The Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Children Arrowhead Area Gifted and Talented Network Parent Night November 16, 2011 Sarah Kasprowicz Merton Community School District Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted

Sarah Kasprowicz Past President ~ Member of WATG Board of Directors since

What are the needs of gifted children? Healthy Relationship with themselves Healthy Relationship with others Healthy Relationship with their world ~Lisa Rivero, SENG

Asynchronous Development Intensity Perfectionism Misunderstandings 6 Profiles

Gifted children develop in multiple layers. They can appear very mature in some areas and less mature in others. You could see all of the below items at the same time: Highly advanced intellect Advanced sense of humor Acutely aware of fairness and injustice in the world Unable to tie their own shoes Need to sleep with the light on Unable to express their advanced thoughts in writing

Frustration with themselves, others and their world in general.

Not much in common with age peers Children may feel more like “themselves” with intellectual peers, younger children, older children or with adults Friendship issue may occur

Gifted children have a more intense experience when making sense of themselves, others and their world.

Intensity Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities and Theory of Positive Disintegration Psychomotor Sensual Intellectual Imaginational Emotional

“Mellow Out” Written by Michael Piechowski, Ph. D. “Mellow out,” they say, to which I can only respond, “If only I could.” At birth I was crucified with this mind that has caused me considerable pain, and frustration with teachers, coaches, peers, my family, but most of all with myself. ~Carol, cover illustrator

Accommodations for Intensity Help children with stress management Help with task analysis and time management Assistance with transitions Suggest involvement in Tae Kwon Do Discussions with student about triggers Counseling about intensity Do not attempt to “fix” the intensity. Children and parents need to accept intensity and develop strategies to accommodate for themselves.

Parents might see: Task avoidance Apathy Difficulty with task completion Anxiety

(Betts and Neihart, 1988) The Successful The Underground The Non-Conformist The Drop Out The Autonomous Learner The Double-Labeled

From Hoagies Gifted Education Page pQ2P_Vz3Q&feature=player_embedded# pQ2P_Vz3Q&feature=player_embedded#! Susan Jackson from the Daimon Institute for the Highly Gifted Giftedness is a continuum. The children in the video express their experience. Don’t worry so much about identifying the level of giftedness for your child. Please listen to the message the children are trying to tell us. Your child may or may not experience the same issues.

What is it like to parent a gifted child? Do any of the issues presented tonight affect your family? How can we support each other in this journey?

(Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) Arrowhead Area SENG Model Parent Group March-May 2012 Registration materials will be available through your district’s GT Department and/or website National Conference will be in Milwaukee July 12-14, 2012

Establish an environment in which facilitators provide support and guidance, so parents of talented children can interact and learn from each other. Increase parents’ awareness that talented children and their families have special emotional needs. Develop parenting skills for nurturing the emotional development of talented children. Provide parents with materials to enhance understanding of: Characteristics of high potential children. Programs and opportunities for talented children. Relevant books and professional organizations. Referrals for more in-depth professional assistance. Encourage parent involvement in and support of appropriate educational opportunities. (SENG website)