Finding a Gifted and Talented Centre

[CairoLiverpool]

Dear all,
It's my first time on Mumsnet. I am hoping to get some help for my boys (ages 9.5 and 5.5).
Both boys are extremely bright: DS1 went through an extremely badly behaved phase due to being unable to fit in, make friends, etc., but calmed down at around age 8. DS2 was diagnosed last year with dyspraxia, but nonetheless this year (Year 1) his teacher says his reading level is far beyond the book band system. He is reading chapter books although frequently finds the content too mature/challenging.
I would like to get both boys IQ tested and also to find centres/support groups that will help me challenge them further, making sure they achieve their potential and don't get frustrated.
Here's the catch: we live in Cairo, Egypt (enrolled at a British school). We do travel around twice a year to the UK for DS2's occupational therapy for dyspraxia - although with the Internet I am confident there are many workable solutions out there. His therapist is in central London, so ideally would love to find something there.
Would really appreciate any pointers on the above!
Thanks
Yasmine

If your dc are doing well academically, great.

You can now focus on the other things that will make them popular, confident, well rounded individuals such as sports, music and arts and crafts, learning different languages and writing systems, cooking, looking after pets, helping in home and garden etc.

Trips to museums, historical sites, projects they can do themselves about the incredibly interesting place they live in so will be a record all their lives: the lists are endless.

How fortunate you are to live in such a place, full of rich and interesting relics, places, and people.

Focus on giving your dc opportunities to make friends and 'up' their confidence and social skills.

Focusing dc to be polite, helpful and well mannered is sometimes harder than focusing on the academic side but please give it a go otherwise you'll be in the sad position of thinking your dc are special but everyone will think of them as a pain.

V.bright dc can be fast tracked eg going to university early but it isn't good for them as academically they may be superb but often their emotional/social skills are underdeveloped (backward even) oh dear, you wouldn't want that.

Thanks wildflowers :)

Hi Yasmine,

Welcome along! I'm a relative newcomer to the MN scene as well (mostly lurking :))

I would recommend membership of NAGC (in the UK, not US) as they have lots of resources and knowledge plus a helpline you can ring with problems. Also, look on Amazon for books you can read, I would recommend this one to begin with. There are many others too.

Lastly - IQ tests. I have read that until the age of 7 intelligence tests are not considered completely reliable, so with my DD (stands for Dear Daughter or Darling Daughter; similarly there's DS, DH, etc :) took me AGES to work them out) I have decided to wait until she's old enough before I look into them.

On the NAGC website there is a list of Educational Psychologists who specialise in G&T, btw.

Good luck! Keep us posted with how you get on!

Just to add to what EyeOfNewtToeOfFrog said, the NAGC website is www.nagcbritain.org.uk and their phone number is 0845 450 0295. You can book a 30-minute telephone consultation with one of their Education Consultants for advice. There are also lots of fact sheets on their website.

Thanks EyeofNewt, Toffeemonkey. I was referred to The EdPsych Practice (Priya Dingra) in Maryelbone. Anyone heard of them?

Sorry I don't know Priya.. We used Joan Freeman who specialises in just Gifted and Talented identification. She is easily reachable by phone (check the British Psychological Society website for her details). Both times we used her she gave us an appointment around 3 months out (so early booking advised if you are only in the country for a short time period!). You attend her (lovely!) house in London. She charges a fixed fee of around £400 for a battery of testing. The most important thing you will get out of it is her report (which takes around a week to arrive) and which you can use to get schools to listen to your issues or even to get Mensa membership (without having to take any further tests) - if your child scores highly enough of course.
She has often appeared on TV and has written a few books on Gifted Children and is well known to everyone in the industry. It is really important that the relevant psychologist has experience in identification but not all children shine on the tests - or even on the day - so they will sometimes make their own judgement calls. If Priya has been recommended by the NAGC then she should have the relevant experience I would have thought!
Good luck in any case!

You also need to know what youa re going to do with the information - if you knew what their IQs were, would it change the way you parent them?

Does your school offer musical instrument lessons? I have found with my boys that learning to play an instrument and read music is really useful for keeping their brains occupied. If you choose a brass instrument like trumpet they can also be in bands and orchestras when they are good enough, which will also improve their social skills and help them to make new friends.

What IQ scores are classed as gifted?

I have to say I do echo the query re: IQ tests / assessments and the like. It's never even occurred to me to get DD's IQ tests done, or anything of that nature. I can certainly see that if things were problematic it would make sense. Otherwise, we're just working with the school, doing as many outside projects as we can without it becoming overwhelming, and DD's piano (just to reiterate that music one) is coming on great guns.

My advice really would be to slow down, in one sense, but get active in another. I'm just echoing, here but so much of what DD has learned has not come from school, or a teaching environment as such but by going to events, the NAGC workshops (which are play based, but play that enquiring minded kids would do)... just going to museums, zoos and the like too (and country walks! Providing a calm, quietish and thoughtful home environment is so important).

Wow. and Egypt really does offer mindblowing opportunities for learning. I'm most jealous.

Interesting you mention Dispraxia. My brother has reasonable-can-live-with-it Dispraxia and also the most incredible memory of anyone I've ever known. Knows more about wine than most experts!

And don't forget physical activity too - it's very easy for bright children to be steered towards the cerebral.