In article ,
"Vicki" wrote:

We have discussed getting
appropriate challenge in her classroom--the teacher has been helpful, but
there is only so much she can do. We chose not to skip dd to the next grade
as she is already the youngest in her class.

I've just been reading a book about exceptionally gifted children by Miraca
Gross. She comes down heavily in favour of acceleration for the profoundly
gifted, on the grounds that children (and adults) tend to befriend their
*intellectual* peers rather than their age-peers. Her research/literature
survey indicated that profoundly gifted children are usually socially and
morally advanced as well as being academically advanced, and fit in well with
*and are accepted by* older classmates, once they are officially members of
that class. My only hesitation is that this book was written in 1989 and more
research may have changed the picture a bit.

However, I agree firmly with her that a child that is left in a class where
everything comes very easily will not learn to apply herself, may become
naughty through boredom, may underachieve through a desire to fit in, may be
socially isolated because she is developmentally and intellectually so far
ahead of the rest, or may just retreat into misery. Your DD may not be in the
"profoundly gifted" category, but the same thing is true -- just to a lesser
extent -- for gifted children in other categories.

I think you should reconsider acceleration.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

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