Over the past 50 years, our understanding of the gifted mind has evolved substantially. Today, researchers and educators know that gifted children aren’t just profoundly intelligent; they think – and learn – differently than neurotypical children. As such, extra work alone won’t keep them engaged in the classroom or inspire them to reach their full potential. Instead, these children require targeted ...
Gifted and talented children frequently surprise their parents, teachers, and peers by rapidly mastering challenging material. However, their ease of learning belies the wide range of difficulties that can accompany asynchronous development. Gifted kids are prone to perfectionism, intense sensitivity, problems with social identity and self-definition, feelings of alienation, and anxiety. For children who are exceptionally gifted, these challenges are ...
As a culture, we place a great deal of emphasis on innate talent; we assume that certain people are born to be excellent artists, athletes, scientists, etc. The idea of success being predetermined by one’s genes feels reassuring for parents who think (or know) their child is gifted. After all, what parent doesn’t want to believe their child ...
Knowing when and how to discipline a child is never easy, but gifted kids present unique challenges that require patience and careful consideration. With their combination of emotional intensity, keen language skills, and need for fairness, gifted children can seem rebellious and argumentative – but their behaviour is often driven by good intentions. By knowing what to expect when parenting a ...
If your child is struggling behaviourally or academically, his school may recommend that he take what is known as a ...
For the parents of overweight children, every day is a balancing act; on one hand, there is the natural desire ...
Too often, the emotional side of giftedness is overlooked; for all that we laud the intellectual complexity of giftedness, seldom ...
If your child is gifted, you probably already know that highly talented children have special needs in the classroom. What many parents don’t realize, however, is that gifted kids also require a modified approach to parenting. Ideally, the way you guide your child at home should complement and enhance the educational opportunities your child receives at school. The optimal ...
Though we associate special education with learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders, specialized programs can also be profoundly helpful for gifted children. Gifted children not only display an advanced rate of learning, they learn differently than other children, which creates the need for a responsive education environment. Giftedness is also typified by a pattern of asynchronous development, where certain skills and ...
The idea that gifted kids can be at-risk comes as a surprise to many parents and educators; however, there’s substantial evidence showing that these children face unique (and sometimes daunting) challenges. Because giftedness is a form of asynchronous development, gifted children often struggle to reconcile their advanced intellectual abilities with their age-appropriate motor and social skills, resulting in frustration ...
Many people are under the impression that verbally adept children naturally thrive at school. We know that most programs of study strongly favour verbal learning styles (as opposed to visual learning styles), so we assume that verbally gifted children won’t face the same challenges as other children. This is, at least partially, true; however, research indicates that verbally gifted ...
