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Hi, first off, I'm so very happy that my child is smart! This isn't about me it's about him. I had my 8 year old tested by a psych the other day because he's a very emotional child. What came out of that meeting shocked me and now I'm at a loss as to what to do!
My son has always been way ahead of the curve in reading and now simple math and when they tested him the other day, the psych tells me he's reading at a 8th grade level (he's in 2nd grade) and 5th grade math level. He also mentioned to me that his IQ is 138.
So, I'm at a loss as to what to do now.
To me, he's a kid. Like soccers, his brothers, playing and everything just like every other kid. He does seem to get really frustrated really quickly and he can't express himself very well. It's like his mind out paces his mouth and he has a hard time communicating how he feels, so this causes him to explode emotionally.
Am I doing something wrong? Am I putting him into the wrong environment by letting him do "normal" kid stuff? Is this a source of his frustrations because of his intelligence?
He's in public schools, should I consider applying to a magnet school?
How reliable is an IQ test at age 8?
I have so many questions and don't know where to turn so I thought I'd reach out to see if anyone has been through what I'm going through and if so how'd you come out the other side!
my child too tested way off the charts in kindergarten. just because a child is gifted doesn't mean that they are not emotionally their physical age. yes, let him be a kid. if you like the school he is in keep him there. just keep an eye on his school work and make sure they are keeping him challenged or at least interested. I heard once that most schools teach to the middle range so a slower and the smarter kids sometimes don't get what they need. as far as being worried you are not as smart as your kid, you have maturity and the wisdom that comes with it. don't worry. also most smart kids no matter how far advanced they are than their peers sooner or later the class catches up with them. by the time he is in upper elementary school most likely he will be at the same grade level as the rest of his class. unless he is doogie howser.
My son has always been way ahead of the curve in reading and now simple math and when they tested him the other day, the psych tells me he's reading at a 8th grade level (he's in 2nd grade) and 5th grade math level. He also mentioned to me that his IQ is 138.
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.
138 is high. That's even higher than my IQ.
You should immediately look into his current school's honors program or gifted classes or honors class. That's where his peers are, and not some regular kids.
Your kid sounds like me when I was younger except that I don't have the temper thing. Yea, I am just chill and cool like that.
I have a 7yr old with a 140 IQ. I have to admit that it isn't what I would have picked for him. My son struggles with being an immature, socially awkward, 7yr old who is brilliant at school, lousy at making friends, and struggles with hyperactivity. He spent most of yesterday building a radio using a circuit board and instruction booklet. He can speak pretty confidently about the unrest Crimea. He learned multiplication in an afternoon but he thinks poop jokes are hysterical and doesn't understand why some parts of school are SO boring.
My son's doctor recommended the SENG web site and I've found it invaluable.
Hi, first off, I'm so very happy that my child is smart! This isn't about me it's about him. I had my 8 year old tested by a psych the other day because he's a very emotional child. What came out of that meeting shocked me and now I'm at a loss as to what to do!
My son has always been way ahead of the curve in reading and now simple math and when they tested him the other day, the psych tells me he's reading at a 8th grade level (he's in 2nd grade) and 5th grade math level. He also mentioned to me that his IQ is 138.
So, I'm at a loss as to what to do now.
To me, he's a kid. Like soccers, his brothers, playing and everything just like every other kid. He does seem to get really frustrated really quickly and he can't express himself very well. It's like his mind out paces his mouth and he has a hard time communicating how he feels, so this causes him to explode emotionally.
Am I doing something wrong? Am I putting him into the wrong environment by letting him do "normal" kid stuff? Is this a source of his frustrations because of his intelligence?
He's in public schools, should I consider applying to a magnet school?
How reliable is an IQ test at age 8?
I have so many questions and don't know where to turn so I thought I'd reach out to see if anyone has been through what I'm going through and if so how'd you come out the other side!
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quaker15
138 is high. That's even higher than my IQ.
You should immediately look into his current school's honors program or gifted classes or honors class. That's where his peers are, and not some regular kids.
Your kid sounds like me when I was younger except that I don't have the temper thing. Yea, I am just chill and cool like that.
Ironically, I was just going to post that although an IQ of 138 is high he is not that much different than his "normal peers" (as some of them are above average as well). Of course, he will enjoy playing soccer and doing other things that his brothers and the neighborhood boys enjoy doing. It is possible that there is some frustration at school due to his being above average/gifted but it is unlikely that it carries over to being so smart that he can't participate in "normal kid activities".
He may just need more activities that are enrichment or academic in nature. What activities to select depends on your child, musical instruments, foreign languages, reading, electronics, mechanical things, theater and many more things could help your son be the best that he can be.
Enrollment in a total immersion foreign language elementary school was perfect for our son but wasn't right for our daughter. Public speaking, theater and dance were great enrichment activities for our daughter but were of little interest to our son. And neither really "got into" playing a musical instrument. You know your son and what he enjoys doing just start there to help him build his skills.
Yes, look into the honor program or the gifted program in his school. Maybe a magnet school would be better, maybe not, it depends on how good the education is at your school. Some schools will allow students to be in reading and math classes with an older grade and that may be all that your child needs.
Individual testing for an 8 year old, IMHO, is somewhat accurate. Meaning he probably is, and always will be, above average/gifted. Will he be valedictorian of his high school class? Maybe yes and maybe he will be in the top 20% of his graduating class. You don't have to worry about that now. Just provide the best education and enrichment activities that you can provide and help him to deal with his frustration and emotionality (perhaps through therapy) and it will work out.
Good luck to you. Many areas have groups for parents of children who are gifted. Your school can probably help you locate a group, if you are having problem finding one on your own.
Last edited by germaine2626; 04-27-2014 at 02:00 PM..
I have a 7yr old with a 140 IQ. I have to admit that it isn't what I would have picked for him. My son struggles with being an immature, socially awkward, 7yr old who is brilliant at school, lousy at making friends, and struggles with hyperactivity. He spent most of yesterday building a radio using a circuit board and instruction booklet. He can speak pretty confidently about the unrest Crimea. He learned multiplication in an afternoon but he thinks poop jokes are hysterical and doesn't understand why some parts of school are SO boring.
My son's doctor recommended the SENG web site and I've found it invaluable.
Ironically, I was just going to post that although an IQ of 138 is high he is not that much different than his "normal peers" (as some of them are above average as well). Of course, he will enjoy playing soccer and doing other things that his brothers and the neighborhood boys enjoy doing. It is possible that there is some frustration at school due to his being above average/gifted but it is unlikely that it carries over to being so smart that he can't participate in "normal kid activities".
He may just need more activities that are enrichment or academic in nature. What activities to select depends on your child, musical instruments, foreign languages, reading, electronics, mechanical things, theater and many more things could help your son be the best that he can be.
Enrollment in a total immersion foreign language elementary school was perfect for our son but wasn't right for our daughter. Public speaking, theater and dance were great enrichment activities for our daughter but were of little interest to our son. And neither really "got into" playing a musical instrument. You know your son and what he enjoys doing just start there to help him build his skills.
Yes, look into the honor program or the gifted program in his school. Maybe a magnet school would be better, maybe not, it depends on how good the education is at your school. Some schools will allow students to be in reading and math classes with an older grade and that may be all that your child needs.
Individual testing for an 8 year old, IMHO, is somewhat accurate. Meaning he probably is, and always will be, above average/gifted. Will he be valedictorian of his high school class? Maybe yes and maybe he will be in the top 20% of his graduating class. You don't have to worry about that now. Just provide the best education and enrichment activities that you can provide and help him to deal with his frustration and emotionality (perhaps through therapy) and it will work out.
Good luck to you. Many areas have groups for parents of children who are gifted. Your school can probably help you locate a group, if you are having problem finding one on your own.
Thank you, I have four children and we knew from the beginning that this son was gifted with smarts. He started reading really quickly and I'm still amazed at his reading level. He loves a lot of socially introverted things, like putting together puzzles, reading, video games, he is also really big into collecting and sorting, everything from buttons to coins to pieces of glass.
These are all wonderful activities, but they don't include interactions with others. So I try to keep him around team sports, and others as much as he will allow me to, but this is where the social disconnects start up. If he gets frustrated, it's like a Level 5 tornado of emotions that come out. There's no in-between with him. I'm wondering if this is a symptom of the elevated intelligence or just another completely unrelated issue we need to diagnose separately?
Don't be worried about the kid, I'd be worried about myself. Thinking you aren't smart means there is something not quite right going on.
I'd seriously start evaluating why I thought I wasn't smart. If you think you aren't smart, your kid will figure that out too and that is a problem. The opposite of smart is stupid. Don't be stupid, be smart.
Forget the team sports. All they would do is point out to him how little some kids care about other things. He's not the only one in his class that is above average. Let him make friends if he wants to. If he likes books better than people, encourage that too. You have to play it by ear.
Whatever you do.....DO NOT TALK ABOUT HIS ABILITIES TO OTHER MOTHERS. The third grade is the "catching up" grade. He'll find more boys (and girls) that are not only equals, but may even surpass him for a while.
Get books. make regular trips to a library and let him pick out the ones HE wants to, not the ones that you might think are OK. Even his teachers won't always understand how his mind works.
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