my son has been put in the G and T classes as school

[narkymum]

after sitting a test as school and having a very high IQ i have no idea how to help him because in his last school he was on action plus and almost needing a statement for his dyslexia we have been used to helping fight for him to get the help he needs and i am used to this he can still barely read or write. This has thtown me i know he is very bright and has always been able to speak and use words beyond his age and complete puzzle and problem solving very well. Now school dont know what box to put him in and i have no idea either any ideas where i go from here

[ScienceTeacher]

Does he have to go in the G&T classes?

When we were in the USA, my DS2 was selected for these classes but we had to give our permission. They would involve him skipping certain lessons each week to play some kind of problem-solving game.

We felt that it was more important for him to stay in class because we felt that there were specific skills that he had not yet mastered. Therefore, we did not give our permission. With DS1, we were very happy for him to do the alternative classes because we knew that he was coping well across the curriculum.

[LIZS]

do they have tobe mutually exclusive ? Rather than simply agree to him coming into these calsses ,ask the school how they will deal with the disparity between his performance and potential. imo that needs addressing first, with any G and T work enhancing the basics not assuming they are there is they are not.

[christywhisty]

What do you mean by g&t classes, are they extra classes? Also how old is he?

[narkymum]

he is 11 and i feel that problem solving will be less of a priority than reading and writing

[juuule]

What does he want to do? Would he enjoy it? Would he be missing other lessons to do the G&T stuff or would they be extra?

[ScienceTeacher]

I would make an appointment with the Head to discuss your DS's specific needs.

Academically, he is G&T, but for specific skills he is at the other end of the spectrum. Both are important in their own way. It is not that one cancels out the other, but that there is competition for time.

My inclination would be to only go for G&T classes if they did not take away from attention to basic skills. If it is an either/or, then I would go for the dyslexia support.

[lazymumofteenagesons]

If he is 11 and can still barely read or write I would concentrate on getting help for this. Without these basic skills he will not be able to feed his intellectual ability.

My son is dyslexic/dyspraxic but with a very high IQ ( he was only tested because of the discrepancy between his verbal/cognitive skills and his actual performance).

Once he could read he was devouring all manner of books and has a huge general knowledge. However, he still could not manage in a highly academic environment. So he is in a laid back progressive private school which understands his strengths and weaknesses.

I don't really feel these G&T classes would be that helpful if he has not got the basics yet.