giftedlearner

Some great suggestions here.. What works for you?

Thought you might enjoy this!

What does Giftedness mean to you??

Executive functioning skills - Here are some possible signs that kids are struggling with executive functioning skills:

- Difficulty starting and/or completing tasks
-Quickly forgets information they’ve been told or have read
-Difficulty switching tasks or following directions
-Becoming overly emotional and fixate easily
-Inability to manage time
-Unorganized, messy desk or backpack
-Having trouble planning or keeping track of assignments
-Panicking when rules or routines change
Read more : https://dev.nagc.org/gifted-learners-and-executive-functioning

Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful moms!

We are all connected!

These are a few pieces from the Black Creativity Juried Art exhibition at MSI (Chicago) that struck a chord for me. It’s anything but ordinary!

https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/black-creativity-juried-art-exhibition/awards/

Would love to hear your thoughts on how to expose children to diverse music, arts and culture. Please share!

Book recommendation! The book ‘Kid Artists’ provides glimpses into the early lives of famous artists. It shares how they faced problems like any other kid and found their way. Hope your kids enjoy it!

The arts offer an evidence-based solution for promoting mental health. While practising the arts is not the panacea for all mental health challenges, there’s enough evidence to support prioritizing arts in our own lives at home as well as in our education systems.

https://halifax.citynews.ca/amp/local-news/how-art-soothes-the-soul-helps-to-ease-anxiety-and-depression-2430822

It is imperative that parents and educators of profoundly gifted students do their best to help them to achieve their academic and personal goals. Parents and educators may find that profoundly gifted underachievers can provide great insight into their own struggles, and can serve as helpful and willing partners in the struggle to recover from academic and social-emotional setbacks.

Read more here: https://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/blog/underachievement-in-gifted-students/

The heightened intensity of emotional life produces a wide range of feelings experienced very deeply and a strong sense of fairness compels a child to act often in defense of another not being treated fairly by standing up to a teacher. Emotional intensity becomes evident early and tends to remain for life. Sometimes after talking to someone, being alone watching the animals at sunrise, I feel as if I should conquer the world, do anything and everything. I feel like I am a bird who can soar with . . . just me, the wind, and the sun. (Piechowski, 2014)

On the downside, there may be depression: “Depression, especially self-‭ ‬induced depression, causes me to think deeply and search deeply into myself, it may also cause me to react violently or forcibly to a situation or problem”
(Piechowski, 2014)

https://youtu.be/ctYVIYggRfg

Imagination enables creative inspiration, invention, and discovery of new possibilities, as well as the ability to see the humorous side of events. Daydreaming may be idle or creative; deep absorption in private imagery may be trancelike. Boredom is anathema, and the need for novelty is absolute. As one student noted, “Once in a while I try to hypnotize my plants. And I even tried to put a rock in a trance, but I think that day I was desperate for something to do” (Piechowski, 2014, p. 101).

Vividness of imagery, unusual metaphors, and rich dreams are typical of writers and other creators. A surprising number of children have imaginary friends, often unknown to the adults around them (Piechowski, 2014; Taylor, 1999).

Humor may also be a defense mechanism, especially for class clowns, as a way of coping with their giftedness or a difficult life at home (Jacoby, 1988).

https://laughlovelearn.co.uk/2017/01/03/6-eclectic-ways-to-use-imaginational-overexcitability-to-nourish-your-soul/

A gifted mind is easily stimulated by questions, theories, the quest for truth, and a craving for knowledge, discovery, and new problems to solve. For example,I read stories deeper, read into questions, and catchy puns or mistakes of words in people’s writings, et cetera. If something has no meaning I try to give it some. If it means something I wonder why. When given a topic to write about, for example, I usually have a completely different approach to the same topic than does the rest of the class. (Piechowski, 2014)

https://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/blog/ten-characteristics-of-profoundly-gifted-students/

Do tags on clothes bother your child? Is she picky about what socks she’ll wear or refuse to wear shoes? Is he a picky eater or has problems with the texture of foods? Do certain sounds or lights bother her? Is he sensitive to smells? Does she sometimes prefer to crawl up under the table or in a tent?

Sensual overexcitability means your child experiences sounds, sights, touch, smell and/or tastes in a heightened manner. They might enjoy or even crave certain sensory experiences, while other forms of sensory experiences may be too stressful or overwhelming.

https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/episode142/

The minds of highly gifted, intense kiddos, who display psychomotor overexcitabilities just. won’t. stop. These kids love movement for the sake of moving. They have an overabundance of energy that is displayed through rapid {and ceaseless} speech, enthusiasm, the need for intense physical activity, and the craving for action. Sitting around just won’t work for these kids.

Find out more about this overexcitability and ways to help kids here on the Positive Disintegration Podcast episode with Katy:

https://positivedisintegration.substack.com/p/celebrating-neurodiversity-overexcitabilities

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344478154_Reexamining_Overexcitability_A_Framework_for_Understanding_Intense_Experience

Every parent hopes for their child to be smart and excel in sports and school, but sometimes parents just don't know what to do with a child who is Gifted (far from the norm).

Keeping him or her challenged, interested, and engaged can be tough, as can dealing with an educational system that doesn't always focus on helping out bright students.

Although we can’t choose the genetic make up of our children; we sure can choose to support them no matter what. Here’s a compilation of resources for parents:

https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/50-essential-links-for-the-parents-of-gifted-children/

Spring is the season for new beginnings; for growth. Parenting a gifted child has been a challenging journey but also rewarding. I wanted to share this podcast which has been a great resource and has helped me grow as an educator and a parent.

https://www.championyourgiftedchild.com/podcast

Gifted children are often highly sensitive to their surroundings and are able to readily identify potential solutions to challenges that imperil the environment in which they live. Many gifted children are strong advocates of sustainable living, caring deeply about the world around them and its health in the future. For this reason, parents and families interested in helping their gifted children fully develop their talents would do well to support guided investigations into the environment and sustainability. Environmental science represents an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological, and information technology sciences to the study of the environment and the development of potential solutions to problems facing the local, national, or global community. A variety of organizations, associations, museums, and other groups provide programs that are ideal for a gifted child interested in the environment. In addition, a plethora of print and electronic resources make it easy for parents to create such programming at home.

Schroth, Stephen T.
Parenting for High Potential, v7 n1 p4, 7-8 Mar 2018

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes, stigma and misconceptions about individuals who are wired differently.

Great minds don’t always think alike!

What are Overexcitabilities (OE)? The concept of OE was a gift from Kazimierz Dabrowski, as part of his Theory of Positive Disintegration. OE is a greater neural capacity to respond to stimuli. Dabrowski identified 5 OEs:
Psychomotor
Sensual
Imaginational
Intellectual
Emotional

The following pdf explains the OEs as well as provides strategies for working with a Gifted Child with a given OE:https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED581408.pdf

Linda Silverman on OEs:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jLwPwH1FmXM

Program Goals for Reading Instruction With Gifted and Talented Readers:

• Expose students to challenging reading material
• Deepen reading comprehension skills
• Expand students’ metacognitive processes
during reading
• Develop critical reading, including interpretation and analysis of text
• Foster an appreciation of diverse, multicultural literature across multiple genre
• Provide opportunities for group discussion of selected texts
• Encourage creative reading behaviors, including writing and dramatic interpretation
• Promote motivation and enjoyment of reading through choice and self-selection of texts

“Perfectionistic thoughts can include, “I’m never good enough”, “I’m only acceptable if I’m perfect”, and, “If I make a mistake, there’s something wrong with me.”

How do we help our children manage perfectionist tendencies?

https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/managing-perfectionism/

Research indicates there may be a relationship between gifted learners and insomnia, fear, and anxiety. This article discusses current research on Dabrowski's overexcitabilities, asynchronous development, perfectionistic tendencies, and common fears of gifted learners. Suggestions for parents and teachers of gifted children are offered to help gifted learners deal with these issues.
https://www.vvsd.org/cms/lib/IL01905528/Centricity/Domain/217/The%20fears%20and%20anxieties%20of%20gifted%20learners-%20tips%20for%20parents%20and%20teachers.pdf

On this occasion of International Women’s Day; imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all .

Find out why gifted children may not test well.

https://www.benparistestprep.com/post/why-gifted-children-may-not-test-well

“I find it so interesting that many sensitive and gifted children who come to my office objectively excel in most areas of their life…yet they often are incredibly hard on themselves and struggle with low self esteem.”

https://www.rootedrhythm.com/blog/why-highly-gifted-children-often-struggle-with-low-self-esteemnbsp

“Access to nature – and the benefits that come with it – are a necessity, not a nicety. Unfortunately, not all kids are able to have regular nature contact. This is due partly to urbanization, increased screen time and more sedentary indoor lifestyles.”

A conscious effort has to be made to get kids outdoors. How do you connect with nature at home or school? Do share.

Interesting perspective! Find the article here:

https://giftedchallenges.blogspot.com/2016/07/what-schools-could-learn-from-chess.html?m=1

Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-neurodiversity-202111232645

If you have a gifted child or work with gifted children, I’m sure you can relate. It’s important to change perspective and accept children for who they are.