Well, not totally clueless, but certainly can't figure out where to start with Davidson.

My husband and I attended a gifted conference in Chicago yesterday, and we were told that Davidson was THE source for us.

Very briefly:

Our daughter is 3 and we are 99% sure she is gifted, possibly highly gifted.

We see:
Super sense of humor
Empathy
Concerns for safety of self and others
Long memory for past events
Perfectionism
Imaginary friends
Made up songs/love of music
Talking, talking talking
Love of books and long attention span for reading aloud - we read "chapter books" at age 2
Deep questions, for example after learning about Adam and Eve "Mom, if God wants us to be only good, why did he make us so that we can be good or bad?" or my favorite "Would it be good to know when you are going to die?"

She is very sensitive to differences between herself and other children already, and in classroom settings is mute. When I ask her about this she says that she "just wants to be the quiet one". We think that she can read, but can't be 100% sure because she has been clamming up lately.

Where to next? Help!

Thank you for your interest in The Davidson Institute for Talent Development and our services. You can read more about our programs and services, as well as eligibility criteria, by visiting our main website at http://www.ditd.org/.

Here is a brief description of our Young Scholars program.

Young Scholars: One of the free services that the Davidson Institute offers is the Davidson Young Scholars Program, which is designed to provide information and resources to help parents address the needs of their exceptionally bright children in the areas of educational advocacy and planning, talent and interest development, and child/adolescent development.
Applicants are ages 4 to 16, and we serve Young Scholars until age 18. You can read more about our Young Scholars Program at http://www.ditdservices.org/Articles.aspx?ArticleID=24&NavID=0_0.


I hope this information is helpful. If you have specific questions, you are welcome to contact us at info@ditd.org or 775-852-3483 Ext. 435.

Hi Pamela -
How did things go with your application? It took me 6 months to do mine - and I felt bad about how long it took me all along the line! Perfectionism and Denial working together can really slow things down. Luckily things have gone much better since then.
Smiles -
Trinity

Hi Pamela,

Our boy, currently 7, showed similar characteristics as your little girl. We had him tested and he was found to be gifted. The "What Next" can be challenging and is highly dependent on your location. The Davidson website is great and has helped us a lot. Also try to find families in your area facing the same challenges. This helped my wife and me a great deal. We had great success with Montesorri as the pre-school option. We also turned both our kids onto the violin which really helps them channel that creativity and brainpower.

Also, try the following website - http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

Hoagies is another great resource.

Finally, try to enjoy the process. Although it can be stressful at times, it is truly amazing and opens up a whole new world to you and your husband.

Hope this helps.

M