For Parents of Gifted Children
Ever offer your children money, gifts, or special privileges for every "A" they bring home on their report card? If you do, you're not alone. Across the nation parents are rewarding their children for good grades in a variety...
Volume 9 / Issue 3 / Spring 2009 Special Issue Makel, Matthew C. The Emotional Edge
Welcome to our Duke Gifted Letter Special Series. As a special benefit to our 4th/5th Grade Talent Search families, we are developing a series of special issues of Duke Gifted Letter, each with a theme relevant to a particular...
Volume 9 / Issue 3 / Spring 2009 Special Issue Makel, Matthew C.
Does your child do any of the following? Fidget a lot, or seem to have more energy than other children his or her age? Have strong, unusual reactions to sounds or smells? Create such a rich fantasy life that...
Issue 1 / Fall 2009 Research and Theory Rinn, Anne N. Special Populations The Emotional Edge
Editor's note, winter 2009: One of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had in my years working for TIP’s summer programs has been the opportunity to see gifted kids be in an environment where they can be themselves and to be...
Volume 9 / Issue 2 / Winter 2009 Jacobsen, Mary-Elaine Special Focus Young Gifted
Editor's note, winter 2009: Developing and maintaining friendships is an important aspect of any child’s development. However, for many gifted kids this can be a struggle. The second friendship article offers some talking points that may be helpful when discussing...
Editor's note, winter 2009: Developing and maintaining friendships is an important aspect of any child’s development. However, for many gifted kids this can be a struggle. Using the term “true peers,” the first of the friendship articles discusses the struggle...
Students will tell you that plagiarism is everywhere and, perhaps, even irrelevant. To make their case, they point to recent examples of high-profile authors, politicians, musicians, and even clergy who have used the work of others without acknowledgment. Although...
Abilock, Debbie Educational Strategies Feature Volume 9 / Issue 1 / Fall 2008
Heraclitus wrote, “Our own nature hides from us, but wants to be found.” Do you remember moments in your life when you asked “Who am I?” Perhaps you were interacting in a social situation in which you realized you...
Gurian, Michael Hoyt, Dakota Volume 8 / Issue 3 / Spring 2008 The Emotional Edge
Parenting gifted children socially and emotionally presents a challenge and causes sane and balanced adults to squirm, wonder, pace, and otherwise exhibit anxiety. No one tells unsuspecting parents of gifted children that in order to raise their children there is...
Remember the nasty note passed around at school or the mean graffiti scrawled on the bathroom wall? Bullies and mean girls are still in school classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds; they just can use new digital tools to be cruel...
Goodstein, Anastasia Volume 8 / Issue 2 Winter 2008 Technology Matters
Introduction For more than four decades researchers have been interested in learning what happens to gifted students who drop out of high school. Estimates of the number of gifted learners who drop out differ widely, and a figure of 20...
Volume 8 / Issue 2 Winter 2008 Matthews, Michael S. The Emotional Edge
Provided as a Service of the National Association for Gifted Children You have a right... …to know about your giftedness. …to learn something new everyday. …to be passionate about your talent area without apologies. …to have an identity beyond...
Gifted children often talk a lot. Their early vocabulary astounds their audiences and attracts amazed praise. The frequent and extraordinary approval reinforces their verbal skills and, by classical conditioning, causes them to feel intelligent while they’re talking. It’s no wonder...
Volume 8 / Issue 1 / Fall 2007 Rimm, Sylvia B. The Emotional Edge
Being in a school environment that does not understand, support, or value giftedness is frustrating for many gifted children and teens. Recently, you may have seen a story in the news about a twelve-year-old boy attending college in California....
Amend, Edward R. Clouse, Maggie Clouse, Meredith Volume 7 / Issue 2 / Winter 2007 The Emotional Edge
Research conducted over the past two decades has established that bullying leads to violence and mental health problems—for bullies, victims, bully victims (those who are both bullies and victims), and even bystanders. Bullies are more likely to land in...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 7 / Issue 2 / Winter 2007 Research and Theory
My fifth grade son was just identified by his school to participate in the gifted and talented program. No plans are being made to customize instruction specifically to his strengths—they are just going to plug him into the pre-existing gifted...
Consultant's Corner Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006 Johnsen, Susan K.
The underachievement of capable children is an area of concern for many parents and educators. Although the study of student underachievement has a long educational history, it is more productive to consider what motivates students to do well. Students tend...
Volume 9 / Issue 3 / Spring 2009 Special Issue Volume 6 / Issue 4 / Summer 2006 Parenting/Advocacy Siegle, Del The Emotional Edge
Paulette dreads piano recitals. Even though she’s given many of them, anxiety makes her feel sick before performing. It abates once she begins to play, but stage fright takes the fun out of playing before an audience. What can...
Volume 6 / Issue 3 / Spring 2006 Neihart, Maureen The Emotional Edge
Alice is an introverted eight-year-old who chats happily with parents, siblings, and close friends but doesn’t talk much in class. Her teacher thinks that she is struggling and suggests holding her back. Her parents are frustrated and angry; fortunately, they...
Henderson, Lynne Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006 Volume 9 / Issue 3 / Spring 2009 Special Issue The Emotional Edge
I should have seen it earlier. My son Steven gave me the clues, but I didn’t recognize them. When he was eighteen months old, he preferred conversations with adults. At two, he wanted to leave the park when too...
Educational Strategies Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006 Jo, Ivy Parent's Platform
Deborah L. Ruf, in her new book Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind (Great Potential, 2005), contends that far more intellectually advanced students exist than is commonly thought and that to educate them effectively, degrees of giftedness must...
Book Reviews Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006
Preparing gifted children for adulthood includes career planning; however, merely finding a job match should not be the goal. Likewise, focusing narrowly on academic ability and achievement is not adequate for making career decisions. The ultimate objective should be to...
College Planning Feature Greene, Meredith J. Volume 6 / Issue 1 / Fall 2005
In his latest book, Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton, the best-selling author and philosopher, graphically chronicles the universal anxiety, often unspoken, about what others think of us and whether they judge us successes or failures by our achievements. De...
Feature Frydenberg, Erica Volume 9 / Issue 3 / Spring 2009 Special Issue Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005
Shawn, an inquisitive, blond ten-year-old, knows everyone in his sub-division. He is always the first to visit newcomers. He is a source of information for parents who want to know who carpools and for children who want to know...
Bullard, Bettie Posey Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Slusher, Sherri Bullard The Emotional Edge
My 12-year-old son takes little interest in the world around him or in making friends. From early childhood he’s been far more interested in creating elaborate games with his cars; engrossing himself in learning all about trains, space shuttles,...
Consultant's Corner Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Rimm, Sylvia B.
When our 12-year-old daughter, Lauren, began to respond to our simplest requests with anger and resentment, my husband, Bill, and I pressed her to explain why she felt so offended. Her exasperated response, “I never get a moment’s peace,” confounded...
Anderson, Tamara Volume 9 / Issue 3 / Spring 2009 Special Issue Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Parent's Platform
Children are much more resilient than we tend to give them credit for. In the face of personal tragedy, simple supports, structure, and assurances go a long way toward helping children recover. Events that cause children distress include the death...
Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Neihart, Maureen The Emotional Edge
“Your children are not safe anywhere, at any time.” This chilling announcement was made on television and in newspaper headlines in the fall of 2002 after a sniper in the Washington, DC, area had killed ten and critically wounded...
Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Rimm, Sylvia B. The Emotional Edge
Some gifted children may be misdiagnosed as having psychological or behavioral disorders because of a lack of knowledge about characteristics commonly associated with giftedness, according to Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults, by James T. Webb et...
Book Reviews Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Special Populations
Have you ever heard the following comment by your child’s teacher? “Johnny is so structured. His desk is neat, his assignments are color coded in a three-ring binder, and his homework is always ready on time.” Or do you...
Feature Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Parenting/Advocacy Stamps, Lisa
Every January I look forward to teaching Psychology 137, “Adolescence,” an undergraduate course. I tell my students that one of my objectives for the class is to create an understanding and an appreciation of adolescence, of the incredible development—equaled only...
Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Stocking, Vicki The Emotional Edge
School guidance counselors are an invaluable resource if you know what to ask of them. They are a school’s go-to people for personal and social dilemmas, academic advising, testing programs, tutors, after-school programs, summer opportunities, and community resources. The counselor’s...
Educational Strategies Feifs, Elizabeth Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 The Emotional Edge
I have a fifth-grade daughter who until recently was an A/B student. She has always scored high on her Iowa tests. Lately, she has been bringing home papers and tests with Ds and Fs on them. She forgets to...
Consultant's Corner Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 Rimm, Sylvia B.
Stephen is a 13-year-old math whiz. He’s also a good all-around student, energetic, and curious. He sometimes drives his parents to distraction with his questions and ideas, and he has alienated more than one neighborhood friend with his information...
Feature Greenspon, Thomas S. Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004
When I conjure up the image of a bully, Popeye’s nemesis, Brutus, comes to mind. Arrogant, large, overbearing, and dumb, Brutus uses might and bluster to intimidate Popeye, especially in quest of their common love, Olive Oyl. Of course,...
Delisle, James R. Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004 The Emotional Edge
Are students who are bullied at greater risk of developing depression? Researchers from Wichita State University observed 266 elementary school students from the beginning of kindergarten through the end of the first grade. Their findings reveal that, on average,...
Currents Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004 Stephens, Kristen R.
“I fear that the attention and recognition my 13-year-old daughter receives because of her intellectual and academic accomplishments may be damaging to her 10-year-old brother, who struggles in school. Is this a valid concern, and are there ways to...
Consultant's Corner Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004 Robinson, Nancy M.
We want our children to strive for excellence. Whether in schoolwork, ice skating, music, art, scientific experiments, written work, or other activities, striving for excellence is usually a healthy way to develop talent. But when excellence does not seem...
Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004 Rimm, Sylvia B. The Emotional Edge
How many times have you heard a teacher say that your child has tremendous potential “if only he’d apply himself” or “if only she’d work a little harder”? How often have you said the same thing yourself to your child?...
Book Reviews Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004
The friendships of gifted children often challenge parents, because they differ from those of average-ability children in several ways. First, because gifted children are similar in cognitive and social development to children who are two to four years older, they...
How do I know if my child is in with the right peer group? What should I do if he or she isn’t? Gifted children often need several peer groups, rather than one “right” group. A peer in chess...
Consultant's Corner Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003 Webb, James T.
Dealing with Boredom How do you react when your child laments, “I’m bored!” or “School was a drag today.” When do feelings of boredom go beyond normal, commonplace, and bearable? How do you handle the behavioral problems that stem...
Book Reviews Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003
Most gifted children enjoy relatively good overall psychological health. Research supports the view that intellectually and athletically gifted youth have better-than-average social adjustment. However, we know less about the social adjustment of gifted children with talents in music, drama,...
Feature Volume 3 / Issue 4 / Summer 2003 Parenting/Advocacy Pfeiffer, Steven I.
Ideally, the decision to treat a child with medication for psychological disorders should involve the child and a team of caregivers, including parents, teachers, counselors, the child’s pediatrician, and a psychologist. Drs. Ronald T. Brown and Morgan T. Sammons...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 3 / Issue 4 / Summer 2003 Research Briefs Research and Theory
Shyness exists in the gifted population just as it does in all other groups of people. Likewise, the specific type and severity of shyness is highly variable. The causes of shyness are not well known. Heredity, environment, temperament, stress,...
Burruss, Jill D. Volume 3 / Issue 4 / Summer 2003 The Emotional Edge
Of course you’d like your gifted daughter to have a fulfilling career that combines creativity, challenge, and the opportunity to contribute, and you want her to establish a satisfactory family life and relationships. However, glass ceilings and sticky floors continue...
Feature Volume 3 / Issue 3 / Spring 2003 Parenting/Advocacy Rimm, Sylvia B.
Every week since the publication of my first book, The Gifted Adult (previously Liberating Everyday Genius), I have received phone calls, letters, and e-mails from gifted people around the world and have been fascinated by the similarity of their impassioned...
Volume 3 / Issue 3 / Spring 2003 Jacobsen, Mary-Elaine Special Focus
What is a genius? The image that comes to mind is a person with an extraordinarily high IQ, the recipient of a Nobel Prize, or the discoverer of the cure for a deadly disease. Most people believe that such a...
Volume 3 / Issue 3 / Spring 2003 Pizarro, David Salovey, Peter The Emotional Edge
I frequently speak at workshops on the topic of raising a healthy gifted child. An increasing number of attendees voice frustration that their children’s lives are overscheduled. Today’s parents feel tremendous and growing pressure to involve their children, at ever...
Volume 3 / Issue 2 / Winter 2003 Pfeiffer, Steven I. The Editor's View
The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him, a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an...
Delisle, James R. Volume 3 / Issue 2 / Winter 2003 The Emotional Edge
Following crises and traumatic events, parents of gifted students have asked, “Is my gifted child more at risk from trauma than other students?” That is, is he or she more sensitive or vulnerable to traumatic events? A review of...
Volume 3 / Issue 1 / Fall 2002 Lazarus, Philip J. The Emotional Edge
Several months ago the parents of a highly gifted fourth grader, Trent, called me for advice about his development. They expressed considerable concern about his increasing unwillingness, as they put it, “to shine.” Having always performed academic tasks superbly...
Feature Volume 2 / Issue 4 / Summer 2002 Olenchak, F. Richard
Many parents ask how competition affects gifted and talented students. Should parents and teachers encourage them to compete? How does competition fit into our educational systems at a time when we hear more about cooperative groups and learning than...
Volume 2 / Issue 3 / Spring 2002 Reis, Sally M. The Emotional Edge
Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand, and manage feelings. Because it is a relatively new area of study in psychology, we know less about it than about more traditional types of intelligence. However, what we are learning is...
American families today enjoy a level of prosperity unimaginable 25 years ago. Many well-intentioned parents provide their children with an extraordinary array of material possessions—designer clothes, computers, cell phones, television sets, VCRs and stereos, automobiles, credit cards. Even families with...
Volume 2 / Issue 2 / Winter 2002 Pfeiffer, Steven I. The Editor's View
Given the ever-increasing diversity in our nation and schools, it is essential for parents to address their children’s cultural development. Although engendering cultural awareness and sensitivity in all children is important, gifted students tend to have an especially keen sense...
Ford, Donna Y. Volume 2 / Issue 2 / Winter 2002 Parenting/Advocacy Special Focus
Identity formation, a major event in adolescence, is the process by which individuals define themselves. It involves exploring the questions “Who am I becoming?” and “What will I do with my life?” Like gender, race, ethnicity, and class, giftedness is...
Volume 2 / Issue 2 / Winter 2002 Neihart, Maureen The Emotional Edge
Gifted girls encounter unique challenges, particularly during adolescence. With our help, they can learn to transform adversity into opportunity. The keys are information and communication. Here are six springboards for conversation and personal growth that concern gifted adolescent girls. Dealing...
Expert's Forum Volume 2 / Issue 2 / Winter 2002 Special Populations Subotnik, Rena F.
A child came home from school one day and said, “I’m bored.” “What’s the matter? What do you mean?” his parents implored What does this child mean when he says that he is bored? Is he bored at school?...
As parents, we naturally want to prevent our children from experiencing extreme adversity, but, try as we might, there is only so much we can do to keep them safe. The world sometimes is an unsafe place, and for many...
Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004 Neihart, Maureen The Emotional Edge
Educators, researchers, and parents often observe perfectionist behaviors in gifted students. It comes as no surprise, since these students are bombarded daily by parents, teachers, peers, and an entertainment industry that rewards them and encourages them to make the highest...
Brown, Teri Cooper Volume 2 / Issue 1 / Fall 2001 Research Briefs
Perhaps the biggest challenge in helping gifted students with attention difficulties is getting an accurate diagnosis of them. How are true attention deficits differentiated from the emotional and behavioral shifts common among gifted students? The problem may be compounded...
Volume 1 / Issue 4 / Summer 2001 Neihart, Maureen Special Populations The Emotional Edge
Our son is involved in a number of extracurricular activities. He is on a travel soccer team, plays violin, works on the school newspaper, and participates in a church teen program. We’ve noticed a decline in his attention to homework...
Consultant's Corner Curry, John Delisle, James R. Volume 1 / Issue 3 / Spring 2001
The Children’s Mental Health Foundations and Agencies Network recently released A Good Beginning: Sending America’s Children to School with the Social and Emotional Competence They Need to Succeed. The monograph summarizes two papers commissioned by the organization. The first addresses...
Volume 1 / Issue 3 / Spring 2001 Research Briefs Stephens, Kristen R. Young Gifted
Being a teenager is not easy. Being a gifted teenager can be almost impossible. Planning and hard work on everyone’s part allow gifted students to build a great high school experience. While you should encourage your gifted teen to take...
Volume 1 / Issue 3 / Spring 2001 The Emotional Edge VonGruben, Jill F.
Although there is no evidence of higher rates of depression and suicide among intellectually or academically gifted students, depression is epidemic among children and adolescents in general. As many as 10 percent of children suffer from depression before age 12....
Volume 1 / Issue 2 / Winter 2001 Neihart, Maureen The Emotional Edge