Giftedness

I ordered a couple of books on gifted kids recently and have found them to be SO enlightening. I realized after Ethan saw the psychologist that I never had any training with working with gifted kids. Sure we studied IQ testing in school and discussed the theories and statistics behind it, but nothing on how to help a person who has a high IQ. (if it's not in the Diagnotic and Statistical Manuel of Psychiatric Disorders, we didn't learn it:). The adults and children I've counseled were always of average intelligence or borderline. Needless to say, I have learned a lot and it has explained SO much about Ethan. I really wish I had known this when he was 2, it would have really helped. Gifted kids often have particular personality traits and as I read through them it was like reading a biography on Ethan. Sensitivity, high emotionality, having to have tags cut off clothes, concerns about death and afterlife, the why questions that never stop, always off in his own little world "thinking," always correcting others, constant need for mental stimulation, being able to play well with older kids, etc. Last night George and I met with the psycholigist to get some advice on how to help Ethan educationally as well as get parenting advice. We mapped out his entire educational career through college. We decided on a few different scenarios for kindergarten so next we need to schedule some meetings to get things rolling. It's pretty complicated, how do you help a kid who starts kindergarten in the fall who really is intellectually in 3rd grade? We've realized that we don't have anyone to talk to about these issues. George met someone through his work whose child has the same IQ and he found it to be really helpful to talk to someone who has been through these decisions. The meeting last night was very helpful and I really like the psychologist. He gave us a lot of info. on how to raise Ethan and what to expect down the road. Our next challenge is how to explain all of this to Ethan in an appropriate way because his educational career is going to be pretty non-traditional and he'll have to adjust to being "different."