Life has been busy, in a good way, so here are some quick updates and links until I have time to write a more meaty post.
ADHD Diagnoses in Young Gifted Children
As a board member for SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted), I am eager to promote our new global public awareness campaign to education pediatricians and others about the complexities of ADHD diagnosis in young gifted children. Please share and read our news release and list of resources, and watch SENG’s video on The Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XN7IOteagI]
If you have your own story to share, please feel free to do so in the comments.
New Psychology Today Post: Many Ages at Once
As part of the SENG effort, my newest post at Psychology Today focuses on the out-of-sync development of gifted children and the science that supports what parents and teachers have long known from personal experience: that very bright children develop on a different timetable.
“Parents often describe these children as being many ages at once. A five year old, for example, might read third-grade books, lack the small motor coordination necessary for kindergarten art projects, have lengthy conversations with adults, and struggle to communicate effectively with age peers—all at the same time. Asynchronous development becomes less of an issue as children grow up, but the challenges can last well into adolescence.“ Read More
Summer in Colorado! The 10th International Dabrowski Congress
I am looking forward to attending and giving a presentation at the 10th International Dabrowski Congress, sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development and hosted by R. Frank Falk, Ph.D and Linda K. Silverman, Ph.D. This year’s theme is From Conflict to Peace: Globally and Personally. I hope to see some of you there.
That’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of January!
Just want to say thank you for your work with SENG. My son tested as gifted in the early 1980s when he wasn’t functioning well in the classroom. He didn’t want to play on the playground at recess because “school was for work,” though he’d join right in with neighbor kids at home. At that time educators didn’t really know what to do with young gifted students. The principal and counselor wanted to send my son to different classrooms all day: sixth grade for reading, fourth for science, first grade for art, etc. I remember the counselor criticizing my son for not being able to tie his shoes, saying that most first-graders can tie their shoes. I said, “And how many of them read National Geographic cover to cover and choose an encyclopedia for pleasure reading?” Our solution was home-schooling and then a private school with a self-paced curriculum.
Anyway, I am pleased that so much has been done in the past three decades to understand and encourage gifted kids and their families.