Gifted 201Carolyn Kottmeyer

©2013-2014 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page

• The “all things gifted” page

– 1150+ pages = Overwhelming

– Site-wide search on every page!

• Not supported by advertising or

grants

– Affiliates programs

– Click on Shop Hoagies’ Page

• www.hoagiesgifted.org/shop.htm

Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page

• Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+

– Research summaries

– Quick events and contests

– News

– Gifted Parent, Teacher & Professional

Q&A

– More…

What is Giftedness?• IQ 130+ - two standard deviations

above “normal”

• Achievement 2+ grade levels above age/grade

• Asynchronous Development

• Characteristics checklists– Early development of verbal and

numeracy skills

– Early reading

Gifted = AsynchronousGiftedness is asynchronous development in

which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching, and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.

– The Columbus Group, 1991

Gifted 201• Social / Emotional Needs

• Testing and Assessment

• Academic Acceleration

• OverExcitabilities (OEs)

• Underachievement

Social Emotional Needs

What do gifted children need?• Academic needs

– Challenging curriculum

– Work with academic peers

• Social Emotional needs– Unconditional adult acceptance

• Parents, teachers

– Friends with similar interests, intensities• Learn and play with other children like them

• Know there are others like them – They are NOT alone!

Gifted Friendships

• Significant differences found

between…

– average and gifted / highly gifted

children

– Girls and boys

• Girls friendship concepts appear 2 - 4 years

ahead of boys

• Most significant at 3rd grade, decreasing

later

Gifted Friendships• No significant differences were found

between gifted and highly gifted children, but…

• Significant differences found in small

sampling of exceptionally / profoundly

gifted children, compared to gifted /

highly gifted children…

– Very small sample – 34 eg/pg children

– More research needed

True Friends

• Someone at the same level of friendship

– Shares interests of gifted child

– Maybe not the same age• May even be an adult…

– Maybe not the same level of giftedness

– But these would be ideal…

• Sometimes difficult to find

– Even more difficult when outgrown!

How many friends?

• Average children tend to have more friends

– Popularity counts

• Gifted children tend to have 1 or 2 deeper friendships

– Early change to considering friends qualitatively

• And that’s OK!

Introvert

• Recharges alone, with self and

surroundings

– Prefers a small group to a party

– Enjoys spending time alone

• May find it difficult to share feelings

• Prefers to watch first, mentally

rehearse

• Strong sense of personal space

Extravert

• Recharges from being with others

– Enjoys a group rather than being overwhelmed

– Drained by being alone

• Lets you know what he thinks and feels

• Frequently interjects, doesn’t mind interruptions

• Needs verbal input and approval

Shy or Outgoing?

• Not necessarily tied to introvert /

extravert

– Can be shy and extraverted, or

– Outgoing and introverted

• May be changed / outgrown

– Best not to force change

Multiple ages

• Physical age

– Eye development, hand coordination, life experiences

• Mental age

– Academics, subjects of interest

– Asynchronous academic levels

• Emotional age

– Varies, usually in between…

• Spiritual age

Emotion…“Emotion cannot be treated separately

from intellectual awareness or physical development. All three intertwine and influence each other.” -- Annemarie Roeper, 1981

Emotional Age

• Usually between mental and physical

age

• Often closer to mental age than

physical age

• Varies, depending on activity,

situation, how tired… lots of factors

Emotional Support

• Model positive values

• Be optimistic

• Treat their concerns as real

• Volunteer…

– Food collection

– Animal rescue

– Reading programs

• Gear support to the child’s concerns

Difficult expectations• Parents expectations are often closer

to mental age

– Sometimes punish the gifted for “acting

their age”

• “Current age” neon forehead sign!

• School expectations are almost universally closer to physical age

– May punish the gifted for preferring

older students, curriculum, activities

• Hold back or worse, try to “fix” the child

Most Difficult Expectations

• The gifted child often expects far more of himself than he can deliver

– 8 year old brain, working through 5 year old hands… frustration!

– 11 year old social conscience in 6 year old mind…

• Sees the injustice, but considered too young to take action…

• Sometimes develops intense fears

Underachievement Mindset

• Teachers and parents may create

perfectionism / underachievement

– Early praise for being smart, rather than

for effort

– When things eventually get challenging,

kids think they can’t do it because they

aren’t smart enough!

Positive Praise

• Praise for effort, not result

– All kids should have to work at

academics

– Appropriate level work!

• Praise for specifics

– I like how you described the characters…

– Not general: Great job on the

assignment

Appropriate Difficulty

• ALL children need schoolwork that

challenges them

• Without challenge, gifted children

don’t get the same chance to learn…

– Hard work

– Study skills

– Failure, and recover from failure

Mindset, by Carol Dweck

• Fixed mindset

– I must be perfect (or people won’t like me)

– Failure = lack of competence or potential

– Don’t want to work to improve weakness

• Because it means admitting weakness!

• Variable mindset

– Failure is a chance to learn

• Hard work makes me smarter

The Wrong Thing…

• Forcing the gifted child to be someone she is not may cause…

– Hiding her true “self”

– Perfectionism

– Underachievement

– Imposter syndrome

– Low self-esteem

– Depression, or worse

Gifted Children Need…

• To be children!

– Carefree and fun and safe

– Unconditional love of parents

• To be themselves!!

– Learn at their own level and pace

– Play their own games

– Accepted by friends, school, church, society…

Outdoor Play!

• We had more outdoor free play time; Our

kids have more screen time

• Outdoor free play linked to Creativity, Self-

esteem, Independence & Autonomy,

Sensory development, Social interaction,

more!

• Lack of outdoor play linked to, ADHD

symptoms, violence and anti-social

behaviors

Internet Resources• SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the

Gifted)

– SENGifted.org

• Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page– Pages on Social Emotional, Underachiever,

Perfection, Imposter Syndrome, ….

– HoagiesGifted.org

• Stephanie Tolan– Non-fiction articles, fiction for gifted children /

young adults

– StephanieTolan.com

Print Resources: Kids/Parents• Smart Teens' Guide to Living with Intensity: How

to Get More Out of Life and Learning

• A Parent's Guide to Gifted Teens: Living with

Intense and Creative Adolescents

– Both by Lisa Rivero

• Being Smart About Gifted Children

– By Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster

• Gifted Kids Survival Guides (10 and under, Teen)

– Both by Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle

• 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids

– By Christine Fonseca

Print Resources

• Counseling the Gifted and Talented

– Linda Silverman, editor

• Annemarie Roeper: Selected Writings

and Speeches

• Understanding Our Gifted

– Social/Emotional, Volume 14, Issue 3

• Mindset

– Carol Dweck

Testing and Assessment

Testing…• Grade level achievement tests

– State tests, nationally normed tests

– Out of grade level tests!

• Group ability tests– Screening measures, to determine need

for further IQ testing

• Individual achievement tests– WIAT, WJ-III, KTEA, PIAT

• Individual IQ tests– WISC / WPPSI (gifted <age 6), SB-5,

WJ-III, DAS

Test Scores…• Know your Standard Deviation!

– SD commonly equals 15…• But not always!

• Gifted = average +/- 2 * SD

• Know your Margin of error!– Ex: SEM = 3

• 68% chance score is within 3+/-

• 95% chance score is within 6+/-

Test Scores…• Know your ceiling!

– 99th percentile is the ceiling• Watch for single question misses that

dramatically lower the percentile

– IQ tests, know if child barely made 99th

percentile, or made it with many questions to spare

• Look for supplemental scores: GAI, Extended Scores

– Individual Achievement tests, ceiling may be 12th or 16th grade

• Run “Mythical child” scores

WISC-IV Global Ability Index

• Publisher’s bulletin on Global Ability Index

(GAI)

– GAI removes Working Memory and Processing

Speed Index from calculation

• Do not assess what’s commonly included in gifted

programs

• Do not show the same 15 point standard deviation

– Published AFTER the WISC-IV

• Psychologists NOT notified after they purchase / train

WISC-IV Extended Norms

• Publisher’s bulletin on Extended

Norms– Gives credit for correct answers above subtest

ceilings

– Used when child has 2+ 99th percentile (18 or

19) subtest scores

– Published LONG after the WISC-IV – February

2008

• Psychologists NOT notified after they purchase / train

Test scores…• Same named scores on different

tests are usually NOT comparable– Percentile, Standard Score, Age

equivalent…

• Scores on the same tests given by school and private psychologists often differ in scores**– This doesn't mean parents “bought” the

score, but that psychologist had more time to focus on the child, and more experience assessing gifted children

**(retesting usually requires 12 month delay)

Achievement Test Scores

vs. Classroom Placement

• Curriculum Based Assessment

• Out of level Achievement Test

• Individual Achievement Test– Compares to average students

• Group Achievement Test– Tested grade level only

– Results: above, at or below grade level. In

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Group Screening Measures

• Be aware…

– Normalization sample size

– Mean, deviation, and standard error

– Hard ceiling score

• GATES and others

– Survey – only as good as teacher-training

• SAGES and others

– Group test of both ability and achievement

Gifted AND Learning Disabled

• Can this be?

– Yes!

• Do these kids need to be identified?

– YES!

– They need appropriate work in their areas of strength, AND appropriate remediation or support in their areas of weakness

• GT/LD kids are NOT average!

Resources

• Testing and Assessment

www.hoagiesgifted.org/testing.htm

• An Inventory of Tests

www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests.htm

• A Parent’s Guide to IQ Testing and

Gifted Education

amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0977109852/thehoagiesgifted

Resource Articles

• Why Test?

www.hoagiesgifted.org/why_test.htm

• What Do Tests Tell Us?

www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests_tell_us.htm

• Why Do My Child’s Test Scores Vary

From Test to Test?

www.hoagiesgifted.org/iq_varies.htm

Academic Acceleration

100 years of debate• 100 years of Acceleration Research

– All positive

• 100 years of pre-service teacher education– Acceleration isn’t mentioned at all!

• A Nation Deceived– www.NationDeceived.org– free two volume report– Volume I – executive summary of accelerative

options– Volume II – research to back up volume I

100 years of debate“Research continuously demonstrates the

positive impacts of the various forms of acceleration. Yet the educational establishment, especially at elementary and middle school levels, remains skeptical based on the implications of ruined scope and sequence charts and ungrounded fears of hampering healthy social-emotional adjustment. …Voices in the field of gifted education and psychology, spurred by current and relevant studies, have consistently sustained support for acceleration, yet to little avail.”-- F. Richard Olenchak, Ph.D., P.C. and Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Ed.D. (A Nation Deceived)

100 years of debate• “Acceleration is one of the most curious

phenomena in the field of education. I can think of no other issue in which there is such a gulf between what research has revealed and what most practitioners believe. The research on acceleration is so uniformly positive, the benefits of appropriate acceleration so unequivocal, that it is difficult to see how an educator could oppose it.”-- Professor James H. Borland of Teachers College -Columbia University states (Colangelo, Assouline, Gross, & 2004)

Myths• Driver’s license

– So?

• Prom– Kids go in groups anyway. Or skip it entirely.

• You’ll have GAPS! <Gasp!>– Aren’t gaps a GOOD thing? That means they

have something to LEARN!

• You won’t be able to live in the dorm• If we allow you to accelerate this year,

what will you do *next* year?• You won’t be able to drink in college

– A good thing, in parents’ minds!

Myths• A common argument against acceleration states that it

is undemocratic to grant one student special exceptions over others. People get confused as to the purpose of acceleration and feel it is only for the wealthy. The purpose of education, however, is not to grant an identical education to each student, but to grant equal educational opportunities. Where a normal student may get a tremendous education in the normal classroom, a gifted student may learn very little. This is not equal.

Gifted students come from every background imaginable. Acceleration benefits those from a lower social economic status the most. Wealthy parents can often provide supplemental opportunities for their child. These may not be available to those without the means. It is the responsibility of the public school system to grant students equal educational opportunities. This is not possible if acceleration is ignored.

Social Emotional Myths• “According to multiple leaders in the field of

gifted education, the sooner a student is accelerated, the better. The longer acceleration is delayed the more likely a student will become involved in a social group. If the acceleration takes place before he or she enters school, there is no social adjustment period.”

-- Daniel Anderson, Myths and Misconceptions of Acceleration, University of Oregon, 2008www.eric.ed.gov

Social Emotional Myths• “The myth says that students who

skip will rarely fit into society, the reality shows that those very students tend to lead American Society to greater heights” (Colangelo et al., 2004, A Nation Deceived)

Social Emotional Myths

Competing with Myths about the Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Students by Tracy L. Cross, Gifted Child Today. 2002 Summer.

sengifted.org/archives/articles/competing-with-myths-about-the-social-and-emotional-development-of-gifted-students

Social Emotional Myths“Myth 1: Gifted students should be with

students their own age. …something inappropriate or untoward will occur if different age groups spend time together. Some believers of this myth will claim that research supports this point, but in fact they are mistaken.

“In [Tracy Cross’s] research with Larry Coleman, it is clear that gifted students need opportunities to be together with their intellectual peers, no matter what their age differences (Coleman & Cross, 2001).”

Social Emotional Myths• “Myth 2. Gifted students are better off if

they spend their entire school day amidst same-age, heterogeneous classmates. If we allow gifted students to be clustered together through one of any means available, they will be unable to get along with others later in life. Gifted students, to be happy, must become socially astute. Becoming socially astute requires that gifted students spend as much time as possible in heterogeneous classrooms.

“Sacrificing learning and creating frustration based on this myth is unethical, in my opinion.”

Social Emotional Myths“Myth 3. Being perfectly well rounded should be

the primary goal for gifted student development. Please note the phrase, “perfectly well rounded,” as opposed to “somewhat well-rounded.” Many parents, teachers, and administrators believe that it is their role to ensure that gifted students are perfectly well-rounded. To that end, they will encourage, prod, goad, push, threaten, and yell at gifted students to get them to spend less time engaged in their passion areas...

Much of the research on successful gifted adults has revealed that they spent considerable amounts of time, often alone, in their passion areas as children.”

Social Emotional Myths“Myth 7. Being too smart in school is a problem, especially

for girls. This myth represents adults’ worries about their own feelings of acceptance; concerns about fears associated with standing out; the typical anti-intellectual culture of schools; the reflection of society’s under evaluation of high levels of achievement; and the oft mentioned, intuitively based association of high levels of intellectual ability with low levels of morality.

The consequence of this myth is the nurturing of incredibly high percentages of our students who underachieve in school. These behaviors and beliefs about self make perfect sense when one perceives the mixed messages about being gifted in their school’s social milieu. We must provide support for these children as they navigate the anti-intellectual contexts in which they spend much of their time.

Social Emotional Myths• “Over forty years ago, educators reported experiments

proving the effectiveness of a procedure that was seldom used. Since then it has been tested on many groups. The averages of these tests have almost always shown it to be helpful, and have not shown it to be harmful. Leading educators praise it highly and continually recommend that it be used in conjunction with other procedures. Yet despite the research and the respected professional endorsements, only a small percentage of teachers permit its use, even though when properly prescribed it would be beneficial.”

• Durr’s proposal (1964) referred to research on accelerated progression, conducted and disseminated 40 years earlier.

• W.K. Durr, The Gifted Student, as cited by Miraca Gross in her keynote, From “the saddest sound” to the D Major chord: The gift of accelerated progression.

Academic Myths“Studies of the academic effects of acceleration provide strong

evidence of positive outcomes for accelerated students. A best evidence synthesis of 81 studies, undertaken by Rogers (1991), found significant academic effect sizes (ES > +.30) for 9 of the 12 forms of acceleration studied. Interestingly, of the three accelerative procedures for which significant effect sizes were not found, two (concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement) involve the gifted student spending the majority of his or her time in the mixed-ability classroom! Academic effect sizes were largest for grade-skipping ( .78), credit by examination (.75) and grade telescoping (.56). When researchers compare academic outcomes for accelerated and non-accelerated gifted students, the results tend to favour accelerands over non-accelerands, regardless of which accelerative modality is employed (Swiatek and Benbow, 1991) and the academic advantages remain apparent not only in adolescence and young adulthood but even after many years (Cronbach, 1996).”

Types of Acceleration• Early Admission to Kindergarten

• Early Admission to First Grade

• Grade-Skipping

• Continuous Progress

• Self-Paced Instruction

• Subject-Matter Acceleration/Partial Acceleration

• Combined Classes

• Curriculum Compacting

• Telescoping Curriculum

Types of Acceleration• Mentoring

• Extracurricular Programs

• Correspondence Courses (Distance education)

• Early Graduation

• Concurrent/Dual Enrollment

• Advanced Placement Courses

• Credit by Examination

• Acceleration in College

• Early Entrance into Middle School, High School, or College

Grade-Skipping• Also know as Full grade acceleration• Most thoroughly researched option for

acceleration– ALL RESULTS POSITIVE!

• Best years to skip– Early entrance to K or 1st

– 2nd grade when reading and math are already mastered

– Middle school– Natural break in schooling

• When all kids move to a new school together

Academic Advocacy• Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children: A

Parent's Complete Guide– By Barbara (Bobbie) Gilman– (Formerly titled Empowering Gifted Minds:

Educational Advocacy That Works)– “the definitive manual on gifted advocacy for

gifted students. The author tells parents and teachers how to document a child's abilities to provide reasonable educational options year by year. This book provides imperative information on testing considerations, curriculum, successful programs, and planning your child's education”

Iowa Acceleration Scale• Iowa Acceleration Scale: A Guide for

Whole-grade Acceleration (K-8)– Research based evaluation of evidence– Not a test, but uses existing scores from tests– Combines questions for school, teachers, parents– Turns emotional choice into quantitative decision

– “A tool to help schools make effective decisions regarding a grade-skip.”

– Guides a child study team (including educators, teachers, parents, and other professionals) through a discussion of the academic and social characteristics of the student.”

Over-

excitabilities

Why are you screaming at me!

It’s too warm in here!

This tag is digging into my back!!

My presentation isn’t perfect!!!

©2013-2014 Carolyn Kottmeyer

What are OverExcitabilities?• Polish psychiatrist and psychologist

Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902–1980)

• Translated and continued by psychologist Michael Piechowski

• Over-excitabilities (OEs) or "superstimulatabilities“

• The gifted are extremely sensitive in a variety of areas

What are OverExcitabilities?• Stimulus-response difference from

the norms

• In these 5 areas a person reacts more strongly than normal for a longer period than normal to a stimulus that may be very small

• Not just psychological factors but central nervous system sensitivity

Overexcitabilities

• Psychomotor

• Sensual

• Imaginational

• Intellectual

• Emotional

Psychomotor OE

• Lots of physical energy and

movement

• Fast talking

• Lots of gestures

• Sometimes nervous tics

• May have trouble smoothing out the

mind's activities for sleep

Psychomotor Strategies

• Allow time for physical and/or verbal

activity

• Be sure the physical or verbal

activities are acceptable and not

distracting to those around them

• Provide time for spontaneity and

open-ended, freewheeling activities

Sensual OE

• Love for sensory things / hate for

“bad” sensory experiences

– Tags in shirt, seams in socks, “rough”

clothes, stickers!

– Sensitive to bright lights, loud or harsh

noises

– aesthetic awareness - the child who is

moved to tears at a beautiful sunset

Sensual OE

• Hates loud classrooms / gyms /

concerts

• Prefers (requires) blankie with satin

binding

• Loves / hates foods based on texture

(or color)

Sensual Strategies

• Create an environment which

comforts and limits offensive stimuli

• Provide opportunities for limelight by

giving unexpected attention, or

facilitating creative and dramatic

productions with audience

• Provide time for delight of the sensual

and soothing

Imaginational OE

• Dreamers, poets, “space cadets”

• Strong visual thinkers

• Use metaphorical speech

• Remember their dreams, react

strongly to them

• Believe in magic

Imaginational OE

• Strong fantasy life / interest

• Imaginary friends

• May write stories or draw instead of

doing seatwork or participating in

class discussions

Imaginational Strategies

• Help to differentiate between

imagination and real world, place a

stop sign in their mental videotape, or

write or draw the factual account first

• Help them use their imagination to

function in the real world and promote

learning and productivity, create their

own organization system

Intellectual OE

• Traditional gifted kids

• A strong “logical imperative”

• Love brain teasers and puzzles

• Complex reasoning, figuring things

out

• Love of learning!

Intellectual OE

• Strong readers and observers

• Strong concerns about moral and

ethical issues

• Impatient with those who cannot keep

their intellectual pace

Intellectual Strategies

• Respect / show how to find the

answers to questions

• Provide or suggest ways for those

interested in moral and ethical issues

to act upon their concerns

• Help them see how their intent may

be perceived as cruel or disrespectful

Emotional OE

• Intensity of emotion, with a broad

range of emotions

• Need deep connections with people

and animals

• Empathy and compassion

• Easily offended / betrayed by typical

friendship patters of other kids

Emotional OE

• Cries at movies

• Boys prefer girls for friends

– Girls less likely to pick on them for

emotional responses

• Searching for “true friend” at very

young age

Emotional Strategies

• Accept all feelings, regardless of

intensity

• Teach individuals to recognize and

anticipate physical and emotional

responses and prepare for them

Overexcitability Strategies

• Discuss Overexcitabilities!

• Focus on positives

– Benefits include being energetic,

enthusiastic, sensual, aesthetic, curious,

loyal, tenacious, moral, metacognitive,

integrative, creative, metaphorical,

dramatic, poetic, compassion-ate,

empathetic, and self-aware

Overexcitability Strategies

• Celebrate diversity

• Teach clear verbal and nonverbal

communication

• Teach stress management from

toddlerhood

• Create a safe, comforting environment

Dabrowski…• “Emotional (affective), imaginational

and intellectual overexcitability are the richer forms. If they appear together they give rich possibilities of development and creativity” (1972)

Misdiagnosis

• Psychomotor OE ≠ Hyperactivity

• Imaginational OE ≠ Inattentive

– Either might be diagnosed as AD/HD via

DSM IV/V

• Sensory OE ≈ Sensory Integration

Disorder (SI)

• Intellectual OE ≈ Giftedness

• Emotional OE ≈ Over-sensitive,

immature

Overexcitabilities are Not…

• An excuse for bad behavior

– We must help the gifted child learn to

deal with his OEs while not giving up his

“self”

• Something we can ignore

– They are very real, and as adults, we’ve

learned ways to deal with them

– We must help the kids learn, too

Resources

• Dabrowski's Theory of Positive

Disintegration by Elizabeth Mika

– hoagiesgifted.org/positive_disint.htm

• Bill Tiller’s Theory of Positive

Disintegration

– positivedisintegration.com

Resources

• Dabrowski's Over-excitabilities:

A Layman's Explanation by

Stephanie S. Tolan

– stephanietolan.com/dabrowskis.htm

• Living & Learning with Dabrowski's

Overexcitabilities by Cindy Strickland

(teaching unit for middle school kids)

– hoagiesgifted.org/living_with_oes.htm

Resources• Living With Intensity: Understanding the

Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional

Development of Gifted Children,

Adolescents, and Adults

– amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/091070

7898/thehoagiesgifted

• Off the Charts: Asynchrony and the

Gifted Child

– rfwp.com/book/off-the-charts-

asynchrony-and-the-gifted-child

Underachievement

Underachievement• “…underachievement is defined as

performance in class at a level significantly below that which is predicted by the child’s performance on standardized tests of achievement in the subject area under consideration, or general academic achievement at a level significantly below that which is predicted by the student’s intelligence quotient” (Gross, Exceptionally Gifted Children, 1993)

Underachievement Is…

• First and foremost, a behavior and as

such, it can change over time [*not 2e]

• Content and situation specific

• In the eyes of the beholder

• Tied intimately to self-concept

development

(Underachieving Gifted Students, ERIC

digest #E478, James Delisle and Sandra

Berger)

Types of Underachievement

• Environmental

– Enforced – external

– Internal – why?

– Highly Gifted…

• Organic

– Twice exceptional

• Gender-based

• Cultural

Characteristics• Poor Self-perception

• Low Goal Orientation

• Poor Peer Relations

• Difficult Authority Relationships

• External Locus of Control

• Flat or explosive Emotional Expression

Supportive Strategies• Classroom techniques and designs that

allow students to feel they are part of a "family," versus a "factory," include methods such as holding class meetings to discuss student concerns; designing curriculum activities based on the needs and interests of the children; and allowing students to bypass assignments on subjects in which they have previously shown competency.

Supportive Strategies (Family)

• Gifted children thrive in a mutually

respectful, nonauthoritarian, flexible,

questioning atmosphere. They need

reasonable rules and guidelines, strong

support and encouragement, consistently

positive feedback, and help to accept

some limitations

• Provide a wide variety of opportunities for

success, a sense of accomplishment, and

a belief in themselves

Intrinsic Strategies• Incorporate the idea that students' self-

concepts as learners are tied closely to their desire to achieve academically. Thus, a classroom that invites positive attitudes is likely to encourage achievement. In classrooms of this type, teachers encourage attempts, not just successes; they value student input in creating classroom rules and responsibilities; and they allow students to evaluate their own work before receiving a grade from the teacher.

Intrinsic Strategies (Family)• It is important that parents and teachers see

intellectual development as a requirement for these children, and not merely as an interest, a flair, or a phase they will outgrow

• "an intellectually gifted child will not be happy and complete until he is using intellectual ability at a level approaching full capacity…”

Judith Wynn Halstead, Guiding Gifted Readers (Some of my Best Friends Are Books)

Remedial Strategies• Teachers recognize that students are not

perfect - that each child has specific strengths and weaknesses as well as social, emotional and intellectual needs. Students are given chances to excel in their areas of strength and interest while opportunities are provided in specific areas of learning deficiencies. This remediation is done in a “safe” environment in which mistakes are considered a part of learning for everyone, including the teacher.

Remedial Strategies (Family)

• Avoid discouraging their children by

domination, insensitivity, silence, or

intimidation. Discouraging comments, such

as "If you're so gifted, why did you get a

D?''

• Avoid comparing children with others

• Show children how to function in

competition and how to recover after

losses

Remedial Strategies (Family)

• Study-skills courses, time-management

classes, or special tutoring may be

ineffective

– only if the student is willing and eager, and the

teacher is chosen carefully

• Special tutoring for the concerned student

experiencing short-term academic difficulty

• Courses or tutors who do not understand

the student may do more harm than good

Gifted / Learning Disabled (2e)

• “Recognition of learning disabilities

among the highly gifted is made

extremely difficult by virtue of their

ability to compensate”

(Silverman, Uniquely Gifted, 2000)

Compensation• Compensation is inconsistent

– Health - Stress

– Sleep - Distraction

– Nutrition (dieting)

• These kids are NOT lazy or unmotivated– When they fail, they assume this is “normal”

– When they succeed, others assume this is “normal”

Allow to be Gifted!

• “Children with learning disabilities,

behavior disorders, or other types of

school problems who are also gifted

in one or more areas must be allowed

to be gifted in their areas of strength

while they receive assistance in their

areas of need.”

(Winebrenner, Uniquely Gifted, 2000)

2e Resources• Misdiagnosis And Dual Diagnoses Of Gifted

Children And Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, Depression, And Other Disorders by James T. Webb, Edward R. Amend, Nadia E. Webb, Jean Goerss, Paul Beljan, F. Richard Olenchak, and Sharon Lind

• The Mislabeled Child: How Understanding Your Child's Unique Learning Style Can Open the Door to Success by Brock Eide and Fernette Eide

• Different Minds: Gifted Children With AD/HD, Asperger Syndrome, and other Learning Deficitsby Deirdre V. Lovecky

2e Resources• 2e Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

directed squarely at the intersectionof giftedness and learning difficulties…

www.2enewsletter.com

• Spotlight on 2e– Easy-to-read booklets on 2e topics…

• Understanding your Twice-Exceptional Student (for educators)

• Parenting Your Twice-Exceptional Child (for parents)

• Twice Exceptionalwww.hoagiesgifted.org/twice_exceptional.htm

Twice Exceptional Needs…

• Need higher level thinking

• Need LD support / special education

• Need to learn

– Content

– Skills

– Self-esteem

• Need to be themselves!

Strategies

• To prevent or reverse underachievement,

schools need to provide supportive

strategies, intrinsic strategies, and

remedial strategies.

• The strategies include accommodations to

students' learning styles, focusing on

students' interests, and affirming students

as individuals with special needs and

concerns

Can Be Reversed!

• Underachievement is made up of a

complex web of behaviors, but it can

be reversed by parents and

educators who consider the many

strengths and talents possessed by

the students who may wear this label

(Underachieving Gifted Students, ERIC

digest #E478, James Delisle and Sandra

Berger)

Gifted 201

Questions?

Thank you