OUR APPROACH
When you come to Gifted Development Center, our child-centered atmosphere enables your children to show us what they really know.
After contacting us, you will have a diagnostic consultation with a senior staff member to explore which tests would be most beneficial in our comprehensive evaluation. Our assessment includes evaluation of all the material available to us, including previous test results.
Why Comprehensive Testing is Needed
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Why Comprehensive Testing is Needed 〰️
Many gifted children reach a point when further information about their educational needs is important.
A child who couldn’t wait to enter school may soon complain that schoolwork is too easy.
Students whose math knowledge has eclipsed their instruction in school may want to move forward.
A twice exceptional child, viewed as bright but “lazy” by teachers, is seen by parents as working far too hard to complete homework.
A school or program for the gifted—with or without additional accommodations for weaknesses—seems warranted, but testing is needed to prove it.
Most schools use achievement testing to measure growth and offer brief intelligence screening for gifted identification. Is that enough? Probably not. We see many gifted children who fail to be identified for gifted programs based on IQ screeners at school. This is common if the child is asynchronous and earns variable scores, is twice exceptional or highly gifted.
An untreated visual processing weakness that would benefit quickly from vision exercises can lower scores and fail to document higher visual reasoning strengths.
Achievement tests at school often have low ceilings. What about the elementary-aged child who already has a high school graduate reading level?
Gifted children with stealth dyslexia may have difficulty with a written evaluation.
Distractible gifted children do poorly on group tests, and are only able to demonstrate their giftedness on individual IQ tests administered orally.
Reflective thinkers may need more time to construct their answers than is allotted in school testing.
What should teachers know to ensure continuous learning?
Parent advocates generally find that sharing a child’s assessment on a comprehensive individual intelligence test greatly improves understanding of the gifted child’s learning needs.
Achievement testing allows a consideration of current achievement levels and how fast a very bright child is progressing academically. Diagnostic tests for a disability, when needed, are invaluable to clarify a confusing struggle, and initiate early intervention. Such testing can change the trajectory of a child’s educational life by ensuring that strengths are emphasized and developed. Weaknesses are gently supported.
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Our process starts with your completion of the GDC forms, which give you deep insights into your child. You will then have a consultation with a senior staff member to determine what assessments would be best for your child. When you come to GDC, you will receive a comprehensive assessment and an extensive post-consultation to evaluate the next steps.
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The heart of our work is our two-hour post-test conference in which we create an optimal development plan uniquely designed for your child. This plan may qualify your child for enrichment opportunities, special programs or schools for the gifted or accommodations in the classroom and on standardized tests. The process results in a detailed report that will serve as the template for your child’s educational, intellectual, emotional and social needs.
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Consultations are available for understanding your child’s giftedness, learning how to support strengths and weaknesses, re-interpreting prior test results, locating an appropriate school, designing a homeschooling curriculum, or understanding your own giftedness. We also have partnerships with practitioners who understand the unique needs of gifted individuals and can provide in-person or virtual counseling.
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Gifted Development Center is the service arm of the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development (ISAD). The research curated by ISAD is a pillar of the knowledge of giftedness. ISAD publishes the only journal on adult giftedness: Advanced Development. You can join our community of scholars and review the publications of Advanced Development here.
