Raising a Gifted Child

A Parenting Success Handbook

Carol Fertig

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000495492
• Subtopic: Education General
• Index: Psychology

From the author of the nation's most popular blog on parenting gifted children comes the definitive how-to manual for parents, Raising a Gifted Child: A Parenting Success Handbook, a gifted education Legacy Award winner. Raising gifted children isn't easy, but when armed with the practical knowledge and tools in this exciting book, parents can navigate the maze of raising bright kids, leading to success in school and beyond.

This book offers a large menu of strategies, resources, organizations, tips, and suggestions for parents to find optimal learning opportunities for their kids, covering the gamut of talent areas, including academics, the arts, technology, creativity, music, and thinking skills. The focus of this definitive resource is on empowering parents by giving them the tools needed to ensure that their gifted kids are happy and successful both in and out of school.

Additional topics covered include volunteering at their child's school; different school options and specialty programs; tips for handling special circumstances; specific suggestions for each core content area; and strategies for finding the best resources for parents on the Web. This easy-to-read book is sure to be a favorite of parents of smart kids for years to come!

Educational Resource

1
WHO IS THIS KID ANYWAY?

DOI: 10.4324/9781003237457-1

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GIFTED?

THERE is no universal definition of the term gifted; instead, there are many different opinions. The last Friday of each month the gifted specialists in the school district where I worked met to talk about common issues. On one particular day, our discussion revolved around the meaning of the label gifted. Marsha commented that we (being specialists) all knew what the term meant. Someone in the group questioned that. So, we went around the table and stated just what gifted meant to each of us. Very quickly it became clear that we all had vastly different views.

Some perceived the term to mean high test scores, and some saw it as an unusual way of thinking. Some felt students needed to be considered advanced by several grade levels in all areas, while others considered it important to be advanced in only one subject. Some valued academics, and others valued visual-spatial strength or the arts. Some felt giftedness was determined by a given set of personality or emotional characteristics, while others thought it was exhibited when high grades and compliance came together to make the “perfect student.” Some felt that one might be gifted for only a short time, while others felt it should last a lifetime. All of the specialists in this group had training in gifted education. Many had at least a master’s degree in the field, yet we found that we did not have a common understanding of giftedness. Think of how confusing it must be to those who do not have any background in the field.

After working with classroom teachers and gifted education specialists across the country, I also can tell you that the term gifted often takes on different meanings in different environments. In some very high-level schools where most students work well above the norm for their age, the term gifted may take on a very different connotation than in a school where most students work well below the norm.

Looking beyond school, we see that strengths are valued differently in different societies. For example, in a society where people live off the land, being an excellent hunter or farmer will be valued far more than being able to read.

Even within our own cultural subsets some attributes are valued over others. What about sports or music or art or dance? What about leadership or mediation or oratorical skills? When looking at giftedness in a broad sense, it is not all about academics.

The problem is that the term gifted does not have a precise definition. If you talk to noted experts in the field, you will find many different nuances.

In addition, some people believe a youngster who is gifted will have the curiosity and tenacity to find his own way. Others feel that talent is lost if not appropriately nurtured—especially by the school system.

So, the experts debate questions like these:

• Is a person born gifted or can giftedness be developed at various points during one’s life?
• Can we identify a person as gifted when he or she is young and expect that person to always behave in a gifted manner?
• Is one area of giftedness more important than another area?
• Should we expect schools to address all types of giftedness?

Given the philosophical differences that exist, it may be more productive to use specific descriptors rather than to say your child is gifted. It often is more helpful to know that the student has great insight into reading or has the ability to solve complex math problems in creative ways or is a great public speaker. It also is more meaningful to know a youngster is highly organized and goal oriented or is very sensitive to the feelings of others or is a wizard at science. By using specific descriptors, it may be easier for others to understand your child’s needs and to give appropriate support.

Young people also may have personality traits that can cause them to look gifted or not gifted. For instance, some kids are very good students, because they learn how to play the parent or school game of pleasing others or following the rules. I can think of many kids who were shining stars all the way through high school. Often, their parents were vigilant, watching to make certain all homework assignments were completed on time and met high standards. Everyone seemed shocked when these same young people went away to college and, with no one to keep them on track, floundered.

Some students feel irritated with the ways in which they are asked to learn, rebelling against the system because they don’t like authority or because their learning environment lacks challenge. Others have minds that truly work in different ways. They think “outside the box,” question their environment, and make connections that others cannot.

The comparison list found in Table 1, first attributed to Janice Szabos (1989) in Challenge Magazine many years ago, has been adopted by many districts and individuals to explain the difference between a bright child and what some view as a gifted learner. It helps teachers and parents distinguish between strong, smart students and those who are truly unique. But, keep in mind that it is only one way to look at the term gifted.

Table 1 A bright Child vs. a Gifted learner

A Bright Child:	A Gifted Learner:
Knows the answers	Asks the questions
Is interested	Is highly curious
Is attentive	Is mentally and physically involved
Has good ideas	Has wild, silly ideas
Works hard	Plays around, yet tests well
Answers the questions	Discusses in detail, elaborates
Top group	Beyond the group
Listens with interest	Shows strong feeling and opinions
Learns with ease	Already knows
Needs 6-8 repetitions for mastery	Needs 1-2 repetitions for mastery
Understands ideas	Constructs abstractions
Enjoys peers	Prefers adults
Grasps the meaning	Draws inferences
Completes assignments	Initiates projects
Is receptive	Is intense
Copies accurately	Creates a new design
Enjoys school	Enjoys learning
Absorbs information	Manipulates information
Is a technician	Is an inventor
Is a good memorizer	Is a good guesser
Enjoys straightforward sequential presentation	Thrives on complexity
Is alert	Is keenly observant
Is pleased with own learning	Is highly self-critical

TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST?

As parents (and teachers), we want to understand as much as possible about the individual children we work with so we can provide the best possible environment, enabling them to thrive both academically and emotionally. This is not always an easy task, but there are tools that can be helpful. Testing is one of those tools.

Ingrid was a confused parent. She wrote,

I have a preschooler who is extremely smart. Most people say he is too smart. He is having a lot of behavior problems. The director at his school thinks he is gifted. Many others have said he probably has ADHD, but I don’t believe it. Can you please point me in some direction to have my son tested and also to find schools that specialize in gifted and talented? I am lost. I am a desperate mother with a beautiful and bright child who just needs some special attention.

This mother obviously loves her son very much and wants to find the best possible environment for him. She wants more information to determine if his capabilities are as high as she thinks and also if there is a misfit with his environment, causing his behavior problems. Testing is one tool that might be used, but we must remember that test scores only offer us one piece of the puzzle to understanding the makeup of each individual child.

There are many different types of assessments available, each with a specific purpose, including achievement tests, IQ tests, and emotional/behavioral assessments.

Schools generally have all children take one or more achievement tests to determine if the students understand the grade-level curriculum they have been taught. These tests are administered to the entire class and they measure what your child has already learned, not your young person’s abilities. Even within the category of achievement tests, it can be confusing—especially when a child is given several different achievement tests and scores vary widely within a given subject area. Understanding exactly what each test measures and the types of questions on each instrument is important. For instance, in the area of math, one test may measure computation, another problem solving, and another visual-spatial ability. So, a child may score high on a subtest of computation, indicating that he knows his math facts, yet score low on the problem-solving subtest, indicating he has difficulty reasoning through real problems. For better understanding, ask the administrator of the assessments for an explanation of the school tests and how they will be used.

Intelligence (IQ) tests are designed to determine a child’s ability or potential (i.e., assess innate ability rather than what he has already learned). These tests need to be administered individually, one on one. More often than not, parents who want their child to have an IQ test need to go outside of the system and pay to have the test administered. It usually is beyond a school’s budget to give IQ tests whenever requested.

There also are behavioral assessments that can be given by psychologists to help determine if behavioral issues are due to biological problems, educational settings, lack of self-control, inappropriate discipline, and so forth.

Ingrid, the mother who was very confused about the behavior and abilities of her son, may find that both intellectual and behavioral evaluations administered by a professional would help her better understand her child’s strengths and provide her with recommendations for the best educational environment.

Other parents may have different reasons to go through a testing process. Some need to supply a minimum aptitude score for their child to enter a gifted program at school. Still others see that their child is very bright but also has some significant learning problems. They want an evaluation with suggestions for helping the child work on both strengths and challenges. Finding a qualified person to provide an appropriate evaluation for any of these dilemmas may be a difficult hurdle.

Before having your child individually evaluated, ask yourself some questions. Will a certain score make different educational options available? Will it cause you to look at your child differently? Will your expectations for your child change? Would that change be beneficial or detrimental to the child? At best, test scores only should be used as one piece of a puzzle in assessing a child’s ability. For example, adults may have difficulty understanding a child who has a high IQ but is not motivated to use that ability.

When privately assessing the abilities of highly able youngsters, it is best to find a psychologist who has worked with gifted children who are the same age as your child. The evaluator should be experienced in ascertaining various levels of high intelligence and the pros and cons of the spectrum of tests available. Find out what tests will be used and how the information will be presented to you. If your young person needs to provide a score on a specific test to be admitted to a gifted program, make certain the appropriate test will be administered. Also be sure that the psychologist will make educational recommendations to guide you. Different levels of intelligence require different approaches. A student who is deemed gifted may require one level of education while a prodigy requires something quite different. The psychologist should understand your purpose for testing.

To begin a search for psychologists in your geographic area, look at:

• National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)—http://www.nagc.org (click on Gifted by State)
  Here you will find contact information for both your state gifted association and the gifted arm of your state department of education. Discussing your needs with people at either of these organizations may produce recommendations.
• Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page: Psychologists Familiar With Testing the Gifted and Exceptionally Gifted—http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/psychologists.htm
  This Web site includes several articles explaining things to consider when choosing a psychologist to test children, ways to use test information, and names of specific psychologists who have experience working with gifted young people.

Understanding the purpose and scores of all tests ad...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Who Is This Kid Anyway?
• Chapter 2 Understanding Gifted Kids
• Chapter 3 Expectations
• Chapter 4 Parental Responsibilities
• Chapter 5 The Value of Creativity
• Chapter 6 There’s More Than One Way to Educate a Child
• Chapter 7 Specific Subjects
• Chapter 8 Some Unique Groups
• Conclusion
• References
• Resources
• About the Author