Gifted Challenges' Pick for 2023: Best Articles about Gifted Education, Twice-exceptionality, and Parenting

This has been quite a year. Political turmoil, wars, climate change effects. Despite these stressors, you are navigating life with your child and trying to ensure their health, academic success, and emotional well-being. As always, there were many great articles this year related to the above concerns; selecting a top-ten list is always a challenge. But I hope you find the articles below stimulating and thought-provoking.

On a personal note, this December marks 40 years since receiving my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. It is hard to believe that I have been working in the field this long - and even more, that I still find it gratifying, meaningful, and filled with learning. I feel so grateful that I stumbled upon this career at an early age and continue to learn and grow as a psychotherapist. And I am grateful to the thousands of clients who have trusted me over the years, many of whom "risked" working with me as a young and inexperienced clinician during my training and early career years.  

I am equally grateful for my writing opportunities over the past 11 years that allow me to advocate for the needs of the gifted. In addition to this blog, numerous articles, and my recent book about gifted parenting, I write about mental health and wellbeing on the Medium platform Wise & Well. Many of you also receive my monthly newsletter where I share the latest articles of interest. (If you have not signed up yet, please join me here.) And I plan to continue to share meaningful articles I find throughout the year on social media, especially on my Facebook Gifted Challenges page. 

Thank you to all of you who follow me on social media, read my articles, and share your comments and concerns. As always, please let me know if you have questions or suggestions by contacting me at gailpostphd@gmail.com.

My Top 10 list for 2023

How to Ensure Twice-Exceptional Students Don't Slip Through the Cracks

Essential advice for identifying and supporting your twice-exceptional child at school.

Building a Wider, More Diverse Pipeline of Advanced Learners

See the National Working Group on Advanced Education report.

Nine Tips to Avoid Falling for Mental Health Misinformation

There are an astonishing number of myths and misinformation about psychotherapy and mental health circulating online. This is a MUST READ that highlights what you need to know to protect yourself and your children.

Algebra for None: The Effects of San Francisco's Detracking Reform

In a misguided attempt to provide equity, this school district is hurting all learners, and harms those most in need. And it has been used as a model for other districts across the country. 

Noone Knows Exactly What Social Media is Doing to Teens

What role does social media really play when considering your child's mental health? See this interesting overview.

Seven Tips for LGBTQ Parents to Help Schools Fight Stigma and Ignorance

Helpful information for LGBTQ parents to address problems that can affect their children.

Disabilities in Math Affect Many Students - But Get Little Attention

See more about how math disabilities can be identified and addressed in school.

Positive Parenting Can Help Protect Against the Stress in Childhood and Adolescence

How a positive parenting approach is an essential tool for parents that can build resilience.

America's Highest-achieving Students are Disproportionately Asian. Let's Not Be Afraid to Investigate Why.

Understanding this discrepancy in achievement can provide information about what might work for all students. 

A Fifty-State Analysis of Non-district Students' Access to District-provided Services

If your child is homeschooled or attending a private school, see what additional services might be available within your district.

**Wishing all of you a happy and healthy New Year, filled with joy and wonder.**

- Gail

Gifted education: Why is it still so controversial?

Research and gifted education experts have emphasized the benefits of enriched or accelerated instruction for gifted and highly able children. Yet, many school districts balk at the possibility and refuse to provide gifted services. Citing concerns that struggling or neurotypical students (or their parents) might resent ability grouping or enrichment offered to gifted students, gifted services are curtailed or limited. Instead, differentiated instruction within the regular classroom setting is proposed as a panacea, placing unprecedented additional stress on teachers and resulting in limited benefits for gifted students.

Why is there so much resistance to gifted education?*

Services for children with other exceptionalities (such as learning disabilities) are rarely questioned or challenged. Yet, gifted education incites controversy. It would seem that the concept of gifted education itself evokes a range of complex feelings; it becomes a projection screen onto which parents, educators, and political leaders project their hopes, prejudices, bitterness, and fears. I would suggest that the drive to eliminate gifted services often stems from an emotional reaction. Often, the adults in charge - the policy-makers, administrators, and even fellow members of your community - refuse to acknowledge that some children have advanced learning needs. The concept of giftedness - the "G-word" - becomes a dirty word, linked to assumptions related to elitism and status rather than an emotionally-neutral diagnostic label used to inform learning potential.

Of greatest concern is when the "G-word" evokes contempt, envy, and disturbing assumptions about a child's inherent worth. We all want children to receive the education they deserve; yet, some people squirm when considering that children progress at different rates. Many parents, teachers, and administrators worry that supporting gifted education might imply that a child is more of a "gift" to their parents or is somehow "better" than other children. Those with students or children whose intellectual needs fall within the middle or the lower end of the bell-shaped curve (used to group IQ scores and abilities) somehow could be deemed "less than," instead of the wonderful and amazing children they are! Rather than challenging this distorted perspective about abilities, and accepting and loving each child regardless of their academic strengths, some may hope that the whole controversy would disappear if we just eliminated any reference to advanced intellectual abilities. 

Of course, gifted education is far from perfect. There are rampant problems with gifted under-identification and how (and even if) gifted services are provided.  For example, a twice-exceptional condition - when students are intellectually gifted but also possess a learning disability or a diagnosis such as ADHD, anxiety, or Autism Spectrum Disorder - can obscure gifted identification. Well-meaning advocates for the underserved have raised pointed, necessary questions about how students are identified and placed in gifted programs. The heightened and much-necessary awareness that marginalized groups (e.g., racial minorities, students from impoverished or rural backgrounds, English Language Learners) have been underrepresented in gifted programs has fueled these concerns.

Unfortunately, the baby and the bathwater have been tossed; platitudes about the presumed benefits of heterogeneous class grouping or watered-down attempts at differentiation burden teachers unnecessarily and merely ignore the issue. Attempts to protect and support marginalized groups and struggling students by eliminating gifted services masks the problem, penalizes those students in need of enrichment or acceleration, and perpetuates the excellence gap, where underserved gifted students are overlooked. Essentially, those hurt the most by such policies are those children who would benefit the most from enrichment. 

As more adults in charge become educated about the neurodiversity of the gifted, how they learn at a different pace and with greater depth than their peers, and the detrimental effects that result when their learning needs are ignored (e.g., underachievement, increased executive functioning difficulties), the sooner a coherent discussion will arise, along with improved strategies for meeting these children's needs. Improved identification through universal screening, using local norms, and educating teachers and parents about giftedness would be a start. Truly acknowledging that gifted children exist within all racial and economic groups is essential; eliminating gifted services in schools populated by minority and low-income students perpetuates an ugly bias that they do not warrant the academic enrichment available to their wealthy counterparts. 

Gifted education should never be considered a privilege; it is a basic right for children to receive the education they deserve, tailored to their individual learning needs. As parents, educators, legislators, caretakers, and those in the helping professions, we must continue to advocate for these children. 

(*Please note that I am a psychologist and not an educator. The opinions in this article are based on my review of the literature, my experience with families of the gifted through my psychotherapy and coaching/consultation practice, and my involvement as a parent in advocating for gifted education.)

** For more insights about giftedness from a parenting perspective, please see my new book, The Gifted Parenting Journey. Available through the publisher and on the usual bookseller sites, this book addresses a previously neglected topic in the literature: the needs and emotional life of parents of gifted children and teens. Readers are encouraged to discover the emotions that influence their attitudes and expectations; understanding and distinguishing these emotions from what their child truly needs is key to informed parenting decisions. The latest research, theory, clinical wisdom, and results from an extensive survey of gifted parents’ attitudes are combined to provide supportive tools for parents seeking greater self-awareness, confidence, and clarity.**

 

Gifted Challenges Best of 2021 in gifted education - the good, the bad and the ugly

It has been a tough year. Writing a "best of" post seems like a misnomer, especially when so many families and schools have struggled. It may take some time to fully appreciate the impact of COVID on our lives. Not surprisingly, education, and particularly, gifted education have taken a hit. The most common theme (other than teacher burn-out and parents' frustration) has involved controversies related to how gifted students are identified, equity, underidentification, and even how giftedness is conceptualized. Previously, these topics have been debated at length, but were in the spotlight much more over this past year. In some locales (looking at you, NYC), the concept of gifted education strays far from traditional concepts of giftedness, resulting in the inequitable provision of services, bitterness, and divisiveness within the community. 

The following top ten list includes some interesting, thought-provoking, and controversial articles associated with equity and gifted services. Also included are topics that have gained attention this year as well - children's mental health and stressors in the schools, understanding neurodiversity, the importance of addressing executive functioning skills (notoriously deficient among many gifted children), and a much-needed acknowledgment that using grades as guideposts is problematic. 

Insight into a bright mind

I know this is not an article... But Dr. Nicole Tetreault's book provides a great overview of neurodiversity. "Bright people are misunderstood and mislabeled as awkward geeks, mad scientists, maladjusted poets, oversensitive artists, hyperactive clowns, or antisocial misfits. Do you want to understand the science behind why intelligent, sensitive, and highly creative brains are simply different?" 

How do we best find and serve talented youths?

"...because low-income gifted kids have been neglected for decades, this underinvestment has led to a widening divide between these kids and more advantaged gifted kids who have had their talents developed to the fullest... We suggest that early identification using universal screening of students coupled with adequate talent development can help narrow this divide."

The mathematically gifted are starving for more math

"Some gifted students may be as much as five or seven or more grade levels ahead of their contemporaries in mathematics. That is a long time to wait - for anything. Patience is one thing; preternatural willingness to be bored is another thing, entirely."

Stop eliminating gifted programs and calling it "equity"

"...shutting down gifted programs only deepens the inequities for brilliant, underrepresented students of color and adds another barrier to unlocking their genius." 

We are leaving "lost Einsteins" behind

"... the failure to test for spatial ability has left a reservoir of potentially productive workers untapped, people who would not only thrive in the marketplace but who would also make significant contributions to the national economy."

We are squandering the talents of too many low-income high achievers

"...more needs to be done on behalf of America’s high achieving kids, especially those from low-income backgrounds. What to do? Start by placing the needs of high-ability kids on the policy agenda."

COVID harmed kids' mental health - and the schools are feeling it

"The grief, anxiety and depression children have experienced during the pandemic is welling over into classrooms and hallways, resulting in crying and disruptive behavior in many younger kids and increased violence and bullying among adolescents. For many other children, who keep their sadness and fear inside, the pressures of school have become too great."

Why so many teachers are thinking of quitting

"One in four American teachers reported considering leaving their job by the end of the last academic year."

Five ways to help students focus on learning rather than grades

"...in reality, grades, however flawed, determine placements and ranking. Still, we, as teachers, can get creative within the walls of our own classrooms to make grades more accurate, collaborative, and much less stressful."

Guiding students to improve executive functioning skills

"Executive function needs become more complex among high school students as their life roles evolve... Too often, chaos results as they use self-management approaches they have outgrown, like keeping track of their assignments in their heads."

If you have great articles that you would like to add to this list, please suggest them in the comments section below. Wishing all of you a happy, healthy New Year!

Gail

 

What gifted advocacy is not

Most parents of gifted children learn that advocacy is a necessary additional component of parenting. They didn't expect it. They didn't plan for it. But without their voice, gifted children often languish, deprived of the education they need. Parents not only learn to speak up at school, but must explain giftedness wherever they go - on the playground, at dinner with relatives, at the soccer field. 

Unfortunately, parents who advocate for their gifted child, or for the needs of all gifted children, are often misunderstood. A range of critical comments have been lobbed against them. And yes, while you might encounter the occasional "pushy" parent - the one who thinks their child can do no wrong - these parents populate the neurotypical world as well. Most parents of gifted children are stumbling along and just trying to find their way. They navigate stereotypes, arcane philosophical views about education, and intolerance. Many are exhausted and settle for meager accommodations; the battles are just too overwhelming.

Here are a few comments in response to the misunderstanding parent advocates encounter:

1. Advocacy is not bragging. 

When gifted children feel socially isolated, experience heightened emotional reactivity, or remain bored in traditional classrooms, parents struggle along with them. Advocating for an enriched education, ability grouping where gifted children may find like-minded peers, or merely some appreciation of the impact of asynchronous development does not imply that gifted children are in any way better or more privileged or more deserving. Parents must challenge misunderstandings and widespread myths - a task that is neither easy nor fun. Voicing concerns is neither boasting nor bragging. Gifted children deserve an education that meets their needs; this is a fact - not a badge of greatness. 

2. Advocacy is not overinvolvement. 

Advocating for a gifted child's educational and social/emotional needs is good parenting. It illustrates how parents look out for their child's best interests and try to ensure that their needs are understood and adequately met. While we should teach our children self-advocacy skills, there are times when grown-ups must speak up for them. Of course, situations arise where parents overstep their role - completing their child's homework assignments, demanding to know every detail about their child's friendships, contacting an adult child's professor about a low grade, or the extreme example of falsifying college application information.  However, most parents of gifted children who advocate in the schools are not demanding special privileges; they are merely asserting what their child needs. 

3. Advocacy is not selfish. 

Those unfamiliar with gifted children may notice a gifted child's abilities, but attribute any accomplishments or talents to their parents' efforts. They may assume the child was pushed or "hot-housed" or prepped. They also might believe that gifted children neither require nor deserve additional academic support. These kids will do "just fine" no matter what. Their parents only care about themselves and their families, not the rest of the class. Giftedness is a choice, anyway. 

Most parents of gifted children are just along for the ride. Their child's smarts catch them off-guard, and they eventually learn that problems quickly arise when their child is bored at school, or cannot find like-minded peers. Parents who advocate for their child's academic needs are no different from those who demand healthier cafeteria meals or seek accommodations for a learning disability. They are supporting the needs of their child, but also initiating policy and procedural changes that will positively impact other children. When accommodations for additional academic or health-based needs become commonplace, future generations of parents no longer will be expected to plead for changes. These changes then become the established norm - a routine consideration in academic and fiscal planning within the schools. 

4. Advocacy is not elitist. 

Anyone who claims that giftedness is the purview of the wealthy misunderstands the concept entirely. Yes, early childhood enrichment is beneficial. Yes, some test prep can temporarily increase a child's scores on some achievement tests. Yes, patient support and attentive encouragement allow children to blossom. But gifted children can be found among every racial, cultural, and socio-economic group. Assuming otherwise creates a racially tinged underestimation of a child's potential. Research on the excellence gap or underidentification of giftedness in minority or financially impoverished groups points to this problem. 

Giftedness is not synonymous with wealth. Giftedness is not proportionally more prevalent among any particular racial or ethnic group. Poor kids are smart, too. And there are a variety of paths for achieving equity in education that do not eliminate the needs of the gifted. Parents who advocate for their gifted children are not claiming that their child is superior or more deserving or better in some way. They are merely requesting that schools meet their child's academic needs.

5. Advocacy does not overlook the needs of other children. 

There is a misguided assumption that if gifted children receive an education consistent with their academic needs, other children will suffer. This assumption implies that neurotypical or at-risk children will be deprived of services if gifted children are offered a meaningful education; there is only so much funding to go around, and those most at-risk deserve the most. Yet, gifted education typically comprises only a fraction of most districts' budgets (see this commentary for a helpful perspective on the topic). As Wai has noted: "Talented but disadvantaged youth are most in need of our help, but unfortunately, research has also documented that funding at the federal level for advanced learners is tiny, at a ratio of 500,000 to their single dollar."

The belief that gifted education is inequitable or deprives other children has led some districts to reduce gifted education funding even further or even eliminate gifted programs completely. Concepts such as differentiated instruction (an almost impossible task for teachers), or elimination of honors classes are implemented as a salve for families who worry that their child will be emotionally scarred if gifted children receive enriched services. In reality, reducing or eliminating gifted programming in an effort to address equity serves no one. Benbow and Stanley aptly highlight the problem of pitting "equity against excellence rather than promoting both equity and excellence." It is a disservice to students from impoverished or minority backgrounds who can thrive in gifted programs, and fails to address real issues of systemic racism or meager funding for early childhood enrichment. Smarick offers a cogent summary and excellent overview of these issues, including the following:   

"Americans' leveling impulse has unappealing consequences: In a perverted version of fairness, we knowingly neglect the special gifts of some kids in the name of equality. Each child must be seen as more than a component part of a political strategy to equalize social outcomes. Each child has a legitimate claim to the attention necessary to make the most of his or her interests and capacities.

Perhaps most important, when there's insufficient public investment in identifying and serving gifted students, the economically and socially disadvantages kids with special abilities are the ones who suffer the most."

 

What misunderstandings, resistance to advocacy, or barriers to gifted education have you experienced? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.