Parent Potential A Guide at a Glance Amanda Adams July 2010

HOW WOULD YOU REACT?  Show-off  Know-it-all  Hyperactive  Stubborn  Aggressive  Anti-social  Disrespectful  Undisciplined  Bossy  Conceited  Impertinent and challenging  Questions instructions from authorities such as teachers  Insensitive to others  Manipulative  Different (Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan, 2006)

CHARACTERISTICS OF GIFTED CHILDREN  Unusually large vocabularies  Read earlier than most children  Insatiable Curiosity  Wide range of interests  Divergent Thinkers  Unusual since of humor  Excessive energy, needs lots of movement  Daydreamers,“space cadets”  Ability to grasp abstract concepts  Focused and acute attention to detail  Often critical or skeptical and can easily find inconsistencies  Unlikely to finish projects before moving on to others  Emotionally intense, wear their hearts on their sleeves  Overly sensitive to sensory stimulus (Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan, 2006; Tolan, 2003)

WHAT ARE PARENTS TO DO?  Be supportive  Financially  Emotionally  Tailor house rules and guidelines  Based on honesty, self- respect, and responsibility  Discipline vs. Punishment  Discipline teaches self- control  Natural consequences  Punishments must fit the crime  Be positive!!  Praise goes farther than punishment any day!  Recharge you batteries (Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan, 2006)

WHAT ELSE?  Organize daily routines  Reduce maintenance time to increase family time  Maintain a united front  Whether in a traditional, blended, step or single parent home  Prepare for adversities  Outside and inside the home  Seek the additional advice  School counselor  Support groups  Parents/family of other gifted children  Breathe and remember that different isn’t a bad thing!  Stay informed  Be your child’s advocate (Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan, 2006)

WHEN DO PARENTS NEED TO DO THIS? ALL THE TIME!

REFERENCES Neihart, M., Reis, S.M., & Moon, S.M. (2002). The social and emotional development of gifted children: What to do we know?, Washington, D. C.: Prufrock. (A service publication of the National Association of Gifted Children) Tolan, S. (2003). Dabrowski’s over-excitabilites a layman’s explanantion, Retrieved from: Underwood, J. R. (2010). Characteristics and behaviors of the gifted, Retrieved from : Unknown (2002). January: Parent/family involvement. A Year of School Counseling, Webb, J. T., Meckstroth, E. A., & Tolan, S. S. (2006). Guiding the gifted child: A practical source for parents and teachers, Scottsdale: Gifted Psychology Press.