THE NATURE OF THE GIFTED CHILD - FACT AND FANCY

I take this from book “Guiding The Gifted Children”. It is talk about “The Nature Of The Gifted Child - Fact And Fancy”.

THE NATURE OF THE GIFTED CHILD- FACT AND FANCY

By: George I. Thomas and Joseph Crescimbeni

The stereotype of the gifted child-fancy	The gifted child teacher actually see and work with in the classroom-fact
1. The gifted child is just an oddball or freak.	Most gifted children are so normal that teachers often fail to identity then as being gifted pupils.
2. Gifted children are week and puny. They are not very athletic, because they are not strong and healthy.	They tend to be stronger, have less illness, are as tall, if not taller, as heavy, if not heavier than their less gifted peer-mates; and they take part in a wide variety of activities that call for vigor. Many outstanding athletes.
3. The gifted child is always a bookworm. He always has a book under his arm, wears glasses and lacks time for normal children’s activities.	Most gifted children are good readers and find many answers in the world of books; but they engage in many types of activities, have many interests and hobbies. Other do not read and may actually need remedial help in order to read up to grade level.
4. The gifted child is the one who is most enthusiastic about school and school work.	Many gifted pupils are enthusiastic about school but others are not, as is evidenced by their failure to go on to college or even to complete.
5. Gifted children will usually be the best-dressed and best-mannered youngsters in the class.	Many gifted children come from poor families and may be overlooked because they dress poorly or have a different set of living standard.
6. Gifted children are social misfits. They do not know how to behave in a social situation.	Gifted boys and girls tend to enjoy social situation. They talk readily and know a great deal about many topics or fields of study. They are good mixers and tend to assume more than their share of social leadership roles in school and out of it.
7. The play interests and activities of gifted children are unlike those of normal children.	Studies show that gifted children have the same interest and indulge in the same kind of play that normal children do. They enjoy out-of-door game more than they do indoor games; however they may prefer more complicated and more competitive game than do children of lower ability.
8. Gifted children are apt to be egoistic and snobbish.	Most gifted children have desirable personalities. They tend to be more courteous, get along better with their peermates, are more obedient and will take suggestions faster than other children will.

AN EVALUATION OF A BEHAVIOURAL PARENTING INTERVENTION FOR PARENTS OF GIFTED CHILDREN

Abstract

Parents of gifted children identify a need for tailored parenting support, and gifted children have unique requirements and vulnerabilities. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a tailored behavioural parenting intervention, for enhancing the parenting skills of parents of gifted childrenand to assess the effect of these changes on the behavioural and emotional adjustment of their gifted child. A randomised controlled trial of tailored Group Triple P- Positive Parenting Program was conducted with 75 parents of children identified as gifted. Results indicated significant intervention effects for the number and frequency of parent reported child behaviour problems, as well as hyperactivity in the intervention group, relative to a waitlist control. Parents also reported significant improvements in their own parenting style, including less permissiveness, harshness, and verbosity when disciplining their child. No intervention effects were evident for teacher reports, except for a trend in relation to hyperactivity. This study demonstrated that a tailored behavioural parenting intervention is effective and acceptable for parents of gifted children, and thus has clinical implications for the delivery of parenting interventions for this population.

Participants

Recruitment was conducted over a period of 14-months. Overall, 204 families contacted the program, and completed a10-min telephone screening interview, designed to assess the family's suitability for the program, as well as inform the parent of program requirements.The major criterion for eligibility was the presence in the family of child between the ages of 3 and 10 years, and that the family lived within the Brisbane metropolitan area.

Measures

A Family Background Questionnaire was used to assess socioeconomic status (including income, occupational status, and parent education), ethnic background, single parenting, and parent age, as well as child age, gender and health. In addition, they also use inventory like Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, Difficulties Questionnaire, The Parenting, Tasks Checklist, The Parenting Scale, The Parent Problem Checklist, The Relationship Quality Index,The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Client Satisfaction Questionnaire.

Result

The results of the present study provide support for the efficacy of tailored Group Triple P for parents of gifted children.There were significant short-term effects of intervention in terms of parent reported child behaviour problems, hyperactivity, and parenting style providing partial support for hypothesis one. The participants in the intervention condition showed not only statistically significant improvements, but also changes that were clinically reliable compared to the waitlist condition. Parents reported fewer problematic child behaviours, and less frequent difficult behaviour following intervention, and there was also indication that they perceived their child to be less hyperactive. However, there was no effect on the child's emotional symptoms or peer difficulties.

Resource

M, Alina & S, Matthew. (2009). An Evaluation Of A Behavioural Parenting Intervention For Parents Of Gifted Children. Behaviour Research and Therapy, Volume 47, Pages 463-470.

Genetics and intelligence

Intelligence, which is a major component of giftedness, is influenced through a complex interaction of combinations of many genes and many different environmental contexts (Colangelo & Davis, 2003) Intelligence is a general cognitive ability that supports the fact that most reliable measures of cognitive abilities intercorrelate in some way. It is generally agreed that giftedness may have a genetic component.

Research on families has typically shown a correlation of about .45 in scores of g for parents, children, and siblings. Adoption and twin studies have also provided many valuable insights into the genetic component of intelligence. Studies of first degree relatives adopted apart show a correlation of .22, which is about half that of relatives who live together. Adopted children who are not related but reared together show a correlation of about .23 to genetically unrelated parents and siblings.

Heritability from adoption data is 44% for families, 52% for fraternal twins in a shared environment, and 72% for identical twins reared apart. The existing data for identical twins reared apart has been collected from studies conducted in adulthood and because heritability studies show that adults have higher heritability results than children, this number may be inflated (Colangelo & Davis, 2003) The question of whether intelligence has a genetic component has been confirmed through numerous studies. More research is necessary to determine the exact processes by which genetic dispositions interact with the environment.

Some children are born with innately higher intelligence levels than others. These children are often labeled as gifted or talented. Many researchers have investigated the early characteristics of gifted children. Hollingworth (1942) reported that 78 percent of the teachers agree that early detection of giftedness can be possible during early development. Children as young as preschool age tend to seek out highly stimulating environments.

According to Raine, Reynolds, Venables, & Mednick (2002) increased stimulation seeking at age 3 years is associated with an increase in cognitive and scholastic test performance later in development. The advantages of identifying intellectual abilities of gifted children at an earlier age will allow educators to place them in the developmental classes that encourage and promote exploration in the domain of their giftedness.

Tannenbaum claims that the environment plays a major role in the nurturance of giftedness or higher intelligence. Giftedness and talent require a special environment just as special education would. The environment must be enriching and encouraging which will allow the child to mature through experience and exploration. The environment must facilitate creative activity in a developmentally appropriate manner which would call for classrooms to be designed for developmental levels as opposed to age or grade leveling. This type of environment with differentiated learning could result from acceleration, lateral enrichment, and special grouping. Also, a developmentally appropriate environment for the gifted child will reduce behavior problems among preschoolers due to an increased engagement and internal motivation for learning.

Furthermore, it is behavioral exploration of the environment that is indicative of the child’s intellectual ability later in life. The child’s innate motivation to engage in physical activity (hands-on learning) marks a curiosity which motivates task persistence. The increased physical exploration in a social play environment and goal-directed behavior in the stimulating environment facilitate superior cognitive functioning. In addition, gifted children will become high achievers when their interests are piqued by doing what they are innately motivated to do, empowering them to continue trying new skills. Furthermore, when gifted or talented children are supported by educational staff, their community, peers and families, they have higher possibilities to develop their cognitive abilities.

Main article: Heritability of IQ

Identifying giftedness

Overview

The formal identification of giftedness first emerged as an important issue for schools, as the instruction of gifted students often presents special challenges. During the 20th century, gifted children were often classified via IQ tests, however, recent developments in theories of intelligence have raised serious questions regarding the appropriate uses and limits of such testing.[citation needed] Many schools in North America and Europe have attempted to identify students who are not challenged by standard school curricula and offer additional or specialized education for them in pursuit of nurturing their talents.

Because of the key role that gifted education plays in the identification of gifted individuals, both children and adults, it is worthwhile to examine how that institution uses the term "gifted".

Definitions of giftedness

For many years, psychometricians and psychologists, following in the footsteps of Lewis Terman in 1916, equated giftedness with high IQ. This "legacy" survives to the present day, in that giftedness and high IQ continue to be equated in some conceptions of giftedness. Since that early time, however, other researchers (e.g., Cattell, Guilford, and Thurstone) have argued that intellect cannot be expressed in such a unitary manner, and have suggested more multifaceted approaches to intelligence.

Research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s has provided data which support notions of multiple components to intelligence. This is particularly evident in the reexamination of "giftedness" by Sternberg and Davidson in their edited "Conceptions of Giftedness". The many different conceptions of giftedness presented, although distinct, are interrelated in several ways. Most of the investigators define giftedness in terms of multiple qualities, not all of which are intellectual. IQ scores are often viewed as inadequate measures of giftedness[citation needed]. Motivation, high self-concept, and creativity are key qualities in many of these broadened conceptions of giftedness.

Joseph Renzulli's (1978) "three ring" definition of giftedness is one well-researched conceptualization of giftedness. Renzulli’s definition, which defines gifted behaviors rather than gifted individuals, is composed of three components as follows: Gifted behavior consists of behaviors that reflect an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits—above average ability, high levels of task commitment, and high levels of creativity.

Individuals capable of developing gifted behavior are those possessing or capable of developing this composite set of traits and applying them to any potentially valuable area of human performance. Persons who manifest or are capable of developing an interaction among the three clusters require a wide variety of educational opportunities and services that are not ordinarily provided through regular instructional programs.

In Identifying Gifted Children:

A Practical Guide, Susan K. Johnsen explains that gifted children all exhibit the potential for high performance in the areas included in the United States' federal definition of gifted and talented students:

The term "gifted and talented" when used in respect to students, children, or youth means students, children, or youth who give evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities." (P.L. 103–382, Title XIV, p. 388)

This definition has been adopted partially or completely by the majority of the states in the United States. The majority of them have some definition similar to that used in the State of Texas, whose definition states

[The phrase] "gifted and talented student" means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment, and who
exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;
possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or
excels in a specific academic field." (74th legislature of the State of Texas, Chapter 29, Subchapter D, Section 29.121)

The major characteristics of these definitions are (a) the diversity of areas in which performance may be exhibited (e.g., intellectual, creativity, artistic, leadership, academically), (b) the comparison with other groups (e.g., those in general education classrooms or of the same age, experience, or environment), and (c) the use of terms that imply a need for development of the gift (e.g., capability and potential).

Parenting gifted and talented children: what are the key child behaviour and parenting issues?

Hii… now I want share with you all about journal of summary. The title journal is:

Parenting gifted and talented children: what are the key child behaviour and parenting issues?

By Alina Morawska, Matthew R. Sanders

Objective: The literature on gifted and talented children is limited. Little is known about the types and nature of difficulties experienced by gifted and talented children, and even less known about parenting issues related to parenting a gifted and talented child. The aim of the present study was to describe children’s behavioural and emotional adjustment, and the factors that contribute to children’s difficulties, as well as to examine the styles of discipline used by parents of gifted and talented children and their level of confidence in managing specific parenting tasks.

Method: A survey of parents of gifted and talented children was conducted, with 211 parents meeting criteria for the study.

Results: For a community sample, in general gifted and talented children exhibit no more behavioural difficulties than do other children. But children in this sample seemed to show higher levels of emotional symptoms and peer problems. Children’s behavioural and emotional difficulties were best predicted by parenting factors, particularly parental confidence. Parents reported that they were less likely to be permissive with their child, but they tended to use a more authoritarian style of parenting characterized by lecturing and a strong reaction to any problems.

Conclusions: There are a number of implications for future research, clinical practice, and the development of parenting interventions for this group of parents.

What to Look for in a Good Gifted Program

Many parents of gifted children wonder if their local school will be able to provide an appropriate education for their children. Should they stick with the local school? Look for a private school? Quite often a parent will assume that a private school is better than a public school. However, that is not necessarily true. Gifted children need a special environment, as does any special needs child, and it's important for parents to understand what to look for in a school, whether it's private or public.

Whether your child is already in school or about to start, you will want to evaluate what it has to offer. In order to do that, you need criteria. The elements described here are the elements of a good gifted program. Use them as criteria for evaluating any school you are considering for your child.

• Philosophy and Goals
  What is the philosophy and what are the goals of the program? Are the goals similar or different for different ages? If they are different, what are the differences and why are they different? Gifted children are gifted for life. They start out gifted and end up gifted. As a result, they have similar academic needs throughout their school years. Any differences in goals should be based on age-appropriate differences in instruction, but those differences should be based on what is appropriate for gifted children.
  
  
• Acceleration and Enrichment
  Acceleration refers to the speeding up of instruction. Gifted children are fast learners and require little repetition of information. Enrichment refers to the increased depth of study of a particular topic. It extends the regular curriculum. Both are needed in some form.
  
• Multiple Options
  Is the program a “one size fits all” program or are there various options for the different needs of the different types of gifted children? A profoundly gifted child has significantly different educational needs than does a mildly gifted child, for example. In addition, a child may be exceptionally gifted in math, but not in language arts. Multiple options are essential.
  
  
• Student Learning Expectations
  What are the students expected to learn by the end of the program session? Learning outcomes must be clear. The students may have fun, but they must also learn something new. Any child could participate in fun activities, but a gifted program should be one that is designed specifically for gifted children.
• Challenging Curriculum
  Gifted children need a stimulating curriculum. Without it, they can "tune out," losing interest in school. A curriculum for gifted children should require them to stretch their minds.
  
• Flexibility
  Flexibility is needed in order to respond to the needs of individual gifted children. Rigid adherence to the system often prevents some gifted children from appropriate challenges. For example, a gifted 3rd grader may have mastered 6th grade level math. That child does not need to complete third grade math assignments. A school needs to be flexible enough to consider options for that child's math instruction. Another possibility is a gifted child musician. A junior high student with exceptional talent playing the violin could be allowed time off from school to take advantage of opportunities to study with exceptional violinists or take part in special musical programs.
  
• Sound Identification Process
  Multiple assessment procedures should be used to determine which children would benefit from placement in a gifted program. Every effort should be made to include children who are frequently overlooked. These children include LD gifted, underachievers, and children from under-represented groups, like economically deprived and minority children. Too often schools rely on one test, usually a group test, or simply teacher recommendations for identification.
  
• Staff Development Plan
  Teachers who have been trained to work with gifted children are much more effective than those who have not. Do the teachers who work in the gifted program or teach the gifted children have gifted endorsements? Does the school have regular in-service sessions about gifted children?
  
  
• Guidance Component
  Gifted children often feel isolated or "different." They sometimes don't feel like they fit in socially with the other children. They also can be very sensitive and have a harder time than other children dealing with the day-to-day stress of school or growing up. The guidance can be individual or group guidance.
  
  
• Honoring Academic Talent
  Schools must honor all talent areas in the same way athletic talent is honored. For example, pep rallies can be held for academics and artistic talent as well as for sports. Groups of students often participate in the Science Olympiad or local and state band competitions, and pep rallies could be held for these. Names of achievers can be listed or announced in the same way sports heroes are listed and announced.

General Guidelines for Nurturing Gifted Children:

The first key to helping a gifted child make the most of his or her abilities is to learn what it means to nurture those abilities. Nurturing is mostly feeding a child's interests and exposing him or her to new ideas and experiences. For example, if you notice that your child is interested in dinosaurs, get toys and books about them. However, even though your child might not show a strong interest in music, you still want to get musical toys and expose your child to music.
Interacting:
You can also nurture your gifted child as you talk and play together. Gifted children love to use their brains. They love to think and figure things out, so ask them questions! And, of course, gifted children have plenty of questions to ask themselves! How you answer their questions can help them think and learn to find answers. The way you answer your child's questions can help keep their love of learning alive and teach them life-long skills to continue learning.
Activities:
As you get more comfortable with the general idea of nurturing the interests and abilities of your gifted child, you can begin to plan some activities. Actually, you don't need much planning. For example, going for a walk does not take much planning at all, yet a simple walk can lead to some interesting explorations and discussions. Most gifted kids are quite observant, so they are likely to notice things that you don't notice, but that doesn't mean you can't ask questions!
Programs:
Keeping a gifted child stimulated at home can be a tough job. They seem to want (and need) non-stop intellectual stimulation. You don't need to do it all at home, though. Consider sending your child to a program that is either designed for gifted children or attracts many gifted children. If your child is old enough, you can send him or her to an away camp. If your child is too young to go off alone, consider a local program, such as those offered by libraries or communities.
Games and Toys:
A good way to nurture a child's abilities is to provide some good toys and books. But they can't be just any books and toys. Gifted kids are often bored with the typical toy and don't always find the most popular books interesting. Finding the right toys and books for gifted kids can be a challenge, but not if you know what to look for. Gifted kids tend to enjoy toys that allow them to learn, to think, and to be creative. Their taste in books is similar.
Nurturing Versus Pushing:
Even when you think you are doing just what you think you should do to nurture your child's abilities, you still might worry about that you are pushing your child and might be doing damage. We are all told so often that we shouldn't push our children that we can't help being full of doubts. For peace of mind, you will want to understand the difference between nurturing and pushing.