General Information About Gifted Children Sites that contain issues unique to the Highly Gifted

RIAGE - Rhode Island Advocates for Gifted Education Homeschooling Gifted Children Legal Resources Sites that are dedicated to Helping Gifted Adults understand what it's all about

If Dr. Seuss had a gifted child ....

by Mary Beth Northrup

Dear Mom-I-am, dear Mom-I-am, we have a problem, Mom-I-am. Your son won't do what he must do. He drives me crazy, yes it's true! He will stall and squirm and hum, and leave all of his work undone. He dreams and will not pay attention, have you considered medication?

With other kids he does not play, he is alone much of the day. Something does not seem quite right, because I know he must be bright. He seems to learn, despite the rest, but the work is not his best. He is disruptive, yes it's true. He just won't do what he must do!

Yes, teacher, I can really see, how frustrating all this must be, A child who does not meet the norm, a child whose mold won't fit the form. I've had him tested on WISC-III, by your approved test agency. He scores far higher than the mean, there's more to this that can be seen.

So help us, help us find the way, to teach this child best if we may. He is not like the rest you see, he acts and thinks far differently. We need another way to teach him, another way to finally reach him. Not the normal thing you do, but something altogether new!

What! Something new - go bar the door! We've not done it that way before! If we do this thing for you, then all the rest will want it too! Change our ways, that can't be done. Same for all, not changed for some. All children are gifted, yes it's true! Just MAKE him do what he must do!

Please, please, teacher, hear me through. The laws say you must help us, too. His needs are different than the rest, we CAN help him to do his best. We can make this easy too, it will not be more work for you. This can work out, you will see. Try it, try it, please, for me?

All right, all right, if I must. I still maintain this is not just. But first there is red tape you see, tests and checks and IEP. And after weeks and months of proving, finally we can begin moving. Then I'll try it and we'll see, if this method is the key.

Hey, I see something, yes I do! We have found something he will do! No more fiddle, squirm and hum, no more worksheets left undone. He's zipping through, he's learning fast, he's doing his best work at last. Why did I put up a fight? I guess dear Mom, that you were right.

Printed with Permission

The thousands of links for gifted and talented issues out there would make the searcher dizzy.

We've sifted through them for you. Some sites are just interested in your money.

Still other's want to share valuable information with you. We have listed what we perceive to be the best sources for parents.

General Information About Gifted Children

Parent Resources. A potpourri of GT links that may be of interest to parents .
The TAG Family Network.A parent organization dedicated to appropriate education for talented and gifted youth, and advocacy.
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).The worldwide mission of CEC is to improve educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities. This site is for parents and professionals.
Mensa Foundation for Gifted Children(MFGC). A primary goal of this UK based international site is to bring about an awareness that Giftedness in a child is frequently a Specific Learning Disability and should be recognized and treated as such..
The Gifted Development Center Dr. Linda Silverman and her staff strongly believe in the use of the Stanford Binet LM.
New England Comprehensive Assistance Center Home Page
The Prufrok Press
National Research and Development Center (Javitz Center)
KidSource Online. The source for indepth and timely GT education and healthcare information that will make a difference in the lives of parents and their children.
The Normal Distribution Curve In Action! You'll need Java for this one.
What Works! Monique shows us a few ways that Parents and Schools can come together.
Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Connecticut.
Center for Talent Development
TAG Comprehensive Gifted and Talented Resources Page One of the most complete sources.
The Council for Exceptional Children
Pitsco's Launch to Gifted and Talented Resources Links to other sites.
National Excellence - A Case for Developing America's Talent Boy! This you've got to read!
GT World! Helpful GT Links more links.
Cluster Grouping Of Gifted Students can be useful in the mixed classroom
Awesome Library - K-12 Education Directory This is great! It's....well.....awesome!
Recommended Policy on Measures of Cognitive Ability Just a little about testing.

Sites that contain issues unique to the Highly Gifted

The Hollingworth Center for Highly Gifted Children founded by Kathi Kearney
Current Use of the Stanford Binet ,Form L-M by Barbara Gilman, M.S. and Annette Revel, M.A.
Don't Throw Away the Old Binet by Dr. Linda Silverman and Kathi Kearney
Is It A Cheetah? by Stephanie Tolan.
Helping Your Highly Gifted Child by Stephanie Tolan.
How to Identify Gifted/Ld kids by Dr. Linda Silverman
Gifted but Learning Disabled: A Puzzling Paradox by Susan Baum.
The National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children. Marie Friedel of Warwick, RI
Problems in Identification and Assessment of ADHD by Steven Nordby
The White House Fellowship Program Is the White House listening?

Homeschooling Gifted Children

Gifted Children & Homeschooling: An Annotated Bibliography Compiled by Kathi Kearney
School is Dead! Learn in Freedom!
The Mining Company
Jon's Home-School Resource Page
The Homeschooling Zone
Homespun Web of Home Educational Resources
Staying Home From School features four families homeschooling for various reasons. One family is homeschooling highly gifted children. Excellent article
Distance Learning Programs
The Home School Potpourri - Gifted & Talented
Virtual School for the Gifted (Australia) provides distance learning courses for elementary and secondary gifted students. Many homeschoolers use these courses.
Advanced Placement courses online, sponsored by Pennsylvania Homeschoolers
Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) at Stanford University: Offers distance learning classes to gifted children grades K -12 (and some college courses) online. Lots of homeschooled gifted kids use these courses, as well as a fair number of children enrolled in more conventional schools. Expensive, but some scholarship assistance apparently is available, from what I have heard.
Precocious & Prodigious. Internet bulletin board for parents of highly and profoundly gifted children. There are MANY homeschoolers on this board, so it is a good source of homeschooling information as well as general support for parents with highly gifted and profoundly gifted children.
Home School Legal Defense Association: Not specifically a gifted/homeschooling site, but very useful. There are links to Christian homeschool support groups all over the country, daily updates on federal and state legislation affecting homeschoolers, and the like. Members of Home School Legal Defense Association receive assistance with any legal or legislative issues they may face related to their homeschools at no additional charge beyond the annual membership fee.
National Honor Society of Home and Independent Schools (NHSHIS): This organization was founded by two homeschooling dads when they discovered that homeschooled students and students attending certain private religious schools were not permitted to join the National Honor Society sponsored by the National Association for Secondary School Principals. Provides an honor society membership in NHSHIS for homeschooled students and students from small private independent or religious schools who qualify (each school determines its own qualifications for honor society membership; only general guidelines are issued by NHSHIS) Two forms of membership are available: Individual and Chapter. Individual memberships are primarily for homeschooled students; chapter memberships are for small private schools or for state or regional homeschooling support groups. Membership is also available to homeschooled or private school gifted students enrolled in a grade below grade seven who are currently completing curriculum at the grades 7 - 12 level, no matter what their age.
Learn English Online: Free, comprehensive ESL site with a host of resources for students and teachers of English.

Legal Resources

The Javits Act Yes Virginia, there really is a law.

Sites that are dedicated to Helping Gifted Adults understand what it's all about

Douglas Eby's Women and Talent site.
Lizard's Gifted Adult Site.This one is just for fun. It was put together by a grad student just for fun while working toward her PHD. And it is absolutely hysterical!