How to tell if a child is gifted?

[2ppaamm]

mashy:

2ppaamm:

[quote=\"mashy\"]Wow! So many of your kids can read chapter books at such a young age. My 5 going 6 ds isn't keen in chapter books. He was interested in Geronimo Stilton for a while but he's mostly reading science books. Anything about space, human body and machines will interest him.

Actually, not all my kids read early. My last one can't read at all or add when he entered P1 last year. I am not sure why, maybe because I have no time to read anything to him, or maybe because I sent him to a cheap childcare centre. Having said that, other kids at the same childcare can read much earlier than my smallest one.

I felt so bad, I started reading to him (only for a few months though) and gave him extra help when he entered P1. To my surprise, he has now managed an interesting vocab and can do math at about P4 or P5. I'd say a late bloomer is not necessarily a failure.
I have never read a single book in my life! I mean story books. I love journals, newspapers, I love researching and reading the most non-fiction stuff. I'd like to think I ended up ok?! So I think your kid should be ok. I think my kids read so much because there are so many books in the house. The last count was about to 5000. And I don't really like to give them away, or sell them. From picture books, to management books, to science books, to history books, to old newspapers, journals, magazines, Harvard business reviews etc. My #4 read everything by the time he was about to enter school. I recently checked his reading speed, bought 180 books for my 11 year old boy. He has read 100 books (from sci fi to management books, to history books, to puzzles) in 1 month. So I guess the kids just keep reading - anything. If we provide a conducive environment, I guess the kids pick the habit up easily. It also helps that my husband is a big reader, he is like a little child when he enters the library or bookstore, picking and introducing all sorts of books to the kids, even suggesting to the kids which writers they can emulate. Quite a bookworm.

To me, reading anything is fine, even comics, as long as they pique the child's interests and capture his attention. But I do have stuff I won't give them: porn, immoral, illegal stuff, which are available on the Internet these days. I honestly have some difficulty keeping track with what they read
these days from the www. The world has changed. But that's another story and a challenge of the new era.

Hi! Realize that one of your boys is gifted and has high functioning autism. I also just confirmed that of my boy. He has a splinter score for his IQ test. How does your boy cope in sch? What interventions did u do to help him?[/quote]I have since gotten confirmation from other psychologist that my son was misdiagnosed. So he is not autistic. I had a conversation with a British today and told him about my son's situation. He told me that Singapore's children are over diagnosed. Many are misdiagnosed due to insufficient experience in the industry. We have the highest incidence of autism diagnosis, even compared to Britain, Australia etc. My question is how qualified are the folks doing these diagnosis.

My son is already out of the school system because it was difficult for the teachers (not him, he could cope) to cope in school. We have moved out of Singapore. DS will be 12 next year, but we have decided not to take PSLE. He will likely get a place in the university next year, but we are hoping he gets a full scholarship as well. So will delay that a bit to end next year so that he can take some Ivy league uni and advanced courses before applying.

Net is, don't believe everything the 'experts' tell you. Believe in your child and decide what is the best. The experts nearly destroyed my boy, another expert bought us freedom. But we spent tons :moneyflies: to find that latter expert. Singapore's really not there yet in these areas, and yet the authorities refuse to admit it. Be very careful in the labeling. Hope this helps.

[mashy]

sleepyqueen:

deardear07:

my child's teacher once told me that children who can draw quite well tend to have higher IQs. how true is that? as in...can see that they have advanced development in terms of drawing and not simply doodling lines.


I know itz norm for children aged 3 to be able to recognize the alphabet and count (not rote count, but meaningfully) but i know itz not norm for them to write clear letters and numbers. im referring to all these for children who have not received formal 'training' but more of through observation of teachers and minimal teaching.

any comments on these?

Oops, mine until today still does not draw well even though he is in P3.

My boy could draw like shit too. He still draws matchstick men but his pic is filled to the brim with other details. He's been tested with high iq despite his horrible drawing, so don't worry.

[mashy]

Wow, in university! I also find that it is a very fine line between giftedness and autism. I think most gifted pp aren’t really interested in people. Like what temple grandin said, if this world was left to the socialites, we will still be living in caves. Lol.


I don’t think we can ever afford to leave the country though becoz on top of this, he has growth hormone deficiency. Talk about double whammy. It’s bleeding us dry already. Hope we will be able to wriggle through the system somehow. Thanks for sharing!

Are u the blogger who wrote on the conflicts of your son and the sch teachers? And how the teachers kept accusing him of pushing the table?

[2ppaamm]

mashy:

Wow, in university! I also find that it is a very fine line between giftedness and autism. I think most gifted pp aren't really interested in people. Like what temple grandin said, if this world was left to the socialites, we will still be living in caves. Lol.


I don't think we can ever afford to leave the country though becoz on top of this, he has growth hormone deficiency. Talk about double whammy. It's bleeding us dry already. Hope we will be able to wriggle through the system somehow. Thanks for sharing!

Are u the blogger who wrote on the conflicts of your son and the sch teachers? And how the teachers kept accusing him of pushing the table?

Haha, I no longer blog. Only a few articles and I stopped writing because I transferred all of them to my Facebook account using a newer technology to reach my readers, same name though. You can like the page if you find it, don't really want to publicize my page on ksp, not very right to leverage on KSP. I like this site a lot.

[2ppaamm]

sleepyqueen:

deardear07:

my child's teacher once told me that children who can draw quite well tend to have higher IQs. how true is that? as in...can see that they have advanced development in terms of drawing and not simply doodling lines.


I know itz norm for children aged 3 to be able to recognize the alphabet and count (not rote count, but meaningfully) but i know itz not norm for them to write clear letters and numbers. im referring to all these for children who have not received formal 'training' but more of through observation of teachers and minimal teaching.

any comments on these?

Oops, mine until today still does not draw well even though he is in P3.

It's ok I think, my 2nd daughter just turned 14 and she suddenly found a lot of passion in drawing, she's been drawing non stop the last 2 weeks and have improved a lot. And, she is such a late 'drawer', but she earned her place in the uni just last week. So I don't think drawing is the only indicator of ability. I certainly think she has proven she is not too low in the IQ department. We have been celebrating these 2 days! She with her drawings, and me with all the food. Yum!

[deardear07]

2ppaamm:

sleepyqueen:

[quote=\"deardear07\"]my child's teacher once told me that children who can draw quite well tend to have higher IQs. how true is that? as in...can see that they have advanced development in terms of drawing and not simply doodling lines.


I know itz norm for children aged 3 to be able to recognize the alphabet and count (not rote count, but meaningfully) but i know itz not norm for them to write clear letters and numbers. im referring to all these for children who have not received formal 'training' but more of through observation of teachers and minimal teaching.

any comments on these?

Oops, mine until today still does not draw well even though he is in P3.

It's ok I think, my 2nd daughter just turned 14 and she suddenly found a lot of passion in drawing, she's been drawing non stop the last 2 weeks and have improved a lot. And, she is such a late 'drawer', but she earned her place in the uni just last week. So I don't think drawing is the only indicator of ability. I certainly think she has proven she is not too low in the IQ department. We have been celebrating these 2 days! She with her drawings, and me with all the food. Yum! :)[/quote]
Lol...when they have the interest,they can most certainly excel. Gifted children tend to be self motivated.

[ConcernedDaddy]

interesting thread!

[solochn]

Hi,


He seems to gifted of sort. I am not too sure really.

My Child is almost 5 now and when he was 3 he can do a 200 piece puzzle by himself. He enjoys it very much and can do and dismantle and redo the same puzzle countless time. We never thought much of it. Just kept buying him puzzles.

Until now… He is almost 5 and is able to complete a 1000 piece puzzle mostly by himself. We have done about 3 sets of 1000 already and is not able to buy a bigger one for him because he cannot handle the size. He however prefer someone to do it together with him. And as before he likes to complete and dismantle and redo the same puzzle over and over again.

Now here is the interesting part… After completing a 1000 piece puzzle the first time ,with some help from us. On the second attempt onwards, I can give him any piece of puzzle and he knows exactly where it goes most of the time. After a few more attempt on the same puzzle he can do it with uncanny accuracy. He can place a piece in the middle and tell you it belongs there.

We are now doing a 1000 puzzle of ‘The last Judgement’ by Michelangelo, it is not an easy one to complete even for an adult, its the most difficult one we have done so far. We are on our second attempt and he is displaying the same ability once again.

Much as I want to shower him with puzzles, which he really love. I just need to know if he is gifted or just has a very good memory, or if there are any other kids like him.

Does anyone has a similar experience? Please share.

Thank you.

SC

[2ppaamm]

Hi SC,


Of my 5 kids, I have one who is extremely interested in puzzles as well. That would be my youngest child. I can recall him starting to do puzzles very young, before he could talk. He would arrange them and smile happily. They are very few pieces, maybe 20 or so.

His interests in puzzles continued until he started primary school. I stopped buying puzzles because I have no time to go to the shop, and he also stopped assembling them because I am a neat freak and would keep everything and forget to bring them out. I remember his uncles and aunts used to be amazed by the rate he could do puzzles and his accuracy even before he turned one. I took no notice of it.

I am not sure if he is gifted or not, he is only in P2, and it is not that important. Come to think of it, maybe I should go and buy some puzzles since he used to like them so much. I don’t do them with him, or guide him. He just walks around the puzzles and puts them in place as a child. Fun to watch.

Have fun with the child!

[laughingcat]

My DS1 also loves to read, draw and play puzzles as well. Likewise he can do 1000 pieces of puzzles. He can even fixed starwar lego than is meant for age 12 and above. To me i don’t care whether is he gifted or not. Personally it is early to be label as such. A quick hasty labelling is unnecessary as it will give an unwarranted expectation and disappointment. So what if the child is gifted or not? Does it means the provision is based on giftedness?


To me I just want my DS to enjoy childhood and all i ever do is to provide as much as possible in my capacity and support and loves to spur him on. That is more important.