my friend's 4-y-old has an IQ of 179

[KCDem]

Egads... I knew this girl was smart, but... egads!

She's 4 1/2 but she reads at a 6th-grade level and does math at a 3rd-grade level.

Hm, maybe I should introduce her to DU... she could prolly give us a fresh viewpoint. ;)

[elfwitch]

1. That is amazing.

How do they IQ test 4 year olds?

[DS1]

2. Would you like to play a game?

/W.O.P.R.

// movie geek

[KCDem]

3. not sure, they did it at some gifted school here in Houston

I don't know what sorts of puzzles she had to do. I do know that some elite private schools require IQ testing of entering students so that they can place them in the right class. :shrug:

I vaguely remember taking the test when I was 5 or 6. I remember that it sorta seemed fun.

[Snow]

5. I think the Bayley is the only test standardized for that age -

psychometricians, go ahead and correct me....

[tigereye]

39. WPPSI, maybe the Binet goes that low, not sure.

[tekriter]

4. That's about 4 and 1/2 Bushies!

n/t

[On the Road]

6. Just Wait Until She's Been at School for a Few Years

That will dumb her down. Her parents should consider Montessori -- she may get bored otherwise.

[KCDem]

7. yeah, that's the mom's new problem

She knew her daughter was special when she taught herself how to read at 3 y 1 mo. Now that she knows that this kid has a seriously high IQ, she's struggling with the thought of having to private school her. Mom's an at-home parent, Dad's a high school teacher, and they have one other child. They don't exactly have the kind of income they need to be able to send her to the gifted school. I hope they can get some sort of assistance, because it'd be such a shame to put this girl in with mere mortals.

[lucidmadman]

8. Two words...

...'home schooling'. Or 'no television'. Or 'Encyclopedia Britanica'.(11th edition).

[NuckinFutz]

9. Have your friend check out this program

Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. They have participants nationwide, and there are similar programs listed for other states that the CTY program doesn't cover.

www.jhu.edu/gifted

My seventh grade son just took the SAT I for inclusion, and it looks like he will qualify for the programs they offer.

Sounds like your friend has a pretty awesome kid. Congratulate her.

[KCDem]

10. cool, I'll forward her the link

I briefly skimmed the site, and it looks like most of the programs start at grade 2... and then there's the whole financial issue. These people are existing on around $30k/year.

Good luck to your son!

[NuckinFutz]

12. I think they offer scholarship and aid opportunities.

I just skimmed thru it myself last week, but I do remember something about aid applications, etc. They also mention a program for kids scoring over 700 (math or verbal) on the SAT I.

Your friend's daughter may not be ready for it yet, but it's worth looking into it ahead of time.

I know what you mean about the $$$. We have an issue with that as well, though not as tight as your friend's. Our boy will probably have to wait till next year to actually participate, simply because we are too deep in debt at the moment.

I wish your friends luck and patience.

[KissMyAsscroft]

11. I was a genius child too...

it didn't translate to adulthood that well....

[KCDem]

13. yeah, that's the thing.

I think it's incredibly difficult for genius kids to have "normal" lives; or maybe even happy lives. Too many expectations, yet too much boredom.

I'm hoping my kids are both just slightly above average. I was no genius child, but I was always top of my class, as was my husband. I don't want them to be at the top; it can be lonely there.

[Coventina]

14. Poor kid

I know someone personally who has an IQ that high.
It seems to be more of a curse than a blessing.

She'll need extra help in her social development. Trust me, I know from hard experience.

Look at this this way, she's as "abnormal" as a kid with an IQ of about 40.

[KCDem]

16. she doesn't relate much to other kids

I don't think things will be easy at all for her.

[Coventina]

17. When she's a teenager it could get hellish.

When the desire to "fit in" with your peer group is at its strongest, yet you're smart enough to see that you never will.....

[Kamika]

26. 10 bucks she'll be a Goth

if they're still around

[NuckinFutz]

18. Not surprising.

My son has always had trouble socially, especially with his own age group, but often with adults as well.

On the bright side, at least the schools have acknowledged that he is gifted and make an effort to keep him interested. And this year, aside from the usual scrawny little geek treatment earlier in the year, he's adjusting to junior high better than I thought he would. He's got a pretty good friend who is also about at his level, and in the same school. His friend, however, is a big boy, who's not the typical scrawny geek, but rather athletic as well. So I'm sure that's been a key in keeping the bullies at bay.

It's never as easy for super smart people as one might think. They don't have to struggle for the grades (barring ADHD or dyslexia, etc.); they have to struggle to fit in with everybody else. That struggle is harder to master and really never ends. They are often forever awkward, and being smart enough to know it does awful things to their egos.

[AlienGirl]

29. Relating to other kids...

I didn't relate well at all to kids my own age, both because I'm an Aspie and because the things that interested me went right over their heads.

The friends I did find were mostly kids much older than me--one of my elementary-school friends was a high-school sophomore, who was interested in zoology and physics.

On the other hand, my ex-husband, who was also a "gifted kid,"* was very social and popular.

Tucker

*I hate that term. It implies having been singled out for a "gift" and it also implies that a high IQ and academic talent are unambiguously good things with no downside.

[DebJ]

37. really intelligent people rarely do relate with 'others' well....totally

different perspectives and values.

[Lizz612]

15. Look for a PUBLIC gifted and talented program

I went to the gifted and talented grade school in St. Paul. I think I heard that it went down hill a bit after I left, but they should look for one. Still a little isolated class wise, mostly middle and upper middle class, but much more heterogeneous than a private school. They are out there. Wish I could tell you more. Say hi :hi: to the cutie for me!

[kitkatrose]

21. Yeah, that's a good idea.

Back at home (Memphis), they have 'optional schools' for the gifted. They're part of the public school system, but you have to sign up for them on a certain day. I'm told that people sleep outside where ever the sign-up place is the day before so that they can get their child a spot. But anyway, an optional school has an advanced learning program and gets lots of perks for smart people. I don't know too much about them because I didn't go, but one of my church members does. The only bad thing is that you have to provide your own transportation, since its students live all around the city.

[SoCalDem]

19. They should encourage her, but they should NEVER

make a big deal about "how smart she is" ..to HER at least.. She will know that she is smart, and it's a real problem when a little kid gets the idea that she MUST perform at such a high level to keep her parents "happy with her"..

We have an extrenely gifted son, and lucky for us, he was also a jock..(lettered in 4 sports) and was Mr. Popularity too.. He had the whole package but most do not.. They have one or two areas that are their "thing" and it can really wear on them..

I hope that they will get her involved in some group thing.. soccer is good..(uses math and encourages teamwork too).. or maybe dance (they should avoid the highly critical stuff like gymnastics or ballet or figure skating... nature may not "gift" her with the right body style after all those years)...

Right now at her young age, they should probably just encourage her to read.. That skill will translate into every other learning option.. Maybe introduce history and geography or a foreign language.. She would really enjoy that :)..

Good luck to them.. It can be a real trip.. We enjoyed it ..and so did our son :)

[KCDem]

22. good advice

My sister and I were both gifted. She skipped 8th grade, took calc as a sophomore, and her high school had to create 2 new math classes for her. She stayed pretty down-to-earth. She's an at-home mom with a Ph.D. in physics. I wasn't _that_ smart, (didn't take calc until 11th grade, lol) but I had the social scene down pat. One woman in church once said to me "well, your sister's the smart one, but you're the social one". I'm sure she meant well, but I've never forgotten it. What a dumb thing to say--to either kid! Sheesh. (guess that woman was NEITHER, lol!)

Your son sounds like a great kid! What's he doing now?

[SoCalDem]

43. He's working with his Dad

He's engaged, and is tutoring his fiancee through her senior yr in college.. They will probably get married next year and then he will finish college..

He would have made an excellent teacher, but he's not interested in teaching (for money)..

He spent a year in Italy going to college..He's an artist too..some of his drawings were online, but I have lost the link..

It's frustrating to us that he wants to be "in sports" instead of a hotshot career, but that's what he wants to do.. He has worked off an on and gone to college off and on..

Whatever he does is fine with us, but he is not interested in the big-bucks..That's his older brother :eyes: He often says.. "Mom, Scott makes a ton of money, but I enjoy life way more than he does "..

[Richardo]

20. Hey - *I* can do math at a 3rd grade level!! Am I a genius?

I'm series!

[Kamika]

23. wohoo I'm smarter

I have lower IQ but I can read better then her!

[KCDem]

24. yeah, you and Richardo should challenge the brat.

:evilgrin:

[TrogL]

25. How well does she socialize?

[AlienGirl]

28. That was my first thought too...

At four and a half I apparently broke the top off the IQ test they did on me. I was a very early reader too--somewhere I have a piece of paper that I wrote some stuff on at age 18 months. ("Da-da" was my favorite word to write.)

Socially, though... :scared:

Tucker

[KCDem]

35. not well.

During playgroup, she sits and reads. She's been sitting in the corner and reading ever since she first taught herself how, at 3y1mo.

Very unbalanced child.

[TrogL]

41. I'm beginning to suspect something

I think she may be on the autistic spectrum perhaps Asperger's syndrome.

In other words, she reminds me of me.

I flunked kindergarten and they put me into the slow grade 1 class even though I could read almost before I could talk.

My mother blew a tantrum and had my IQ tested. I finished the test (which is supposed to be impossible) so they put in to the regular grade one. I was heartbroken because I didn't finish my cow project.

[Snow]

27. More free advice....my daughter, now 19, is in that range as well -

something that helped her a lot was music, since there are tons of opportunities to get into orchestras that include a wide age range of people, and musicians are perfectly happy to socialize across ages. Also, if she can't be sent to college early, look for a middle & high school that has a college physically close - like within a coupla blocks. That can get you into college courses with both the high school and the college happy about it. Third, most highly intelligent people of all ages have a very broad range of interests at which they are usually very accomplished, so be prepared for and enjoy that. She'll find her peers; they're rare but they're out there. And intelligent people usually aren't nearly so snotty about it as the popular kids or the rich kids or the pretty kids. (No offence meant, anyone fitting those descriptions - present company, as always, excepted).

[AlienGirl]

30. Bear in mind that IQ also doesn't equal success

I make under $1000 a month. Some of the highest-IQ people I know have been unable to make it in the conventional business world.

Tucker

[Coventina]

32. Even more tragic

is the frequent lack of success in basic life-skills.
:-(

[AlienGirl]

33. Depends what you mean by "life-skills"

I have neurological quirks that make certain things difficult (if not impossible) for me.

The big hazards are social--I can't play the usual corporate games of suck up and backstab, and that's why I'll never be an executive. If I like people, I treat them well; if I dislike them, I try to stay away from them. I'm just not good at pretending.

Tucker

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[KCDem]

36. ye-agh! The Grovelbot weighed in on my thread!

My existence is validated.

[jus_the_facts]

34. Damn....she should be able to do quantum mechanics already with that IQ...

.....I don't even think Einstein's IQ was that high either...sounds like an embellishment to me! :shrug:

[DebJ]

38. parents should read a book with title including "Emotional IQ"

which seems is the most critical factor in 'success' in life.

Will help nurturing efforts especially needed by such kids.

Great book, strongly recommended by this higher than average IQ failure!

[0rganism]

40. My 5 y.o. does double digit arithmetic in his head

Should I have him tested?

I don't know about the home school/gifted program thing, because he's very good with people, he has no social fear. It'd be a shame to isolate him.

[AlFrankenFan]

42. Cripes!

I'm 14 and I have a 160! But a four year old that is amazing!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

44. Socialization

Look for other exceptionally intelligent kids in the community. She can't be the only one.

I once knew a math graduate student who helped run a weekend and summer program for kids with advanced math skills. He said that many of the students had never met another kid with the same interests, and that it was a joy to see them blosson socially.

It doesn't have to be math. In fact, people with good math brains often have an inclination for music. A math professor of my acquaintance once told me half-seriously that every national math convention contained within it the personnel for several string quartets and woodwind quintets.

If she has one good friend, it won't matter as much what the predictably cruel types do or say.