Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children
Left Behind by Deborah L. Ruf
Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind
Highly and profoundly gifted children have typical behaviors in early
childhood! Written for parents and teachers who work with gifted
children, this book describes behaviors of children who are measured at
the highest ranges of intelligence. The data indicate many more of these
children than previously thought, and show that current tests usually
underestimate their abilities. Fascinating vignettes from 50 different
families and their highly intelligent children are included, and the children
are classified into five Levels of intelligence. Testing, test scores, and
interpretations of scores are explained in a new, eye-opening way. Parents
and teachers will be able to compare a child’s behaviors and
developmental milestones to those of children in the five Levels chapters,
and thus estimate their child’s intellectual level and the implications for
educational planning. Features include: · Information about testing and
ceiling effects · Early developmental milestones · Family concerns ·

Choosing a school · Five Levels of gifted · Educational
concerns · Instructional strategies
Personal Review: Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left
Behind by Deborah L. Ruf
I was totally engrossed in this book, carrying it with me wherever I went
and quoting out of it to whomever was around me. The author uses real
children as her examples, and gives clear analyses of educational
research into the education of gifted children.
One of the sections that was especially interesting to me was the concept
of "levels of giftedness." Once brought up, it seems obvious. There are
levels or degrees of mental and physical handicaps - of course there would
be levels of giftedness. But I had not given any thought to how great the
differences in educational strategies would be for each of the levels of
intelligence. For example, the brighter a child is, the more difficult a
multiple-choice question becomes. When asked to circle which items could
float, one bright child circled a picture of a bed. Asked for his reasoning, he
said that cruise ships have beds, and the beds are afloat because they are
on the ship. Bright children think in ways outside the obvious.
Two more vital points: first, if your child tests at the 99th percentile in any
subject area, you do not know his ability. You do not know what he could
do until you can test beyond what he can do, and you see his top limits.
Second, a bright child's giftedness is almost always asynchronous. He will
be off the charts in one or two areas, and normal in others. Some teachers
use this fact to say that the child is not truly gifted, when in fact this is a
good indicator of giftedness.
Much more excellent information in this book -- I really enjoyed it.
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