if you think your child is gifted...

i'd say read the article i copied from an internet site and pasted below.

Parents and their Children – you can feel confident.

First it is important to emphasise that a parent or parent's feelings about whether or not a child is gifted have been found by research to be the most reliable form of detecting a gifted child, other than by an IQ test.  I find that parents who contact me are often almost apologetic about daring to think that their child might be gifted. This is because there is a widespread stereotype in our community that parents have a greatly inflated opinion about their child's abilities.

However there is a definite distinction here.  When parents are bonding well with a baby or young child, they focus on, and are delighted by, each small new achievement or piece of progress which the baby or child makes. From the moment of the child's birth, they begin to enter partially into the amazing world of the development and growth of children, and in a way which can only happen if you are a parent or a very dedicated child psychologist, for the first time they begin to see the wonder and sheer astonishment of the details of learning and progress which the baby & young child makes.  They are fascinated with every detail of this process, as they well should be. It is one of the most amazing phenomena which takes place on our planet and one which not all the world’s technology can simulate to even the smallest extent.  So the parents talk about it.

Unfortunately any friends and outsiders who are not going through the same process of parenting, but are in the outside world of business, industry, work, and day-to-day living, don't have this wonderful insight. So they find the topic very boring and interpret the parents' talk as meaning that the parents have a ridiculously high opinion of their child's achievements.  In fact it is the world in general which has a ridiculously low appreciation of the almost inconceivable process that is taking place as a baby learns and progresses and grows into a child and eventually into an adult.

But the issue regarding gifted children is different.  In my experience, as human beings, most of us are not in reality over-confident and conceited, and most parents, while certainly thinking their children are wonderful, are if anything reluctant to begin to decide that their child may be gifted. So, if you think your child is gifted, you are probably right.

If you think your child is gifted, you need to begin to learn something about the issues of gifted children, and then to make some decisions and perhaps get some advice.  You can begin by reading all the information on this website, and on other links, sites and sources which this can direct you to.  One of the first decisions you may wonder about is whether or not to have an IQ assessment done for your child.

To Test or Not To Test:

If you believe your child is gifted, it's natural to want to have it confirmed, and to know exactly how gifted – you may feel confused or worried by the idea, and may well feel that the results of an IQ test would give you definite information, and some reassuring facts to work with – and depending on your circumstances this may well be true. Whether you should have your child tested or not is a matter of balancing three factors: the cost of the test, your child’s age which affects the accuracy of the test, and the extent of need for the exact IQ information which only the test can give you.

 

 

And to know if your child is indeed gifted, compare notes with this:

  Gifted children's behavior differs from that of their age-mates in the following ways: 

Many gifted children learn to read early, with better comprehension of the nuances of language. As much as half the gifted and talented population has learned to read before entering school. 

Gifted children often read widely, quickly, and intensely and have large vocabularies. 

Gifted children commonly learn basic skills better, more quickly, and with less practice. 

They are better able to construct and handle abstractions. 

They often pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and can draw inferences that other children need to have spelled out for them. 

They take less for granted, seeking the "hows" and "whys." 

They can work independently at an earlier age and can concentrate for longer periods. 

Their interests are both wildly eclectic and intensely focused. 

They often have seemingly boundless energy, which sometimes leads to a misdiagnosis of hyperactivity. 

They usually respond and relate well to parents, teachers, and other adults. They may prefer the company of older children and adults to that of their peers. 

They like to learn new things, are willing to examine the unusual, and are highly inquisitive. 

They tackle tasks and problems in a well-organized, goal-directed, and efficient manner. 

They exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn, find out, or explore and are often very persistent. "I'd rather do it myself" is a common attitude.

the question now is: would you just shrug it off?