The Challenges Of Gifted children

My oldest son is gifted. I didn't need a battery of psychological tests and IQ measurements to tell me it either. Parents know when their children are different. They may not always be able to put an exact label on the differences but they notice them none the less.

We decided to move my gifted son to another school for first grade. Last year's school was tremendous, but it required three hours a day to transport him to and from school. We choose the new school because it is only 12 miles from home.

My son did not take the transition well. On the surface, he seems to be adjusting fine, but his close family members have noticed the drastic change.

He has begun missing basic addition problems and asking for help while reading first grade material at school and at home. For the average child, this would not be unusual, but he ended the school year in May doing third grade math, English and spelling and reading at a fifth grade level. He daydreams during class time and runs amok in the classroom when he is supposed to be working. His teacher not only thinks he is a dodo, but she's recommended that he be medicated for ADHD.

This has prompted me to look into the world of gifted children more closely to understand what is going on in his little world. I will be sharing my discoveries over the next few weeks in hope that as we grow as a family, our journey will someday help other families with gifted children as well.