Parents

IN ALL MY years of working with the gifted, I have never met the "pushy parent". What I have met are parents who love their children with great passion and want them to live happy and productive lives. Most parents don't want to label their children with the "G" word. They typically say to me "I know that Jane/John is bright but I don't think he/she is a gifted child. When I ask them to describe a "gifted child" they usually say that a gifted child scores very highly on an IQ test and does really well at school. It can come as a shock to them when I tell them that this is a popular misconception that often bears little resemblance to reality.

Our approach

When offering services to parents of gifted children, I always started by asking them to tell me about their child. This is because I know that, while I may have theoretical knowledge about giftedness and years of experience with gifted people, parents are the experts on their gifted child. Parents know their child as professionals and educators cannot and they often need to act as an interpreter and advocate for their gifted child. They must also find the information and support needed to validate their knowledge of their child and this can require considerable effort on their part.

There are many reasons why parent/s consult a professional about gifted children. You can see some of the reasons parents have given in the past. No matter what the reason, my approach is always the same. I listen to parent/s concerns and gather knowledge about who the gifted child is, as an individual. Although there are many common characteristics of giftedness, the expression of these characteristics are unique in each child.

A partnership should be formed with the parent/s and the child and also the school if required. This is because I have found the team approach to be the most effective and successful. My first step is always to give information about what is "normal for gifted". With this knowledge, parents know what not to worry about. It also forms a basis for advocacy for their gifted child in the education system.

If only parents would trust what they know about their gifted child and had access to useful information and practical strategies, they could make appropriate choices for their children in education and in life. Then there would be many more stories with a happy ending and professionals such as myself would become redundant. I could then retire to a little cottage by the sea. This scenario has been my mission and my vision for many, many years.

Further information

Choose from the resources located elsewhere on the site [Copyright information]:

• Emotionally Intense Gifted Children
• Understanding The Emotional, Intellectual And Social Uniqueness Of Growing Up Gifted
• Gifted Children: Emotionally Immature Or Emotionally Intense?
• Gifted And Vague
• Over Excitabilities In Gifted Children
• Parenting Emotionally Intense Gifted Children
• Underachievement In Gifted Students
• Physical Sensitivity - Support Strategies
• The Gifted Introvert