Bullying is a serious issue for many gifted and talented students.  A 2006 study (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/04/bullies.html) found that as many as two-thirds of gifted students interviewed had been bullied during their school years.  This Washington Post article also discusses this issue.  Sengifted.org also addresses the issue in this article.  A Geneva parent has started an organization to help parents and students deal with effects of bullying and hopes to quell the tide of bullying in our schools.  The website www.advcanedignity4all.org has information that may be helpful if this is an issue of concern for you or your student.

 

A GEARS member, Linda Weaver, works with students and parents who struggle with learning issues, including those who are twice exceptional.  Her business information is:

 

 

At our first meeting on September 23, 2009, Dr. Ramsey mentioned that some gifted individuals suffer from "super-stimulation" or "overexcitabilities".  Some links that further describe this issue known as "Dabrowski's Overexcitabilties" can be found at www.mindsthatsoar.com, about.com, Hoagie's Gifted Pages, and Sengifted.org.  In February, GEARS will feature a speaker on the Highly Sensitive Child.  Cathy Risberg from Minds That Soar gavea presentation on the sensitivities faced by many highly intelligent children at our February meeting.

 

"Twice Exceptional" students are those who, while academically gifted, also struggle with a learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD or another disorder that may inhibit their ability to be successful in the classroom and may mask their giftedness in such a way that parents, teachers and the students themselves never fully appreciate the student's potential.  There are many publications on this issue, a fairly comprehensive list can be found at Hoagie's.  The NAGC has an article here on twice exceptional students.  Information on identification and working with twice exceptional students can also be found at the GiftedDevelopment.com website, http://uniquelygifted.org/ and www.mindsthatsoar.com.

 

There is a definite co-morbity between giftedness and both depression and anxiety disorder.  This article by James T. Webb, PhD, explains this connection in the contaxt of Dabrowski's research of the extreme sensitivies of the gifted individual.  A website www.counselingthegifted.com has an article on suicide within the gifted community you may want to read if your student exhibits signs of depression, bi-polar disorder or anxiety.  www.SENGifted.org has excellent articles on the social and emotional needs of gifted individuals.

 

Perfectionism seems to be a topic that many parents deal with either in their own personalities or those of their children.  This succint and useful article lists many characteristics of perfectionists and offers some guidance on dealing with the difficulties that may arise.