10/06/98

How Many in a Viginillion?

Q: My six-year-old son has a language disability which the school identified and has been working on to bring up to age level. They know he's bright, but I don't think they have the foggiest notion how bright he is. He has incredible math talent. At home we're playing with fractions, basic variable equations, exponents (did you know that the name for 10 with 63 zeros is viginillion?), squares, square roots and cubes.

My method of teaching him is to answer any question he poses and keep giving examples until he understands the answer. What can I do to get the school to test him and then educate him appropriately?

A: The best way to initiate an evaluation is to request it in writing and include your reasons for doing so. Send a copy of your letter to the school principal and one to the Director of Special Education.

Keep in mind that even if your son is identified as academically gifted, the district is not obligated to provide a special program for him. However, many schools have teachers who are trained to adapt the curriculum to the needs of advanced students. Perhaps such adaptations can be made for your son.

Q: Aren't some of the children diagnosed as ADD/ADHD really gifted children whose gifts haven't been recognized or nurtured?

A: The following response to this question comes from a parent who wrote:

"I keep hearing how smart and creative some ADD/ADHD children are. So I compared the list of characteristics of ADD/ADHD to the characteristics of the gifted. The lists were the same with one exception: the ADD/ADHD list was couched in negative terms, while the gifted list was presented in positive terms. Most of the characteristics were the same.

"Our society continues to devalue intellect and academic achievement, while continuing to focus adulation and money on athletes and celebrities, no matter how ridiculous or offensive their behavior. In a book by Thom Hartman, called "Beyond ADD: Hunting for Reasons in the Past and Present," one chapter title is, "Our Gifted Kids Are Bored Silly."

"And what do bored, smart kids frequently do? They stir up their environment to make it more interesting. Combine high intelligence with the dumbing down in American education, and you have a prescription for problems. I recognize that some children with ADD/ADHD need medication. But before we resort to that on a wholesale basis, we as a society need first to provide a stimulating academic environment that incorporates high standards, both academic and moral.

"Smart, highly creative kids are not easy to deal with. They are even more difficult to corral, but they should not be corraled. Much of their value to society comes from their ability to see things differently. Without an obsessive focus on science (Edison, Einstein) or entertainment (Disney, Spielberg, James Hensen) or other high achievement areas, we would live in a world without things like light bulbs, penicillin or Kermit the Frog. Do we want a world like that?"

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.