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Parents' Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education: All You Need to Know to Make the Right Decisions for Your Child

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Not just every parent of a gifted child, but every teacher and every guidance counselor of gifted children, too, should read Parent's Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education. Palmer explains all in one book, what it took me years of talking to dozens of gifted professionals to learn for myself. And Palmer makes it easy to read, with review points at the end of each chapter - if you're in a hurry, read the review points first, and pick the chapters that answer the questions you have right now. But read the whole book cover to cover when you have time - it's worth it!

What do IQ tests measure, and what don't they measure? What's the difference between group and individual tests? How about surveys? What are the different kinds of scores that result from these tests: standard scores, percentiles, and age-equivalent scores? How are gifted children identified by these tests? Which groups of children are commonly under-identified? How does identification vary from school district to school district and state to state? And besides test scores, what are the characteristics commonly found in gifted children?

But Parent's Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education is not just about tests and testing. It describes various gifted education programs, and how those programs may or may not serve your gifted child. Are there disadvantages to being gifted? Palmer describes common sensitivities of the gifted child, and the possible effects on the child's self-esteem.

Gifted children may also suffer from learning disabilities, much to the surprise of parents and teachers alike. In Part III, Palmer points out possible LDs, and identification methods for gifted children with memory, attention, vision or auditory processing problems, and more. What are the options for gifted and learning disabled, also called twice exceptional children? IEPs, resource rooms, aides and more, are discussed.

Palmer concludes with a history of the measure of intelligence, IQ tests and testing, nature and nurture, and other discussion topics.

If you are the parent of a gifted child, or you suspect you're the parent of a gifted child, you should read this book. And if you are a teacher, you should read this book to learn more about the gifted children in your classroom.

I was interested in learning about IQ testing because I'm considering enrolling my son in a gifted program. I was thrilled to find this book as it answered so many of my questions. It's really written for parents, not academics. This book was especially helpful because it helped explain that many of the behaviors I'm noticing in him are actually because of his giftedness. This is a fabulous resource for anyone who wants to learn how to navigate the IQ testing process. It also helps you understand how the tests are used and what the scores mean.
I highly recommend this book to any parent!

This book was recommended to me by a friend when my child was going through the gifted testing process at school. As far as I know, this is the only book written for parents like me whose kids are being tested and who need to understand gifted screening, IQ testing, gifted programs, and different school options. This book is written by an educational psychologist who has lots of experience and great insider advice for novice parents. This is a great reference for parents - highly recommended!

Dr. David Palmer's Parent's Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education is a very thorough look at intelligence testing in general and for gifted children in particular. Palmer covers the basics very well, and I found myself nodding vigorously in agreement with much that he had to say. Palmer discusses:

Why gifted children don't always score highly on intelligence testing
Hidden gifts
Late bloomers
Optimal IQ
Possible negative aspects of giftedness
And much, much more.

Palmer says, " IQ tests are certainly imperfect instruments and only one piece of the puzzle." He communicates clearly why kids should be evaluated for a gifted program based upon multiple criteria, and not a single group administered IQ test. While group tests are common screening tools, an individually administered IQ test is much more likely to provide reliable data. Even with a private assessment though, a gifted child may not do well, due to a variety of causes.

This book addresses types of gifted education and which students tend to benefit from them. Kids who are highly to profoundly gifted may need a more radical solution than those in the "optimally" gifted range, who tend to do well in school with only slight modifications.

The possibility of finding true peers becomes more difficult when a child is more highly gifted. Dr. Palmer talks about asynchronous development and how it can affect social interaction. A gifted child may look like other kids his age, and share a common level of emotional maturity. However, it can be awkward when this child also has the vocabulary, interests, and reasoning ability of someone several years older.

For parents who are unsure about the idea of testing, or who want to more fully understand what is being measured, this is a terrific book written in clear language with a lot of relevant information. I like the common sense attitude and the section on learning disabilities is outstanding.

If you are expecting a run-down of the particular tests in common use today, that is outside the scope of this book. Also, throughout the book, references to IQ scores seem to be based upon the old Stanford Binet LM, which provided scores up over 200. The LM is an older instrument which is rarely used these days, and it does not compare "apples to apples" with current tests which are designed to measure up to 160.

Palmer's book is a good little guide except, unfortunately, for the incorrect and misleading description of the meaning of IQ scores.

This is a clear, handy guide to the world of IQ assessment and gifted children. I recommend it heartily, but I must add a strong caveat that the author and I have already discussed: Palmer describes score ranges for different levels or degrees of giftedness that seriously understate the meaning of scores above 135 IQ, mis-stating how highly intelligent and different-from-others these children really are. For example, on pages 18-19, he uses outdated descriptions and score ranges that no longer hold merit, and this is a significant error. The most recent test to use such scores, the old Stanford-Binet (Form LM), was last updated in 1972 and has been replaced. That test is no longer considered valid, and further, the wide score ranges reported by that test seriously confuse those who would need to depend upon them today. Current valid group and individual tests (described nicely in his book) report scores on a normalized bell curve and tend to reach their limits at 150 IQ. Someone who scores at 144 on a current test, for example, is "exceptionally" to "profoundly gifted," not "moderately gifted" and in need of few academic adjustments, as Palmer claims. A score of 144 is almost three standard deviations above the mean score, meaning a score in the top 0.2%. Such a child is not "moderately gifted" and will need learning adjustments. On page 82 he states, "Bear in mind that many children whose IQ measures in the moderately gifted range (130 to 145) can thrive in a general education program." It is true in some academic settings, what I call a Type III School, that children at the low end of this range will thrive in the regular setting, but for children above 135--and certainly above 140--major adjustments are necessary. Again, this confusion stems from using a no longer valid test score range.

Most educators and psychologists are somewhat confused about how today's scores relate to scores from older tests, resulting in many professionals overlooking level of giftedness as an important issue related to classroom and social adjustment. As the author of Riverside Publishing's Use of the SB5 in the Assessment of High Abilities (2003), I encourage parents to read the free bulletin, available on the Riverside website, in order to fully understand the meaning of any gifted-level IQ scores.

All that said, Dr. Palmer covers every imaginable issue and question parents might have when they consider whether or not their child is gifted and whether or not to have their child assessed. I know of no other book or guide that covers these topics so clearly. Just be aware that his descriptions of IQ ranges and meanings of the scores are incorrect.

We were curious about our daughter's advanced abilities and wanted more information. Dr. Palmer's book explained the process of IQ testing and the different aspects of identifying gifted children, as well as explaining gifted education and other educational options. This book helped guide us through the process of identifying our daughter's needs and has assisted us in our ability to advocate for her. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is curious about their child's intelligence and wants some direction and help getting answers. It is a reference we refer to often.

Author David Palmer has brought to parents an easy-to-read, concise guide to a large and confusing topic of which children get tested and why they are tested in schools. Having evaluated all ages and types of children, I am familiar with the parents who politely listen to test results, smile and have no questions. This is the book that every teacher, school psychologist, diagnostician and counselor can hand to a parent and be assured that all is explained clearly with Q & A format, bullet points and stories. I highly recommend this book because it takes away the mystery of testing and parents' guilt feelings about a perceived problem. By reading the sections on children's giftedness, strengths and challenging learning problems, parents are better informed to make the right educational decisions. I highly recommend this book to parents as well as teachers and others who influence children's education.

Parents' Guide To IQ Testing and Gifted Education: All You Need To Know To Make The Right Decisions For Your Child by David Palmer Ph.D. is a no-nonsense guide written in plain terms especially for parents concerned about what the best educational recourse is for their gifted child. There is no one universal answer; rather, the needs and personality of the child determine whether he or she would be better off attending standard classes, skipping grades, enrolling in more challenging courses, or pursuing other options. Parents' Guide To IQ Testing and Gifted Education has advice for parents of exceptionally gifted children, parents of children who are so bored with the normal school curriculum they are inclined to "coast" on their gifts, parents of gifted children with learning disorders, and parents seeking to learn more about IQ tests in America, how they are administered, how their results are used, and what they really reveal. An excellent guide thoroughly covering the wealth of options available.

We were interested in finding ways to challenge our daughter who was working far ahead of most of the other children in her grade and was starting to complain about school being "boring." She's always had good teachers who try to find ways to modify the schoolwork for her, but much of the time she seemed to be going over things she already knew.

My husband and I read this book after having our daughter tested at the Palmer Learning Center (Dr. Palmer sent us a copy along with the assessment report). The information in this book, along with Dr. Palmer's report and recommendations, really helped us understand our options and find the programs our daughter needs. Our daughter's school doesn't offer formal gifted programs until third grade, but we were able to work with her teachers and come up with a plan where she is being accelerated in two subjects. We are also looking into enrolling her in a summer camp for gifted kids at a local university and trying out an online program in the future.

The book is written for parents who, like us, have little background in testing and programming for gifted kids. Dr. Palmer offers straightforward and objective advice and doesn't push any one type of gifted programming. He clearly explains what parents need to know about each topic in understandable language.

If you have a child who is bored in school and you need help understanding what testing and programming for the gifted is all about, this is the book you should start with. Highly recommended!

Chapters Include:

A Closer Look at IQ Tests: What they Measure and What the Scores Mean
Identifying Gifted Kids - Who Gets Tested and Why?
What is Gifted Education - And Is It Right for My Child?
IQ Testing and Gifted Education - Answers to the Questions Parents Ask Most
Signs of Giftedness - What You Should Look For and Why You Should Know
Is it Good to Be Gifted? Optimal IQ and the Flipside to Being Gifted
Bright Kids with Learning Problems - When IQ and Achievement Don't Match Up
IQ Testing in the Schools - How Did it Start?
What is Intelligence - And Can it Really be Measured?
Nature, Nurture, and Other Influences - Why We Are Who We Are

Dr. Palmer's book, Parent's Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education, is a great resource not only for any parent who has ever wondered if their child might be gifted, it also will be highly informative to anyone interested in how and why schools use IQ tests. This book covers a wide range of important topics, such as the characteristics of giftedness, self-esteem, bright children who have difficulty with learning, what an IQ test does and does not measure, the influences of nature (heredity) and nurture (environment), and more. As a psychologist and parent myself, what I find particularly nice about this book is that it's written in easy-to-understand language and is not loaded with technical jargon. This book would be a valuable addition to any parent (or teacher's) personal library.