like being mediocre. Either I don't do it, do enough to get general social acceptance (remain anonymous) or I do it very very well. I hope my girl shares my worldview.
:love:
More often, when I see everyone else stepping on each other trying to achieve one thing, I'd look for something else that no one is interested in, work hard and excel in it. Easier on myself and happier that way...
Another funny thing is, often, once I managed to excel on that unpopular option, many other people will want to work on my unpopular option as well (presumably thinking they can do better?). Then, I'll start looking for something else again... Life becomes interesting every time this happens. -
2ppaamm:
Another funny thing is, often, once I managed to excel on that unpopular option, many other people will want to work on my unpopular option as well (presumably thinking they can do better?).
hahaha I can identify with that for my shopping experience. :rotflmao:
Whenever I walk into a quiet shop without any shoppers, within minutes the shop will be filled with shoppers. Even my little one notices that and she has verbalised it before to me....\"How come like that?\"
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2ppaamm:
yup..it does happen in everywhere..when one's business bloom, you will see more and more competitors coming out...
I share the same view. I hate competitions and I dislike to have to conform to ONLY ONE way of doing things.pingsped:
Personally I don't like being mediocre. Either I don't do it, do enough to get general social acceptance (remain anonymous) or I do it very very well. I hope my girl shares my worldview.
:love:
More often, when I see everyone else stepping on each other trying to achieve one thing, I'd look for something else that no one is interested in, work hard and excel in it. Easier on myself and happier that way...
Another funny thing is, often, once I managed to excel on that unpopular option, many other people will want to work on my unpopular option as well (presumably thinking they can do better?). Then, I'll start looking for something else again... Life becomes interesting every time this happens.
..that's life.. right :imconstipated:
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