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 ...
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 ...
You may have been approached by your child’s teacher or you may have noticed yourself that your child is ...
If your child is struggling behaviourally or academically, his school may recommend that he take what is known as a ...
As a psychologist living and working in Toronto, where 51% of residents were born outside Canada, I deal with immigration related ...
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 ...
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 ...
One of the most common misconceptions about gifted kids is the idea that these children automatically excel in every area. In reality, like all children, gifted kids have distinct individual aptitudes. This is especially apparent when it comes to creativity: Contrary to popular belief, not all intellectually gifted children are inherently creative, and not all creatively gifted kids are academically ...
For many parents, having a child who seems unusually introverted is a relief. There’s little need to worry about him sneaking off to parties, staying out past his curfew socializing, or getting into many other common forms of mischief. A quiet child is, according to conventional wisdom, a “good” child. If you’re the parent of a gifted kid, ...
