It is often just as difficult to secure accommodations for your gifted child as for a child with a learning disability, although securing admission will be easier. Just as in independent schools in the United States, very few overseas schools have special programs for gifted children. Many schools believe that their curriculum is sufficiently demanding for any student, particularly the highly selective schools and those that offer Advanced Placement classes and/or the International Baccalaureate programs. Keep an open mind. Sometimes they are right!
You need to bring a portfolio of your child's previous work, previous accommodations that have been helpful, and special experiences your child has had. If you know that a particular classroom placement (e.g., a more advanced grade or a more advanced course in one or two subjects) will be important, then try to negotiate that initially. Otherwise, give yourself and your child a few weeks to become acquainted with the school setting.
Often, teachers can differentiate the curriculum experience of the students some of the time. Ideally, this will be accomplished by compacting (i.e., eliminating segments your child has already mastered, and shortening others that can be learned quickly) and then, with the time saved, extending and deepening assignments to match the level and pace of your child's learning. This can sometimes be accomplished by substituting assignments (e.g., reading a different text or novel, modifying a project), or by permitting the student to work ahead independently in the text or in the next grade's text, or by importing a more challenging unit of study not usually covered by the class. Because gifted students learn and think like older students, sometimes they can spend part of the day in a higher grade, develop their own projects and share them with the class, or even use on-line courses to substitute for or supplement the usual fare. In addition, participation in cross-age after school clubs such as chess or Junior Great Books, engaging in regional contests or debate leagues, using after-school tutoring in the host-country language and culture, or exploring career options in the community can enrich your child's learning.
