I just got Drake's report card last week There is no doubt in my mind this kid is smart, of course not that there ever was! Every single grade an A except one and that one's a B+. I know why maybe it took a little longer for us to recognize that maybe Drake wasn't like other kids. You can't tell by looking at him. You can't tell by his report card. Try having a normal conversation with him though and you'll know...something is up.
When Drake was very small, he loved to learn. He only liked educational toys and would count things over and over again. Even when his cousins gave him a box of toy cars, he amused himself by lining them up in long lines across the room. You couldn't move them though or he'd have a meltdown! He'd have a meltdown if we did something else out of order or not in his routine as well. We lived in an apartment with 15 stairs and he would have to walk up each one and count it. 1....2....3... You couldn't skip any, you couldn't scoop him up to go faster either without him screaming!
Drake is my first child and now that I know what I do about Drake, I should have picked up on the clues. Drake couldn't open doors, in fact his 1 year old sister learned to do it first just before he turned three! He didn't look at my face when I talked to him, even as a baby. I had to teach him to "look" at me when I needed him to really listen. He still tilts his head back and opens his eyes as wide as he can when I ask him to pay attention. It's pretty funny actually. Drake had a babysitter who insisted that he was autistic (she had an autistic brother) and I remember thinking, "no way!" Little did I know...
Drake's all time favorite toy as a toddler was an electronic book called "The Learning Book" by V-tech. I can still hear it when I think of him waking his Dad and I up in the mornings..."Welcome to the Learning Book! Do-do-do...Select an activity!..." It's funny, he never said anything...just opened his book. His book taught the alphabet and had simple reading games and he would insist that I show him how each game worked over and over and over again. He was reading things in the grocery store to me by age four and I know why!
For Christmas just before he turned four, Drake got a talking calculator. It was made for a child and would tell you every number as you pushed it and the totals of your sums. Drake was in heaven! He loved to count things and this way he could what the numbers looked like that he was counting. "1...2...3...reset!" Drake loves math so much, that he takes an advanced math class this year and LOVES it! He still has the talking calculator too, although he prefers to use a regular one these days.
Drake my boy, you are super smart! The world is yours if you want it and I intend to do all I can to ensure you can take it!
I tried my best to convince several people in the school (no names) that Drake was gifted (twice exceptional with giftedness+ a disability of some sort). They all told me I was wrong. I never doubted for a second. (After all, I am the one with the G/T Endorsement. That doesn't mean I'm always right, but I do know what I'm talking about.) But they couldn't be convinced. I knew I was right all along!!! Smart boy, fo' sho. He taught me everything I know about Jupiter and Anteres. (Sp?).
ReplyDeleteAnd that narrow scope of interest (Jupiter, Legos, Mario) is red flag number 1 for giftedness.
ReplyDeleteYou were right my dear! You were so good with him too and it wasn't until we had so much trouble in 4th grade that anyone payed attention. I'm so glad I stuck with my guns too, the school recommended he be medicated for A.D.H.D. The boy does his math problems in his head...but couldn't tie his shoes until he was 8 and still freaks out (although not as extreme) if he gets overstimulated. I don't think A.D.H.D. is really the problem.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit. That is what I thought the problem was (ADHD). But the 4th grade team thought I was off my rocker with the whole gifted thing. I love them but I was upset that no one believed me at all. I kept saying all the reasons why it was so obvious. That is the problem with those 2e (twice exceptional) learners. Unless you really know a lot about it, it is hard to see beyond the challenges.
ReplyDeleteAnd I was also frustrated with the whole OT thing. It took forever to get the testing (not their fault- overburdened ) but even after it was done and his needs were verified he didn't get much help for quite a while. I know his teacher cared about him a lot and was burdened by the comments other team members would make. The teacher was always asking me, "What did you do?" "What worked?" He had never had the responsibility of keeping and organizing a desk before then and it was a major stepping stone/ hurdle year. But he did it!
ReplyDelete