Quiz
1. Does your child have a good memory, but can't remember a series of directions you gave him a few minutes ago?
2. Does your child have an extensive vocabulary but have difficulty with writing or spelling?
3. Does your child have a long attention span but refuse to pay attention in school?
4. Does your child have a fascination with puzzles but can't add or multiply a series of numbers?
5. Does your child appear to know a great deal about a lot of things, but have difficulty with multiple-choice tests?
6. Does your child excel at science, art, or geometry, but have great difficulty with foreign languages, math facts, and spelling?
7. Does your child appear to daydream an unusual amount of the time, especilly in school, but can be totally absorbed at home reading a book?
1. Does your child have a good memory, but can't remember a series of directions you gave him a few minutes ago?
Almost all of the time.
2. Does your child have an extensive vocabulary but have difficulty with writing or spelling?
Almost all of the time.
3. Does your child have a long attention span but refuse to pay attention in school?
Almost all of the time.
4. Does your child have a fascination with puzzles but can't add or multiply a series of numbers?
Almost all of the time.
5. Does your child appear to know a great deal about a lot of things, but have difficulty with multiple-choice tests?
Almost all of the time.
6. Does your child excel at science, art, or geometry, but have great difficulty with foreign languages, math facts, and spelling?
Almost all of the time.
7. Does your child appear to daydream an unusual amount of the time, especilly in school, but can be totally absorbed at home reading a book?
Almost all of the time.
It's unlikely that your gifted child also has a learning disability or attention disorder. Try increasing the materials that will enrich your child's learning in and out of school. If you answered yes to ONLY question number 7 -- and no to the rest -- chances are you have a bored, gifted child who needs more challenges in school.
Keep an eye out to see if this trouble develops into a pattern. Bookmark this quiz and take it again in 3 months. And, as always with gifted kids, the challenge is to keep up a steady supply of materials that will feed their intense hunger to learn, know, and experiment.
It would be a good idea to have your child tested by a qualified psychologist. Many of the traits that describe gifted students are strikingly similar to the ones that describe students with attention deficit disorders. For that very reason, make sure you select a tester who is familiar with both giftedness and ADD. Such an expert will be able to read test results on both counts that others might dismiss.