The document discusses the social and emotional issues that gifted children may face. It defines giftedness and describes how gifted individuals differ neurologically, in their perceptions and behaviors. Gifted children often experience overexcitabilities that can lead to issues like underachievement. Their asynchronous development and differences from others can cause maladjustment. The document recommends that schools identify gifted students' social and emotional needs through screening and provide support like counseling and gifted support groups to help gifted children thrive.

1. Social/Emotional Issues of Gifted Children

2. Outline Definition of giftedness Identification of gifted individuals Nature of gifted individuals Maladjustment (Social/Emotional Issues) Recommendations

3. Definition of Gifted

4. Gifted Being born with a quality or trait valued by one’s society

5. Musical Ability

6. Athleticism

7. Physical Beauty

8. Intelligence

9. …Valued By One’s Society

10. Athleticism

11. Physical Beauty

12. Gifted vs. Gifted and Talented Francoys Gagne

13. Gifts      Talents 10,000 hour rule Daniel Levitin, Michael Howe, Malcolm Gladwell, and Many, many others

14. NYS Reflects Gifts      Talents Those pupils who show evidence of high performance capability and exceptional potential… [including] those pupils who require educational programs or services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program in order to realize their full potential.” (New York Education Law § 4452)

15. Note on New York State’s Requirements Define Giftedness as requiring different services Mandate that all students be assessed and parents of gifted children be notified Don’t mandate that anything be done for the gifted children Don’t set aside any money to provide gifted education for those defined as requiring it

16. NY One of 7 States Least Supportive of Gifted Children

17. For Our Purposes Today, Gifted: Having an inborn cognitive ability more than two standard deviations above the mean (IQ of 130 or greater)

18. Giftedness is Abnormal Top 3% of population in any given area of ability

19. Identifying Gifted Individuals Theory and Assessment of Cognition

20. Cattel, Horn Carrol Woodcock

21. Screening -> Assessment Screening (large, inclusive filter) Assessment (more accurate, finer filter)

22. Screening Group test of cognitive abilities State Achievement Tests* Parent referral Teacher referral Administrative referral Self referral

23. Assessment WJTCA-NU WISC-IV

24. Serving Gifted Children Well Define Identify Differentiate Academic Social/Emotional

25. Nature of Gifted Individuals

26. Gifted People Are Different Neorosystem Perception Behavior Environment

27. Neurology Larger Frontal Lobes Faster synapses More efficient processes (Sanjay Gupta) Men and Women (Dr. Richard Haier) Gray White

28. Neurology  Perception

29. Perception  Behavior Overexcitabilities (Kazimierz Dabrowski,1902-1980)

30. Overexcitability Means Increased… Sensitivity Awareness Intensity

31. Areas of Intensity Psychomotor Sensual Intellectual Imaginational Emotional

32. Psychomotor OE “Capacity for being active and energetic" (Piechowski, 1991, p. 287)

33. Psychomotor OE talk compulsively act impulsively, display nervous habits compulsively organize others may find them overwhelming. seem never to be still

35. Common Misdiagnosis ADHD

36. Sensual OE Heightened experience of sensual pleasure

37. Sensual OE Heightened experience of sensual pleasure or displeasure emanating from sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991)

38. Sensual OE + Increased and early appreciation of Music Language Art Endless delight from Tastes Smells Textures Sounds sights. These children may also become so absorbed in their love of a particular piece of art or music that the outside world ceases to exist

39. Sensual OE + Over stimulated or uncomfortable May withdraw from stimulation. Distractions from schoolwork (ADD) Rough clothing Cafeteria Smells Sounds Pencil pressure

40. Pleasure and Pain Are More Intense

41. Examples

42. Intellectual OE Marked need to seek understanding and truth, to gain knowledge, and to analyze and synthesize (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991)

43. Intellectual OE Intensely curious Often avid readers Keen observers Able to engage in prolonged intellectual effort Tenacious in problem solving when they choose . Elaborate planning Detailed visual recall Love theory, thinking about thinking, and moral thinking Strong concerns about moral and ethical issues Sometimes impatient with others who cannot sustain their intellectual pace So excited about an idea that they interrupt at inappropriate times

44. Examples

45. Imaginational OE Rich association of images and impressions, frequent use of image and metaphor, facility for invention and fantasy, detailed visualization, and elaborate dreams (Dabrowski & Piechowski,1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991)

46. Imaginational OE Mix truth with fiction Create [internal] private worlds Imaginary companions and dramatizations to escape boredom Difficulty staying tuned to rigid academic curriculum. (They may write stories or draw instead) Difficulty completing tasks when some incredible idea captures their thoughts

47. Examples

48. Personal Experience

49. Emotional OE Intense emotions, intense empathy, and magnified affective expression (Piechowski, 1991).

50. Emotional OE Stomachaches Blushing Concern with death and depression Capacity for deep relationships Strong emotional attachments to people, places, and things Acutely aware of their own feelings Often carry on inner dialogs and practice self-judgment Often accused of “overreacting”

51. Overexcitability represents a real difference in the fabric of life and quality of experience (Lind, 2001)

52. Examples

53. "One who manifests several forms of overexcitability, sees reality in a different, stronger and more multisided manner" (Dabrowski, 1972, p. 7)

54. Gifted People Are Different Neorosystem Perception Behavior Environment

55. Gifted Behavior is Abnormal

60. Experience of Gifted People is Not Normal Being Gifted Doesn’t Feel Like a Gift

61. Gifted People Are Different Neorosystem Perception Behavior Environment

62. Environment Are you gifted?

63. Beauty Backlash Don’t hate me Because I’m beautiful.

64. Boredom

65. How Much Time is Wasted? 140 IQ = 50% of their time 170 IQ = 99% of their time Hollingworth (1942), Renzulli, Silverman (1991)

66. Example from Weekly 25-Word Spelling Unit Pretest = 96% Post test = 100% Time: 45 minutes of drill time per week: Learned: 1 spelling word

67. Homework for Spelling Make a Word Search Puzzle Using All 25 Spelling words

68. Child’s Solution

69. Personality Type Myers Briggs

70. Percent Introversion

71. Percent Intuition

72. Percent Thinking

73. Percent Perceiving

74. Percent INTP

75. What Are the Implications?

76. Differences Neurological Perceptual Behavioral Environmental

77. Maladjustment (Social/Emotional Issues) Leta Hollingworth

78. Ideal IQ 125-145 160 Spike in normal curve

79. Interaction Nature of Environment Nature of Gifted People

80. Interaction Enriching Home Flexible School Cognitive Peers Absent Parents Limited Resources Rigid School Small Population 1 st Grader with 148 IQ Emotional OE

81. Outliers Ability Birth year Birth month Chance Culture Family Background Time (10,000 hours) Race and perception

82. Inliers Gifted children who suffer socially and emotionally and don’t enjoy developing to their potential

83. Myth Gifted Kids Are Lucky and Will Succeed Without Anything Extra From Us

84. Success of U.S. Advanced Placement Students (National Excellence: A case for developing America’s Talent) Compared with the top students of 13 other nations

85. Biology 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

86. Chemistry 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

87. Physics 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

88. Algebra 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

89. Calculus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 (National Excellence: A case for developing America’s Talent)

90. Excuse “ We are egalitarian and we educate a higher percentage of our youth than other nations.”

91. Correction (Ross, 1993) United States Advanced Placement Students International Competitor’s Top Students

92. “ American students are at or near the back of the pack in international comparisons. If we don’t make radical changes, that is where we are going to stay” (America 2000,1991).

93. Negative Characteristics of Cognitively Gifted People Uneven Mental Development Social Difficulties Underachievement—especially in uninteresting areas Nonconformity—sometimes in disturbing directions Perfectionism, sometimes extreme to the point of crippling Self-doubt, poor self-image Depression

94. Common Negative Characteristics of Creative Persons Overactive Excessively Emotional Indifferent to conventions and courtesies Questions rules, laws, and authority Stubborn Egocentric, intolerant, tactless Careless, disorderly Arrogant, cynical, sarcastic Impatient, demanding Absentminded, forgetful Argumentative Sloppy and disorganized Rebellious, uncooperative

95. Gifted Children Don’t Just… “ make it on their own”

97. Indications of Giftedness 18 months: Started reading The New York Times 4 Years: Taught himself Latin, and read Caesar's Gallic Wars (in Latin) 4 years: learned Greek alphabet and read Homer in Greek 6 years: learned Russian, French, German, and Hebrew, and soon after, Turkish and Armenian. 6 years: started grammar school 4-8 years: Wrote four books, two on anatomy and astronomy 7 years: Passed Harvard Medical School anatomy exam 8 years: Passed MIT entrance exam 11 years: became youngest student to ever enroll at Harvard 11 years: lectured Harvard Mathematical Club on 'Four-Dimensional Bodies.' As an adult: knew approximately 200 languages of the world, and could translate among them instantly

98. Dropout Rates (Michael, 2005) General Population Gifted Population 11% 25%

99. Depending on one’s definition of gifted, the New York State dropout rate among gifted children in who do not receive intervention services is as high as 25% (Michael, 2005)

100. Recommendations School SocialWorkers and School Psychologists Learn and Stay Current Issues Related to Identifying and helping Gifted Children Active Screening for Social/Emotional needs, not just cognitive needs Provide increased opportunity for gifted support groups guided by appropriate professionals Provide Individual counseling as needed Advocate and Educate

101. Good News We can usually make things better for gifted individuals by improving their environment