Parenting A Gifted Child

Parenting the gifted child

Thus, both children and parents may be bewildered by the process of ‘growing up’. The difficulty may be greater for those for whom the cost of getting the required help for identification and nurturing may be too large. Even when help is sought from schools or other agencies, it may be slow in coming, due to the lack of awareness or systematic policy development on issues of identification, nurturing and schooling. However, a few simple steps and sensitive parenting can ease this journey to some extent, and make it more enjoyable for the child and the parent. The journey of parenting a gifted child Advanced developmental milestones (theoretical indicators of expected behaviours for particular ages) can be early signs of giftedness. These could be in the physical (e.g., early head control, ability to sit or walk, etc.), cognitive (e.g., eye-hand coordination, joint attention, etc.), socio-emotional (e.g., social smile, imitation etc.) and language domains (e.g. cooing, babbling, naming objects, etc.). However, it is not uncommon to find late bloomers. The lack of early advances in development should not deter us from identifying later accelerated developments. Some potentials may appear later in the developmental sequence and cannot be identified earlier. Early developments may also be hidden by the child’s shy or difficult temperament, or asynchronicity in development. Hence, the key is to remain a close observer as children’s development unfolds over the long span of childhood. Another method is to closely follow the child’s natural interests that often translate into overt behaviours. Gifted children may display advanced interests for their age (e.g. reading complex material; sophisticated art-work, etc.). Recording and nurturing children’s interests can not only be helpful for gifted children, but for all children by cultivating their interests, potentials, and increasing their satisfaction. Both these process require detailed observations and records. Many parents themselves maintain baby biographies, video recordings or diaries of their children’s development. These are important documents not only for parents themselves, but for schools, medical professionals working with the child, and researchers trying to advance the understanding of this area. Identification is but one half of the challenge. The second is mentoring or nurturing.

Parenting A Gifted Child - News

Too much of a good thing?

I can tell when my child is operating optimally and when they have too much on the go and need to slow down.” (Supplied) In an effort to create well-rounded and socially gifted children, parents around the country are filling every spare moment of

Parenting the gifted child

However, a few simple steps and sensitive parenting can ease this journey to some extent, and make it more enjoyable for the child and the parent. The journey of parenting a gifted child Two main tasks lie ahead of parents of gifted children

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The emotional cost of parenting a child with ADHD may be getting steeper thanks to widespread budget cutsthat are limiting school resources in several states. There are not yet any studies on the effect of state budget cuts on special needs children,

Nurturing Creativity

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they make messes and masterpieces with children. Please read to the end to find a list

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In Thought Leadership: The thought leaders and innovators in the fields of design, fashion, cooking, child-rearing, crafting, etc. will be seen as as gifted, visionary and important as those in the fields of business, politics, science.

Solution Oriented Parenting of Gifted Children « Begabungs

, I work with many parents, who contact us for consulting about the problems of their gifted children.

Even as a child, solutions were more important to me than problems and I included this concept into the work of my center. I noticed that most of the gifted children have the potential to solve their problems easily, if we help them and trust them to focus on the solution. It is a fact that most parents are looking to do the best for their children but sometimes they forget to consider the needs and wishes of their children. Sometimes love tends to cloud their perception of their children’ s emotional needs. Should we not try to look at the world through the gifted children’ s eyes?

They want their children to achieve, what they have not been able to achieve as a child without asking the child about its expectations and overtax them. Sometimes they focus so much on the negative behavior, that they forget, that they are dealing with a child, even if the gifted children do not act like the other children of their age group. In a society focused on achievment and grades the development of a gifted child into an underachiever feels like a shipbreak for many parents and in this situation they turn to me to guid them to a safe harbour.

The best tip for parent that I can suggest is to focus on positivity and put their energy into finding a solution:

When facing a problem,stop overreacting or exaggerating .It only creates a negative cycle of thoughts.Instead treat it as a challenge and focus your energy on solutions.

Every action and every feeling begins as a thought in your mind.Therefore if you can control your thoughts,then you can control your actions,your feelings and ultimately your life.

Our thoughts play an important role when working on a problem.Let it be positive and not negative.This helps you to focus your energy on solutions. ( http://www.squidoo.com/motivational-affirmations )

The first step is to ask the child about a possible solution, about its feelings and wishes. On some occasions the inability to express themself will cause the gifted child to start crying all of a sudden and then it is up to us to find a creative solution for them to explain e.g. writing, drawing, acting, roleplaying to show us what is going on in their mind.

The role of parents in the life of a gifted child is challenging and vital. It is not really important for parents to be gifted themselves, it is more important to give their child a feeling of understanding, love and security. The road of raising a gifted child is sometimes stony but focussing on solutions and positivity can make it easier.