Does your son's school offer gifted/talented classes, and has he been tested for it? You mention not wanting to injure his spirit, but it sounds like his present class setting (or at least this year's teacher) is not a good match for his learning style. I'm glad he's social and gets along well with others; that was an area my son really struggled with, but he's an only child. I was going to ask whether you would consider homeschooling, since he seems to have such a strong passion for the arts and few elementary schools promote that, but if you feel your son is still happy to go to school, and isn't having any trouble with the academics or socially, then I see no reason to retain him.

I've been told that if Nicholas sat down and took an IQ test, it would be off the charts, but he still uses a number line to do addition and subtraction. He learned how, he loves to draw it, so he still uses it. From the looks of things, this is a bad bad thing for him to be doing. There has never been a concept taught to him in school that he didn't grasp. I thought failing was the reason for retention. I'm so confused and annoyed byt his. I want to help him, but what exactly is it that i need to fix?

Nicholas is very social, very funny, loves to draw, play with legos, he plays outside for as long as he can and hets along well with others, dresses up as ninjas, soldiers, super heroes, etc... He's an all-around joy to have around. He's a people-pleaser. When I say he's funny, I mean it. He's a little comedian with a quick whit and he loves to do impressions and has an incredible memory for one-liners and movies/cartoons. He writes short stories and illustrates them. The only complaint I would have is he bickers with his brother a lot. He is, however, the textbook 'baby' of the family. He learned early that his charm and big green eyes can make people do whatever he wants...even if it takes time, the baby of the family can usually get anything done for him whether it's intentional or not. His intelligences seem to lie in unusal things such as creativity. He can read well, but he doesn't love to do it when he has to. Reading at bedtime is enjoyable for him and he'll read until I turn the lights off. He can do his homework, but he never does the 'optional' things. He doesn't care to. It isn't 'fun' for him. He likes to do fun things. Is that so terrible? I will definitely take a look at the links you sent. Thank you so much for your comment. We did consider ADHD, but he just didn't have enough symptoms to fit the bill. I wish I would've waited another year to start him in school, but no one told me this was a popular issue. I feel like retaining him will injure his spirit... and it's too great a spirit to harm.

How does Nicholas act at home? Does the school offer gifted/talented classes, and has your son been tested for it? He sounds very bright, but bored, and honestly, he could also have an attention deficit. There's actually a term for bright kids with ADHD and/or LDs, and it's 2e or "twice exceptional" and you can read more about these types of children here: community.greatschools.net/groups/16042

My own son is "2e," and I know these kids are "square pegs" who just don't fit into "round holes." Unfortunately, retention usually isn't the answer, because they will be more bored and behaviorally challenged by repeating the same material over. Kids with ADHD are typically about 1/3 less mature than their chronological age-mates according to Chris Dendy, an expert in ADHD issues. (In other words, a 6 year old behaves more like 4, and a 12 year old more like 8 or 9, and so holding them back in school isn't even enough for them to "catch up" in terms of maturity.)

I can't help but think that your son will be the next Dav Pilkey of "Captain Underpants" fame. If you haven't read his bio on his website, you should: www.pilkey.com/meet-dav.php