Just curious?

[ihearttc]

This is all probably going to come out as a bit of a ramble but here goes anyway...

DS is 5 (was his birthday last week) and he started reception in September. He is a very happy little boy and academically nothing very out of the ordinary. He can read and is in the "top reading group" in his class,isn't especially good with numbers but overall nothing "genius" like-although to me he is obviously very clever lol!

At the parents evening last october when he'd been at school a couple of months his teacher mentioned that she thought he was "different" to the other children and that she wanted him seen by an Ed Pcych (which I can't even spell!). When I questioned what she meant she said that he seems "bored" (her words not mine) a lot of the time and is worrying about all different stuff going on in the classroom rather than playing and having fun. DH has mild ocd and I have known for ages that DS has picked up some of his habits (is the tidiest 5 year old you've ever seen!) so I sort of brushed it off and nothing more was mentioned about it.

His teacher has been off sick since christmas and they've got a supply teacher in and she cornered me this morning and said that she just needed to tell me that DS's memory was absolutely amazing and just needed to check what he'd told her was correct...they had to speak yesterday about somewhere they'd been and DS gave a blow by blow account of everything that happened. When I mentioned what his teacher had said she said that she hadn't noticed anything worrying about him but that he was certainly very bright and needs challenging a great deal.

I just wondered if we did agree for him to see this Ed Pych person what it would actually achieve-do they test IQ? Is is possible to be very bright/have a high IQ without being exceptionally academic. By this I mean Im sure he is probably one of the more capable children in the class but is certainly not fantastically so...he isn't reading War and Peace or anything like that!

Am just curious really-have now had 2 different teachers both say that DS is different (sorry can't think of how else to put it!) but don't quite know how or what to do with that information!

Bordom manifests itself in different ways, I used to sit and count the spots on the polystyrine tiles in the ceiling when I had run out of things to do, perhapse your son just tidy's up (I used to do this aswell at home, I'd move my room around just so I could tidy it up as I was bored alot). I don't think an IQ test is the way to go if I'm being honest, it doesn't mean anything, just that he can do tests. If he's happy how he is then why do anything at all? Tick box exercises and labelling a child gets them no where, what they need is to be stretched, giving him something to do in class might help to keep his mind off his worries.

Thank you for your reply! Yep that was my gut instinct when it was mentioned before...he is happy at school and certainly isn't bothered about anything. When they eventually asked him why he was doing it he said that he needed to tidy it up (it was paper mainly) because if it fell on the floor then nobody would be able to use it and it would be a waste. To me who is with him everyday it seems a very normal thing for him to say but I suppose in relation to most 4/5 years old they wouldn't think like that.

They aren't pushing him at all at school to be honest-and it doesn't really seem as though they've done much since september which is why Ive know started to think about all this. I just wondered if he did see this Ed Pych and they suggested some things for him to do then he might not be so bored and therefore labelled as different. To be honest I don't completely understand what they hope to gain from him seeing one (and I really don't want him labelled uneccessarily) but at the same time I just want to help him.

Lol-Im just rambling again! I think I will see what happens when his teacher comes back after easter and see what she suggests. Thanks again.

It's a sensible thing that he's doing, I can't understand why they are questioning it, he sounds mature for his age. Have you thought of giving him a project to do at home to keep him busy? Something they are not doing at school, under the sea for example? What about learning to play an instrument? My son is constantly bored at school, it's an ongoing problem. I used to have to send him in with his own reading books when he was in reception as he was reading books aimed at junior school children (he did read all of the oxford reading tree etc so didn't miss out on all of the books for his age group). The school need to work out what level your son is at and adjust hiw work accordingly.

I don't think you should agree to an Ed Psych, at least not yet. Teachers are so quick to spot and worry about children who are "different" and should accept that that's ok!!!! Keep an eye on whether your son is happy though.

Thanks all.I think you've hit the nail on the head Lilili-its like they've worked out he is different so want to lable him when there really is no need.

Belle-he is very interested in history and trains so might do something with him along those lines. I don't think they actually quite know what to do with him either tbh. He is more than capable of reading harder books than what they are giving him but because he is already at the top so to speak they won't push him any further. They have some ORT ones but mixed in with other schemes as well-they are giving him ort level 2 whereas we were given some level 4 & 5 so have got them at home and he can read those with no problem but apparently they cannot give him any harder ones yet!

He is mature for his age in some ways-some of the stuff he comes out with makes him sound about 90 rather than 5 and I swear he has been here before as well lol! On the other hand he still loves watching C-beebies so is quite babyish in some respects!

Your LEA should have someone that oversees the G&T provisions in the state schools so it may be worth your while tracking him/her down and having a chat. I have a boy who talks like sherlock holmes when he opens his mouth, it wasn't a problem in infants school but was bullied quite badly in the primary school he went to. He's been moved about quite a bit, partly due to bullying, partly because he's been incredibly bored, partly because he had a demon headmaster. He's at a private school at the moment, they have smaller classes and more flexibility in what they teach him. It sounds like the school your son is at is holding him back, this isn't a good thing as it will lead to frustration and apathy, they are not meeting his needs.

There's nothing wrong with watching c-beebies, he's still a little child

He sounds a fair bit like my ds. Today he randomly came out with the days he used to do nursery over 18 months ago before he left and I know we've not mentioned it since and I didn't remember. He has an amazing visual memory and is a bit quirky. Like an old man in a boy's body too. And yet he still likes Cbeebies not Ben 10 etc. too. He is also very cynical about anything made up e.g. Father Christmas - does your ds do that too? (that said he does plenty of pretend play in some ways).

I think you should ask them exactly what they think warrants an ed psych assessment.

Being a bit different and bored is rather vague. Could you ask them why they think he might be bored?

I wouldn't be happy about them saying they cannot give him harder books unless there is a reason - I think you need to ask why. Is it because they think his comprehension isn't there or that skipping to harder books might mean he misses important learning? Could you ask for two at a time so you can run through the too easy books quicker.

How about getting him some interesting board games to play at home - something like the Great Britain Game (trains involved and he can learn all the different place names) or Junior Scrabble?