The Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Children

Arrowhead Area Gifted and Talented NetworkParent Night

November 16, 2011

Sarah KasprowiczMerton Community School District

Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted

Sarah KasprowiczPast President ~ 2009-2011

Member of WATG Board of Directors since 2000

http://www.watg.org/

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.

IntensityDabrowski’s

Overexcitabilities and Theory of Positive Disintegration

PsychomotorSensualIntellectualImaginationalEmotional

“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 managementHelp with task analysis and time managementAssistance with transitionsSuggest involvement in Tae Kwon Do Discussions with student about triggersCounseling about intensityDo not attempt to “fix” the intensity.Children and parents need to accept intensity

and develop strategies to accommodate for themselves.

Parents might see:

Task avoidanceApathyDifficulty with task

completionAnxiety

(Betts and Neihart, 1988)

The Successful

The Underground

The Non-Conformist

The Drop Out

The Autonomous Learner

The Double-Labeled

http://animoto.com/play/7dUj9agrAmFfMAtDxtf8pg

From Hoagies Gifted Education Pagehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-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

http://www.sengifted.org/

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)

kasprowiczs@merton.k12.wi.us