The math contests are largely an attempt to level the playing field, to give the mathy kids one place where they are not regarded as freaks.

For us, homeschooling has been pretty much it on the “what can be done” question — keeping her learning and growing in a positive environment until real opportunities become available (like in college, sigh . . . ).

C. never did DI, but I have friends whose kids did/do. There seems to be a lot creativity, improv, drama and thinking on one’s feet involved. Here’s the description from the website:

“The Destination ImagiNation Flagship Program is a process-based program grounded in sound creative problem solving theory that helps young people build lifelong skills in creative and critical thinking, teamwork, time management and problem solving. Up to seven participants work together as a team for eight to twelve weeks to create their solution to a Team Challenge, which can have a focus that is theatrical, structural, improvisational, scientific or technical. Teams also learn and practice creative quick-thinking skills for the Instant Challenge portion of the program.”

To answer your questions. Yes, I think there’s a bias in what our society values. Math and science have a concrete economic value–think Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

As for a gender bias in identification, again, I think there is a bias toward identifying math/science talent as being emblematic of extreme intelligence. Girls are “supposed” to be verbal.

On the subject of gender and prodigious intelligence…I don’t know if you’ve looked at what is out there about girls and Aspergers but I find it striking (and frankly a bit disturbing) that in the very very little research that exists on how Aspergers manifests in girls, one of the “symptoms” (according to the leading expert) is “a fascination with classic literature such as the plays of Shakespeare and poetry.” I came across that and I went, “Huh?” Makes me wonder if profoundly gifted girls risk being misdiagnosed as Aspergers. If extreme intelligence is being pathologized. Here’s the link: http://www.aspergerfoundation.org.uk/infosheets/ta_girls.pdf

Finally, check out this blog about girls and giftedness from a woman in the technology field: http://alphawomen.com/me-me-me-me-me/invisibility-geek-girl

Do you just think it’s evidence of gender bias in gifted education? A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of a recent Newsweek in which families with gifted boys are far more likely to identify them as gifted than do families with gifted girls. Is it that math is “hard” (or at least we perceive it as such, so we accord it more respect)?

Good issue.