Discovering the gifted ex-child Discovering the Gifted Ex-Child Abstract Most of the attention given to the gifted over the years has been devoted to gifted children, a population identified by unusual mental processing that sets them apart from the norms. Gifted adults, however, are recognized in our society solely by their achievements. The innate qualities of mind that are found in gifted children do not disappear as the children grow up. Stephanie Tolan (Stephanie Tolan is a consultant, writer, and a Contributing Editor of the Roeper Review.) The first act of honoring the self is the assertion of consciousness: the choice to think, to be aware, to send the searchlight of consciousness outward toward the world and inward toward our own being. The experience of the gifted adult is the experience of an unusual consciousness, an extraordinary mind whose perceptions and judgments may be different enough to require an extraordinary courage. Who am I? Where Have the Gifted Children Gone? What is Giftedness?
The Profoundly Gifted Adult By Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D Q: Years after raising three gifted children, I am still puzzling over our middle kid, who is distinct from his sibs and many of his peers. He has been diagnosed at different times with OCD and anxiety disorder, and others have raised the question as to whether or note he has Asperger's syndrome. I do not believe that the latter is the case and that his characteristics are the result of his rather unique mind. He was tested at age 5 only because he was quite different. In fact a private kindergarten later refused to re-enroll him in first grade unless he went to see one of "their" psychologists, because he would not "connect" with other children. His IQ test at age five resulted in an IQ of 150. That said, he cannot lead a conventional life and still pursues his interests irregardless of their practicality. My other children have professions and we all just let "Eric be Eric," but he is barely getting by financially at age 38.
The Self-Education of Gifted Adults The Self-Education of Gifted Adults Author: Lisa Rivero Citation: First published in the SENGVine, Gifted Adult edition, January 2012 “Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are and then make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else’s life, not even your child’s. The influence you exert is through your own life and what you become yourself.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (quoted in Wigall, 2003, p. 29) What are you, really? In short, do you know if you are living up to your potential? Does the very question provoke a rush of anxiety? Now that our son is in college, I watch my friends, like my husband and myself, work to figure out who they are apart from being parents, at least apart from being parents who parent on a daily basis. Grown-up Potential: Beyond Overexcitabilities Intellectual OE. Growing Pains So, what is the benefit? Self-Education: Closing the Gap Books Journals
IQ ranges and real-life functioning © Paul Cooijmans Introduction This is a list of I.Q. ranges with for each a brief description of typical functioning and other features. In addition it is known that I.Q. has the greatest significance to real-life functioning (and the highest correlation with "g", the common factor shared by all mental ability tests) at its lowest ranges, and becomes less important as one goes higher; the more you have of it, the less important it gets, just as with money. Brief overview of the I.Q. ranges Descriptions of the I.Q. ranges Lower than 20 - Profound retardation Usually multi-handicapped with obvious physical deformities and short life expectancy. 20-34 - Severely retarded Basic intellectual tasks, including language, are difficult to learn. Profound and severe retardation are typically caused by brain damage during pregnancy, at birth, or early in life, and as such not genetic and not inherited. 35-49 - Moderately retarded Can learn simple life skills and employment tasks with special education.
Creativity across the life-span: A systems view Csikszentmihalyi, M. Talent Development III, pp. 9-18 Gifted Psychology Press 1995 This article by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi looks at three major issues related to creativity over a lifespan. They are: what can be learned about creativity; a model of optimal aging; and how to work with creative children. I am going to talk about a set of studies on creativity which focuses on adults and which will result in a book scheduled to appear next year (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). Most of you are interested in creativity in children, and of course that makes sense, because that's where the long process of creative development begins. In this paper, I want to bring up three major issues, which are among the topics of our study. The third issue is to use what we have learned about creativity in later life as a model for how to deal with creative children. Before presenting the initial data of our study, let me present the conceptual model that I am using. Let me give you a very simple example.
Overexcitability Overexcitabilities are sometimes used to help predict "giftedness" in both children and adults: The more "excited" or the more stimulated a sense is in a person, the more susceptible or prone his brain is to react in an extreme manner to anything that triggers it, thus the possibilities of expansion in ways of learning are increased in this person. Gifted people appear to be very in touch with their 5 senses possibly making them, in a sense, more 'global' than others.
Gender and Genius Kerr, B. Center for Gifted Education The College of William & Mary This article by Barbara Kerr discusses what has shaped modern gender identity in the Western world. She also examines its implication on gifted young people. Ranging in scope from Freud to collegiate athletics, Kerr's article suggests that much ground remains to be covered in establishing gender equity. Our ideas about what is gifted behavior for a boy or for a girl are imbued with society's notions of appropriate gender identity. Sigmund Freud's (1933) theory of gender identity development is still one of the most influential theories, despite its lack of empirical support. Freud also gave us the idea that girls and women are incomplete men. Despite the hostility with which the psychoanalytic establishment greeted disagreement, Karen Horney (1939) disputed this model of gender identity development. Therefore, a new stereotype of the gifted boy was born, of the well adjusted, athletic, popular guy.
Intellectual Giftedness Intellectual giftedness, often referred to as high IQ, is usually given short shrift when it comes to considerations of the special needs of exceptional people. Because giftedness appears on the surface to be nothing but an advantage, the challenges it presents are often ignored and unknown. Giftedness is not about being better, it's about being *different*. A gifted person's life experience is significantly different from the norm. Along with it's blessings, it brings it's own set of challenges. I'm of the opinion that, despite our desire for simple quantification of intelligence, noting characteristics of giftedness is perhaps a more useful, or at least complementary, method of detecting the intelligent. Energy Curiousity Speed Concentration Sensitivity, empathy, insight and intuition Sophistication of thinking, highly developed moral sense Nonconformist/Independent Persistence Humour Uses up jobs
Understanding Giftedness Who are the Gifted? You may be wondering whether or not your child is gifted, or whether you yourself are gifted. It is especially confusing since there are many definitions of giftedness, and many characteristics associated with giftedness. There is also a wide range of giftedness, and many ways in which giftedness presents itself in an individual. Categories of definitions generally include IQ definitions (usually 125 or 130 cutoff), percentage of population definitions (ranging from the top 1% to the top 15%), talent definitions (music, science, leadership, etc and creativity definitions (based on creative products or creativity tests). Here's one simple way to think about the definition: "If a child is gifted, one or more of the following phrases will most likely describe their gifts and talents: the gifts and talents are comparatively rare, appear considerably earlier, and/or are significantly more advanced." The following description of giftedness speaks of asynchronous development:
Giftedness in the Workplace: Can the Bright Mind Thrive in Giftedness in the Workplace: Can the Bright Mind Thrive in Organizations? By Mary-Elaine Jacobsen, PhD So Many Interests Inspiring though they may be, tales of eminence often imply that from an early age the truly gifted know exactly what they must do and undeviatingly pursue their lifework. Such distortions exacerbate gifted people's inner pressure to make their mark in the world. Dreams fade quickly when gifted employees begin to equate work with constraint and exploitation. Could the goals of work and gifted needs be aligned? Exceptional intellectual and creative abilities can lead to highly successful careers, sometimes in multiple fields. From time to time relatively unfettered bright minds alter the direction of their domain as a whole. With the bulk of their formal education behind them, novitiates in the world of work often enter with a full head of steam, ready and willing to roll up their sleeves and make their mark. I couldn't have been more wrong! © Dr. Dr. The Brat Stops Here!
Exquisite Minds: Gifted and Creative Children | Exquisite Minds: Gifted and Creative Children « Support for Educators and Parents of Gifted and Creative Children "The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that cr Career Advice for Geniuses By Marty Nemko, originally published in US News and World Report You'd think that the supersmart have it made. Not so. Being highly intelligent comes with surprising workplace burdens, as I've learned during 20 years as a career coach specializing in intellectually gifted adults. Confirm your capability. Want to take an intelligence test? Embrace your ability.. Use your intelligence well. Find kindred spirits. Consider avocations likely to attract smart people book clubs, Mensa, groups that play intellectual games, for example, chess clubs, etc. Trust yourself more than experts. You can afford to be a dabbler. If you're self-motivated, avoid school. Work with people whose minds match yours. If you already work at a stifling job, but aren't ready to leave, try to brand yourself as The Brain while allowing others to save face. Consider self-employment. Beware of starting a business in which you try to create a new product. Resist calls for balance. Find the right person to love you. Dr.
Thinking like a genius: overview Thinking and recall series Problem solving: creative solutions "Even if you're not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future." The following strategies encourage you to think productively, rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. Nine approaches to creative problem solving: Rethink! Exercise #2 illustrates how famous thinkers used these approaches. Exercise #1: illustrates applications of the nine approaches. Text of exercise:Nine approaches to creative problem solving: Rethink! Thinking and recall series Concentrating | Radical thinking | Thinking aloud/private speech | Thinking critically | Thinking critically | Thinking creatively | Mapping explanation | Make your own map I | Make your own map II | Thinking like a genius: Creative solutions | Famous thinkers | Selected thoughts