By Michelle Cramer

I’m a researcher. So when our oldest son exceeded our expectations on his IQ test for admission into WINGS, I started googling everything there was to know about raising a gifted child. I read article after article, learning about the five overexcitabilities, seeing so much of why I was the way I was growing up, recognizing so much more in our son and how he processes information.

I also found a number of resources for continuing our journey to challenge him and help him reach his full potential. While all of them are absolutely valuable, one that I have my heart set on is the Davidson Young Scholars program, offered through the Davidson Institute, a school in Arizona dedicated solely to gifted education.

According to the website, the Davidson Young Scholars program provides free services designed to nurture the intellectual, social, emotional, and academic development of profoundly intelligent young people between the ages of 5 and 18. Qualifying members are offered:

• Individualized consulting services to help with locating resources, academic support, college planning, talent development and more
• An online support community that connects you with other parents
• An annual summer event so you can connect with other parents in person
• Fee-based residential summer programs held at the Davidson Institute for Young Scholars ages 8 to 16
• Possible scholarships for college in the future that are more readily available to those in the program

In order to qualify for the program, your gifted child must have an individually administered IQ test (the full deal, typically done only through a full psychological evaluation) and obtain an IQ score of at least 145 on one of the areas tested (such as verbal comprehension or perceptual reasoning). A full list of eligible IQ tests and requirements is available on the website.

In May of 2016 (at 8 years old), a local psychologist conducted a full psychological evaluation of our son, which included the WISC-V intelligence test (one that is eligible for the Davidson Young Scholars program). His missed qualifying for the program by one IQ point. I was indeed disappointed, but he was none the wiser as we made it a point not to tell him anything about it until there comes a time when he does qualify.

Why is this such a big deal to me? Because all of the things he struggles with, I struggled with as a child. He is a cloth woven from the same thread. The difference is generational in nature – my parents didn’t have resources available to them when I was growing up like those available to me now as a parent (thank you World Wide Web). My mom didn’t have outside resources helping her determine why I responded to things the way that I did, just that it was hard. It’s not any less hard for me, but I crave all of the information, resources and support I can get, if it means making my son’s journey even a little easier to navigate – for the both of us, but him especially.

There is still plenty of time to qualify for and take advantage of this program. Through my research, I’ve found that many experts recommend doing a second IQ test after the age of 10, as most children have more cognitive development after that time, regardless of their IQ. So this is our plan. And, in the meantime, we’re looking for ways to continue challenging him and have found local communities of gifted parents (like through WINGS and P.A.G.E.) for mutual support along this journey.