how to get your child tested for gifted children

dolphins19

Hi, I have been watching the show child genius and thought i would get my child tested, as she is so bored in school and i want to do my best for her. She is 6 years old and reads fluently, she reads roald dahl books by herself and she is always asking me questions and she spells big words like damaged and receptionist. I only want the best for her like all parents, but if i can get her extra help or if i need to, then how would you go about getting them tested. I tried a website called funeducatin, but they had a I-Q test with 200 questions and even i got bored, but she enjoyed it but there was just not enough time to finish it. thanxs :j

Zazen999

What did your school say when you spoke to them about it?

macymoo

My daughter has just turned 6 too, she also reads Roald Dahl books by herself and spells long words etc, she is near the top of her class at school and I believe she is bright (but not necessarily gifted??) there are a couple of children in her class at a similar standard.
She attends a Stage school on a Saturday and plays Golf on a Sunday, this seems to keep her from getting bored, how about a hobby for your girl?

ickster

Schools should idenitfy gifted children and they should be entered onto a gifted child register. Ofsted are very keen to ensure schools are pushing high achievers. Have you asked the school for their gifted pupils policy? The local authority will also run gifted children groups. Perhaps you could telephone them. Finally, you should book an appointment to speak to your school's special needs teacher. Gifted children have special needs so come under this post holder's responsibility.

Lunar_Eclipse

dolphins19 wrote: »

Hi, I have been watching the show child genius and thought i would get my child tested,

At my daughter's school all the children sit QCA tests and NVR (non-verbal reasoning) tests at the beginning of Year 3. (Perhaps google QCA and see what it comes up with?) They are 7 so a little older than your daughter. They are not IQ or tests for gifted children, but they give the school an excellent indication of their innate ability. (And can use them to predict test scores and future exam success.) I have been told that 7 is an excellent age to test children.

I have a friend who has had her children tested by a child psychologist, so that could be one option for you.

I do think children have a very wide range of ability and that one's perception of this is influenced by one's environment, including your daughter's peer group in class for instance. The reading books and spellings you mentioned seem normal to me for a child in Year 2 and also for the brightest children in Year 1, so I'm guessing that your 6 year old is currently in Year 1. And Harry Potter comes next, from my experience.

I have been informed that gifted children are supposedly c. 4 years plus ahead of their peers. Whereas bright children are about 2 years ahead. So at Key Stage 1, the tests children sit about now in Year 2, the average standards are to achieve Level 2. Bright children typically achieve Level 3 (the level for an average 9 year old) and gifted children would achieve Level 4 (for an average 11 year old) - although they do not usually get tested at this level now in most/all schools.

As an aside, it would be worth discussing your concerns with the school, although I know from experience that 'my child is bored' conversations never go down well and usually amount to nothing. It's akin to stabbing a teacher to death, for some utterly daft reason. Either the teacher is responsible for the curriculum level set ( as opposed to the Govt) or they aren't. Which one is it? It doesn't work both ways. And at the end of the day as you correctly said yourself, we're all just trying to help and support our own children as best we can. Shame though, no-one likes to see their child bored or not particularly enjoying school. My youngest (also 6 - born Sept 10th!!) is like this, although I think she's starting to enjoy the very easy ride now! :rotfl:Because there are a handful of similarly 'bright' children in her class, I hadn't thought about the possibility of her being gifted. I'm not sure why, although I would say it is so much easier having a child who does not struggle with homework and learns things (spelling, times tables) quickly. I have friends who feel it is like pulling teeth.

chika

Just to echo the above, your daughter's school should have a gifted and talented puipils policy and the teachers will give this to you upon request. All teachers are trained to recognise gifted and talented pupils - if you really do suspect that your daughter is gifted and talented then you could arrange an appointment with the school's SENCO who will identify the appropriate action to be taken.
Now just a word of catution. Your daughter does indeed sound bright but the reading age of most Roald Dahl books is from approx 5. So although its great that she can read and obviously enjoys it she may not yet be identified as gifted and talented.

Zziggi

ickster wrote: »

Schools should idenitfy gifted children and they should be entered onto a gifted child register. Ofsted are very keen to ensure schools are pushing high achievers. Have you asked the school for their gifted pupils policy? The local authority will also run gifted children groups. Perhaps you could telephone them. Finally, you should book an appointment to speak to your school's special needs teacher. Gifted children have special needs so come under this post holder's responsibility.

I understood that children can only be entered into the gifted child register once they are aged 7 or above. Is this correct? Does anyone know? Do they only have certain "rights" to a suitable education once they have been officially put on the register (at age 7 or above)? By this I mean, if the school is not very supportive, once the child is 7 and put on the gifted child register, is the school then obliged to support the child's giftedness by providing suitable work (although you would hope the school would be supportive of a bright child anyway)?

My DD is quite bright and was telling me her schoolwork was boring and she was not being stretched. I was really worried about being seen as a "pushy parent" and I didn't think telling the teachers that DD was bored was a good way to approach the subject. I very tentatively approached the teachers responsible for literacy and numeracy and phrased my enquiry around asking for "advice on how to support DD at home because she wanted to do extra reading, could the school suggest suitable books or activities for me to do with DD at home". The school is the type that jumps at a parent approaching them for advice (in contrast to the overwhelming apathy of the majority of the parents). The literacy & numeracy teachers referred it up to chain to the Head who took an interest in DD and did an informal assessment. This has led to a specific programme of work for DD within the classroom and has moved her up 1 school year for numeracy and 2 school years for literacy. She seems to spend her time moving round different classes. She seems unphased by it although worry about the 'friendship groups' angle of it. The Head is a very hands-on type of person and keeps a regular eye on DD's progress. I have found the school supportive but I realise that this is mainly due to the Head and the fact the Head has taken a keen interest in DD's progress. DD will have to move schools in September and I have already approached the Head of the new school about the situation to see what they plan to do. The new school is very keen on maintaining friendship groups and absolutely won't entertain educating children outside of their age-groups. The Head talked at length about 'differentiation within the classroom'. I am all in favour of keeping DD within her age-group but I am sceptical about the 'differentiation in the classroom'. If she has good and experienced teachers then the differentiation may work. I am sceptical though.

Speak to the class teacher, if no joy and you are convinced your child needs more suitable work, make an appointment to see the Head.

dolphins19

thanx for the advice, my daughter also reads wuthering heights and she is the best writer in her class, her maths is also good,

dolphins19

thanx for the advice, my daugther goes horse riding, swimming, rainbows (brownies), and drama.

Gingernutmeg

Please don't try to use an internet IQ test to assess your daughter. They are designed for fun, and won't give you any kind of accurate result. Also, *most* online IQ tests are not designed to be taken by children as young as your daughter. The ONLY way to get a real idea of her IQ is to get her tested by a professional educational psychologist. If you feel that this is something you want to do, you could approach the school and ask for the contact details of the LEA educational psychology service. Or, you may be able to pay for this privately but I don't know how much it's likely to cost.

Toothsmith

dolphins19 wrote: »

thanx for the advice, my daughter also reads wuthering heights and she is the best writer in her class, her maths is also good,

Is Wuthering Heights suitable for a 6 yr old?

There are terms and concepts well above 'Fantastic Mr Fox'.

Jane Austen would be much better

Gifted & talented can be as much a curse as a blessing - be careful!