As the mother of a highly gifted child, I know the joys, the concerns, and the challenges that parenting a gifted kid can bring. Unfortunately, the heavy demands on teachers, administrators, and school psychologists sometimes keep them from being up to date on the latest research on giftedness. And students who are twice exceptional (2e) — both gifted and also dealing with a challenge like a learning disability, social communication disorder, or attention disorder — are often not identified or are misidentified by school personnel.
How can Nancy help your gifted child?
One of the ways I can provide support to a particular gifted student is through participating in school meetings that include the parents, teachers, administrators, and support staff. These are usually called SSTs, for Student Study Team or Student Success Team. While SSTs are typically called for when students are struggling to meet state standards, parents can request an SST when they have any concerns about their child’s school experience, including the worry that the curriculum is not sufficiently challenging. Often I will observe a student in the classroom, do some assessment, and meet with the teacher before an SST in order to be prepared to bring specific recommendations to the meeting. Together we can craft a plan to better meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of a gifted student, looking for ways to increase rigor and engagement, decrease unnecessary repetition or drill, capitalize on the student’s interests, and address any issues with behavior or peer interactions.
What should parents do when their child is identified as gifted?
Find out what gifted education services your child’s school offers and evaluate which of those you feel your child would benefit from. Schedule a meeting with the school administrator or gifted education coordinator, along with the teacher.
In most states, including California, there is no mandate for a written education plan for identified gifted students like there is for students who are eligible for special education services. Therefore, parents need to act as advocates for their child and make sure that services for which your child is eligible are provided. You can request what is called a 504 Plan, a document that is updated annually. The plan should include pre-assessment in your child’s areas of strength and interest, with acceleration and differentiation opportunities as appropriate, as well as the chance for your child to spend part of your his or her day in collaboration with other gifted students.
Become knowledgeable about your state’s gifted education standards and funding. In California, funding that used to be mandated for gifted education is now given to principals to allocate. Ask how it is being spent in your district.
Find out what resources are available in your area. Contact SENG, CAG, and NAGC, which have local parent groups as well as conferences for teachers that also include opportunities for parents.
In California, the Board of Education recommendations call for the inclusion of parents in the formation of a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) advisory committee in each district. If there isn’t a GATE Advisory Committee in your district, ask your superintendent why not! Get involved.
Look at summer and online enrichment opportunities like John Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth, Duke University’s Talent Identification Program and Stanford’s giftedandtalented.com.
How can I tell if my child is gifted?
All children are unique, and as parents we are often amazed by their progress! So how can you tell when your child’s differences might require something out of the ordinary from you and from their school experience? A general rule of thumb that schools might use is to identify a student if he or she is achieving at the very top of the scale in the state standardized testing (97% or above) or is able to achieve the curricular standards two years above grade level. Unfortunately these criteria eliminate students who are underperforming or may also be experiencing a learning difference such as a learning disability that is bringing down their performance in spite of their high ability. Read up on common traits of gifted children and talk to your child’s teacher.
Early signs of giftedness
While every child is different, some patterns have emerged. Parents of children who are identified as gifted often report that the child hit developmental milestones very early. They show a strong interest in words and in books and have a vocabulary that is unusual among their same-age peers. Many surprised their parents by reading by age 4, without any effort on the part of the parents. Often there is an unusual alertness, attention span, and level of curiosity. Traditional cognitive assessments such as IQ tests have limited value in preschool age children, however.
I’ve heard the term “twice exceptional”. What does that mean?
Twice exceptional, or 2e, students are those who are identified as gifted and are also identified with another condition that is usually labeled as a disability; a learning disability, an attention disorder like ADHD, a social communication disorder such as autism, or a physical condition like blindness or cerebral palsy. Misidentification and underidentification are much more frequent with twice exceptional students, since their giftedness is often masked by their disability. School personnel from gifted education and special education need to work together with parents to support the student.
