Today’s Presenter Kimberley Gullo, M.A. GATE Instructor for TUSD, Former Orange County Parent Representative for CAG

WHO ARE THE GIFTED? Definition Common Traits

What is the meaning of the term “gifted”? According to the California Education Code, a “gifted and talented pupil” is one who… “is identified as possessing demonstrated or potential abilities that give evidence of high performance capability.” Definition

Like all children, no two gifted children are alike!

Are there any commonalities among gifted children? *may learn rapidly and retain content over time. * may reach developmental milestones sooner

Gifted children may also… *demonstrate creative and flexible thinking *make unusual associations between concepts *develop original approaches to solving problems *notice inconsistencies/irony

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL PARENTING DILEMMAS Peer Relationships Asynchronous Development Managing Intensities

Why do gifted children sometimes struggle socially? think and process information differently than their age peers may desire older friends whom they see as “intellectual peers.” many gifted children have tendency towards introversion may experience asynchronous development

Asynchrony Definition of Giftedness: A markedly uneven development experienced internally due to different rates of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth and manifested externally due to a lack of fit with age mates and with societal expectations Columbus Group with Dr. Linda Silverman

How can parents help their children form positive peer relationships? Keep the lines of communication open. Help child find friends with shared abilities and interests Seek out clubs or activities where child will interact with intellectual peers of a variety of ages Expose child to books featuring characters with whom he or she can identify

Are gifted children usually more intense than other children? Intensity, also known as hyper-sensitivity or over excitability, is a prominent trait among many gifted children. Dabrowski identified five areas of over excitability: psychomotor, sensory, intellectual, imaginative, and emotional.

Psychomotor Intensity Child has heightened excitability in the neuromuscular systems Child has intense need for physical activity, may talk rapidly, may exhibit nervous habits and agitation when stressed, may exhibit tics Advocacy need: high

Intellectual Intensity Child can absorb, synthesize and analyze information easily Child is an advanced reader and has a detailed memory Child possesses insatiable curiosity---asks questions, questions, and more questions Advocacy need: lower (This area is most quickly identified by school)

Intense Sensory Perceptions Child has… Heightened sense of taste, sound, touch Responsive to color, design, beauty acute hearing/perfect pitch intense reactions to sensory stimuli Advocacy need: high

Imaginative Intensity Child is highly creative Child loves to invent or modify objects to use in unusual ways Child is daydreamer, had vivid imagination, is happiest when following own thoughts and forming own conclusions Advocacy need: high

Emotional Intensity Child is... unusually attuned to own feelings capable of thinking and feeling deeply capable of strong attachments and empathy easily overwhelmed by emotions Advocacy need: high

How Parents Can Help Children Manage Intensities Help child develop healthy outlets for intense feelings (art, movement, creative play) Encourage child to verbalize feelings in ways that do not antagonize or offend others Teach child to monitor their reactions and use self-calming techniques Reassure child that feelings are normal and can be managed in healthy ways

Food for Thought “ Often, traits that are most annoying to parents and teachers---bossiness, stubbornness, continual worry, excessive questioning, resistance to interruptions--- can be reframed to become the very characteristics which make (children) successful as adults--- leadership, perseverance, empathy, curiosity, and task commitment.” -Arlene De Vries Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)

OTHER DILEMMAS Perfectionism Underachievement Twice Exceptional Children

Perfectionism

Is it normal for gifted children to be perfectionists? may set unreasonably high standards for self may not have skills to accomplish their goals. discrepancy between ideal and reality leads to frustration, low self-esteem, risk-avoidance.

How can parents help their child deal with perfectionism? Help child develop realistic self-concept. Praise effort rather than outcome. Praise for taking risks and stretching “beyond comfort zone.” Create a home atmosphere where risk-taking is valued as part of learning. Help child develop sense of humor.

Perfectionists don’t “grow out of it”!

Underachievement

Why do gifted children sometimes underachieve? desire for peer acceptance boredom do not see relevance of curriculum reduction of stress from trying to meet self- imposed standards fear of failure

What’s a parent to do?

How can parents help their child with underachievement? Recognize “paralyzed perfectionist” tendencies and foster task commitment Encourage and counsel child through fear of failure Monitor child for passion and eagerness to learn, true signs they find relevance and meaning in school

A different view of underachievement… “Underachievement is an adult term used to describe a set of troublesome child behaviors that don't match some preconceived notions of how high a gifted child is supposed to perform.” -James DeLisle

Some famous “underachievers”… Albert Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read. Sir Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school. Thomas Edison was told he was too stupid to learn. Walt Disney was fired from a job because he had “no good ideas.” Sir Winston Churchill failed sixth grade.

Can a gifted child underachieve because of a learning disability? Yes---“twice-exceptional” Twice exceptional children are skilled at compensating/disguising issues Stress begins internally as difficulty of schoolwork increases Underachievement = when a child can no longer compensate; needs diagnosis and support

Examples of Learning Disabilities Dyslexia Attention Deficit Disorder Visual processing Auditory processing

Differentiation’s Key Concepts (Dr. Sandra Kaplan, USC) Novelty: Activities to make the curriculum personally relevant Depth: Extending the unit of study into an exploration of details, rules, patterns, trends, ethics, and ideas. Complexity: Activities that require students to make connections between disciplines, perspectives and time periods Acceleration: Speeding rate of learning and increasing difficulty of academic materials

The Study of Disciplines Patterns Rules Details Unanswered Questions Trends Ethics Big Ideas Changes Over Time Interdisciplinary Relationships Icons Depth and Complexity Icons created by Dr. Sandra Kaplan, Professor, University of Southern California Point of View, Multiple Perspectives

GATE Students Also Need… Appropriate expectations Grouping with others of like ability Development of organizational and study skills Development of time management Development of social skills

FINAL THOUGHTS Deborah Ruff Pablo Casals

Deborah Ruf’s Do’s and Don’ts Don’t forget who’s the adult and who’s the child Do provide intellectual challenge Don’t over-schedule Do give compliments Don’t hold your child up as an example Do demonstrate how to prioritize and focus Do have fun and enjoy the ride

The gifted child…eternally unique!

The Wisdom of Pablo Casals Each second we live is a new and unique Moment of the universe A moment that never was before And never will be again. An what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two make four and Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique.

In all the world there is no other child exactly like you. In all the years that have passed, there has never been a child exactly like you… You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must cherish one another. We must all work to make this world worthy of its children.

Credits This power point presentation was based on publications and position papers of CAG, California Association for the Gifted. To view all of CAG’s position papers, visit

Additional Credits Delisle, James, “Dealing with the Stereotype of Underachievement”, Prufrock Press, November/December 1994 issue DeVries, Arlene R., “Appropriate Expectations for the Gifted Child”, Smutney, Joan, Stand Up for Your Gifted Child, Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, MN 2001

Internet Resources (website of Deborah Ruf) aurorameyer.wordpress.com dubuque.k12.ia.us

QUESTIONS? Please submit any questions you might have