My problem no doubt is one you've heard again and again. I have a six-year-old son whose intelligence level tests have shown him to be in the gifted range. The tests only confirm what I've known since he was seven months old. Unfortunately, we his parents have not been in a financial position to provide him the stimulating educational environment which he needs, desperately so at this point. Nor have we been (and it hurts to say this) equal to his special demands at home, though we have done what we thought was our best. His general behavior has been such a problem at pre-school, kindergarten, and in his first-grade class that we have been advised to seek counseling. The child psychologist at the Pediatric Clinic advised us that Chris needs to be in a school for gifted children, but found that none in the area would accept him, much less grant him a scholarship, until he had undergone behavior modification. There is a program (private) that specializes in this type of situation. It's highly recommended, but demands a tuition of $5,000 for six months! After that, granting that he would then be acceptable to one of the “gifted” schools, we face the continuing financial challenge. Is there anything you can do for us? Are there organizations or corporations who grant scholarships for children like Chris? I am willing to contact anyone who might be of help. My son is a delightful bundle of energy, intelligence, and charm, and I don't want to see his giftedness be a millstone around his neck. Whatever you might be able to advise would be greatly appreciated. We live in a nice town that is supposed to have good education. In fact, that is why some of us moved here. Our superintendent says that the school is providing for its gifted students in the regular classroom and through just a few extra programs, but we are very dissatisfied. We formed an organization of parents a couple of years ago with the aim of improving the school's gifted program, but we have not been successful at all. How can we make the school change? We are a group of parents who all have children in our school's gifted program. In the beginning we were so excited about meeting each other and getting together, but after almost a year our meetings are poorly attended. We are falling apart! We think that it is important for us to be together for mutual support and also for the sake of the gifted program, but how do we stay together?
Analyzing the Reading Skills and Visual Perception Levels of First Grade Students
