Help.....is my daughter smart or naughty??? Update in red.

[Cafeolait]

 

 

My daughter is almost six and is having issues at school. I am wanting to know if she is gifted and if this may be the cause. We are from New Zealand and there has been little discussion with the school in reguards to her abilities.

 

Ok so is she gifted? Madi can spell and read 2 years above her age and can perform some maths tasks well above as well. She has started reading novels and can read news paper articles with help (ie prompting words she has never heard of. She was talking like an adult at two and had (and still has) a massive vocab. She raced through the reading levels in school going from level 1 to 16 in six months. She is ALWAYS talking non stop and I mean if you dont talk to her she will talk and talk anyways blabbering on about her life and what is happening around her. You cant put anything past her, she sees and hears everything!!  Madi has a younger brother-Hayden, 2 1/2 years. Yesterday she announced that "Hayden came into my room in the middle of the night and jumped on my bed, he had a poo so I changed his bottom, read him a story, gave him a cuddle and put him back to bed!" She is 5!!!   She learns really easily, I teach her a spelling word once or twice and she can spell it.

 

She should do well in school right??? She is having issues in class, espeially with writing. She doesn't listen to the teacher and is ALWAYS is la la land, off daydreaming. She has half an hour to write a story and she mucks aroung and writes it in the last 2 mins. Her writing is messy but she can write in tiny cute letters at home. She tells me she is bored. She has never been like this before, she has always been so interested in learning and so inquisitive. She says it is boring doing the same thing every day and she just wants to play.

 

Is she gifted and they aren't extending her so she is bored?

 

Is she just naughty?

 

Has anyone expvrienced this before?

 

I am so worried I feel sick to my stomach!!!!

 

Please help!

 

Updated....Have had a lot of comments about Madi possibly having ADD, which had never crossed my mind so I did a little bit of research on Giftedness vs. ADD/ADHD (thanks Mover),

 

BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH ADHD (BARKLEY, 1990)

 

1. Poorly sustained attention in almost all situations
2. Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences
3. Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification
4. Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behavior in social contexts
5. More active, restless than normal children
6. Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations

BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH GIFTEDNESS (WEBB, 1993)

1. Poor attention, boredom, daydreaming in specific situations
2. Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant
3. Judgment lags behind development of intellect
4. Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities
5. High activity level; may need less sleep
6. Questions rules, customs and traditions

 

 

I dont think Madi has ADD, she doesn't exhibit any of these qualities at home, just at school. I think she is just bored. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brittandlissa]

It sounds to me like you need to have her tested for ADD and if it turns up that she does not have ADD then the school needs to test her to see if maybe she needs to be placed in a higher grade.

[frndlyfn]

it sounds like she could be bored with whatever they are teaching.  How does she interact with the other students?  I wouldnt be worried though.

[Cafeolait]

In New Zealand they don't put children up grades. She concentrates for long periods at home so I dont think it is ADD.

She has lots of friends, both boys and girls and often distracts them in class by playing around and talking.

[3krazekydz]

SOUNDS GIFTED TO ME. I KNOW WHEN IM BORED AT WORK I START TO DREAM OFF INTO LALA LAND UNTIL I LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

[JasKat3]

 You should have her IQ tested. It sounds to me like she is bored because she already knows everything that is being taught to her. The teacher and the assignments aren't challenging her brain, So instead she'd rather play. Good luck,  it sounds like u have a little genius in your hands! =)

[brittandlissa]

 She is just bored then...Have you checked on Home Schooling? With homeschooling you can teach at her pace. I used to be the same way. Unfortunately I got alot worse when I got older and ended up dropping out of school in the 10th grade and getting my GED. Do they have a gifted children program in New Zealand? If so that may be something else that you want to check on. She is just wanting to be challenged and apparently she is too smart for what the other children her age are challenged by.

[Cafeolait]

I thought about home schooling but with a teacher for a mother have been heavily disuaded. The gifted and talented programme starts at age 7 in our school but im worried she will be overlooked due to her lack of effort in class.

[ninebees]

I agree with the ADD testing.  My son scores above the national average on the standarization tests at school in all, no kidding, all the catagories but he brings me home F report cards.  He is prescribed meds but won't take them anymore.  He is 13 and here in TN a child can refuse meds at the age of 7.  Go figure that, like they can make the decision!

[mitch576]

first off... stop being scared it's ok.

 secondly....   she can be gifted and naughty! lol the two are not mutually exclusive but this time they are going hand in hand.

 she's bored... most kids are! school sucks!  i had better things to do to at that age too. lol

   she's a bright child who isn't being challenged. 

also.. what's the teacher going to do?  this is a common thing in the u.s. because we have laws to protect children {damn state} and  the kids KNOW  this.

so what's a teacher? a teacher is no threat. a teacher can't do anything to do.. can't take away your toys... can't ground you.

  so.. why behave for her/ him {teacher} if there's not a damn thing they can do otherwise?

 momma.. welcome to motherhood!  your child will do for you.. and not for others.

your child may turn around and do for others... but not you. kids are never easy! lol

she's fine!   

one way to help her is to ask the teacher if you can help in the classroom.. this way you can "prompt" her.

she's very young mom and the whole concept of how important school is eludes her. she's too young to grasp that yet.  prompt her.. talk to her.. go to the school and help when you can.

good luck!

[Mover]

I have a child just like yours. Your dd sounds like she is gifted not ADD. A lot of people think a gifted child is ADD because they goof off and distract the other children.  She is bored because her mind is moving so fast.  The teacher is trying to teach all of the childen and they don't cater to gifted children that are so young.  I would ask if they could test her for the gifted program.  If she doesn't do well, then you have your answer.

My dd is 10 and she tested for the gifted program when she was 8 years old and was accepted.  I took her out of the program, because she was crying in class due to stress.  I'm not so sure about home schooling because children need other children to play and interact.  She needs to learn social skills at a young age.  My dd gets straight A grades but she still says she is bored all of the time.  She talks non stop too and gets in trouble in school from talking too much.  She sometimes will get up and walk around the class because she is so bored.  She has told me that she hates doing the same thing over and over again - she already knows it !

Good luck.