Session 2: Social-Emotional Needs of

Gifted Students

Demands of Giftedness

• To focus on or devour a subject

• To be creative or inventive

• To question generalizations and “authority”

• To concentrate, to be totally absorbed

• To resist routine drill

• To work alone

• To seek order, structure and consistency

• To have one’s intelligence responded to

• To seek out mental peers

• To have thinking time

• To be outstanding in some areas but average in others

A reluctance to take risks

A Discomfort With Competition

An Unwillingness To Participate

Defensive, Disruptive Behavior

STRESS!What causes it in gifted kids?

Causes of Stress in Gifted Students

Intrapersonal – self imposed

• Setting impossibly high standards

• Irrational beliefs

• Fear of failure• Fear of success• Multipotentiality… too much to do; too little time!

Interpersonal- interactions with others

• Lack of intellectual challenge

• Lack of common interests

• Rejection by peers and adults

• Heightened sensitivity to problems

• Conflicting or excessive expectations from others

Locus of Controlhttp://similarminds.com/locus.html or

http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/LocusofControl-intro.html

• Internal • External

Outside Influences

• Conformist School Culture• Home Environment• Expectations of Others• Family Relationships• Peer Relationships

Social and Emotional Needs

• Security• Identity• Belonging• Purpose• Competence

What do these look like in a student?

Security

• Awareness of feelings

• Caring• Protect/Comfort• Trust• Personal

Responsibility

• A Safe Environment

• Anticipation• Expectations• Choices/ Consequences

Identity

• Self-Awareness• Strengths• Weaknesses• Physical Self• Listen

• Managing Emotions

• Love/Honor• New Roles• Heroes• Celebrate Who I

Am

Promoting Sense of Identity

• Build positive self-images by talking about the positive qualities you see in them.

• Focus on the discrepancy between beautiful person inside and their behavior or the person they present to others.

• Discuss with them the characteristics they most admire in adults.

• Have them discuss their values and those characteristics they value in themselves.

• Help them make realistic assessments about themselves

• Point out their dependable strengths or hidden talents.

• Have them talk about the myths others might believe about them.

• Teach them ways of handling put-downs.

• Help them see that they have choices in how they want to deal with their feelings. Help them express feelings in acceptable ways.

• Find ways to convey a sense of caring.

Gifted Males…

• What’s different about the social and emotional needs of gifted boys?

• Recommendations:http://www.megt.org/links/MegtPositionPaper-Gifted%20Boys.pdf

• Articles: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gender.htm

Gifted Males…

FEEL…• Need to suppress

emotions• Peer pressure to

conform and fit in• Bullied because

considered “too feminine” or “nerds”

• Must try to meet expectations of others

NEED…• Encouragement to feel

and express emotions• Someone to listen and

to empathize• Explanation about

gender stereotyping and expectations

• Encouragement to follow own interests

• Help to find interest-based groups

• To be careful of stress and overload

Gifted Females…

• What’s unique about girls?

• What happens to young gifted girls? http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/gifted_girls_many_gifted_girls_few_eminent_women_why

• Articles: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gender.htm

Gifted Females…

FEEL…• Choose between

being smart and being popular

• Identity is body image

• Voiceless

NEED…• Interaction w/positive

female role model• Affirmation of

assertive behavior• Validation that women

can have career/life choices and enjoy them (balance of roles)

• Identity is who we are & what we do

• Accept that intelligence is valued and intelligence is power

Path to Excellence

We must start our children down the path to excellence very young. Learning is cumulative; all children, including the gifted, develop to their full potential only when their special strengths are identified and supported throughout their lives.

Building the Bridge Critical Social Skills for the

Gifted

• Classroom survival skills• Friendship-making Skills• Skills for Dealing with Feelings

• Skills for Dealing with Stress

• Skill Alternatives to Aggression

• Planning Skills

Belonging• Social Skills• Empathy• Differences/ Commonalities• Opportunities for Service Learning• Traditions• Connectiveness• Responsibilities

Purpose• Interests/Passions• Problem Solving• Goal Setting• Relevance• Organization/ Study Skills• Vision/Values

Accessing Critical Resources

• People Skills• Decision-Making Skills• Problem Solving Skills• Time Management• Technology• Social Activism/Control

Building Personal Power

The Right Reasons for Learning• Work that is meaningful and

challenging• Serves higher human needs and

values• Satisfies craving for knowledge

Lighting the Personal Fire• Share your passion• Help set personal goals and ways to achieve them

• Determine needs and interests• Support self-initiated activities• Speak the language of encouragement

• Facilitate work in area of interest

• Provide opportunities for challenge

Making Being Gifted Okay

• Understanding my giftedness• Validation from people who matter

• Support and enthusiasm• Gender issues• Knowing my place in the world• It’s okay to make mistakes and ask for help.

Competence

• Decision making

• Choices/options

• Mistakes/expectations

• Respond to intelligence

• Celebrate!

Celebrating Success

• Attaining Goals

• Quality Work

• Friendships

• Self-Knowledge

Why we need to Pay Attention

At-Risk BehaviorsWarning Signs

• Self-imposed isolation

• Shifts in school performance

• Rigid compulsive behavior

• Extreme perfectionism

• Eating disorders• Self-depreciation

• Substance abuse• Depression or continual boredom

• Frequent mood shifts• Inability to control or express anger

• Withdrawal into a fantasy world

• Unusual fascination with violence

• Preoccupation with death

Masked At-Risk Behaviors

• Good grades not a good indicator

• Underachievement could be straight A’s

• Perfectionism = Anxiety• Passive aggression

Advice for Being Gifted from Gifted Children

On dealing with being gifted…Be quiet and read!

If you are depressed:

Work on or develop a hobby.

When you feel life is futile:

Go to sleep.

When you switch from feeling talented to feeling

like a failure…Try to do your best.

Don’t be serious about yourself.

We all have limits.

The basis for all successful learning is self-discipline.

Most defeats in learning something or changing something are temporary.

When you want to get along…

By understanding yourself, you can relate to others.

Learn to listen to others.

Relax!

Find a person who takes an interest in you, who wants to help.

Learn to do things peers value BUT don’t give up on yourself.

Make your own decisions and take your own initiative no

matter what!

Critical Attitudes

• It’s OKAY to be Gifted.

• It’s OKAY to Make Mistakes.

• Expectations for Success

• Excellence, not Perfection

• Self-Responsibility

• Effort means Progress

Emotional Wellbeing

• Feel comfortable with oneself

• Feel right about other people

• Meet the demands of life

Fostering Emotional Wellbeing in the

Classroom

“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child..”

Carl Jung

Characteristics of Gifted/Autistic Youth

• Poor social skills and understanding of social cues

• Savant abilities• Autistic individual who shows signs of giftedness (approximately 10% of autistic population)– Preference for routine– Low IQ– Generally their giftedness will occur in areas other than intellectual

• Creative abilities– Artistic and musical

• Extreme possessiveness of unusual objects– Hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli

Instructional Strategies for Autistic/Gifted Youth

• Use hands-on kinesthetic activities• Teach to their strengths• Use physical, verbal, and visual aids to signify transition

• Infuse social and communication skills into the academic programming

• Provide structure and routine• Include parent(s), clinical professional(s), and student when determining educational programming

Characteristics for Gifted/ Emotional-Behavioral Disabled

Youth• Defiance

– Aggression, violence, peer and adult conflict

• Loneliness– Withdrawal, depression, isolation, low self-esteem, self-rejection

• Stress– Hyperactivity, impulsivity, distractibility, and anxiety

• Socialization problems– Immaturity, criticism, humiliation

• Underachievement

Instructional Strategies for Gifted/ Emotional-Behavioral Disabled Youth

• Incorporate multidisciplinary activities

• Provide supportive, sensitive and positive home/school environments

• Alleviate conflict and shape a positive self-concept

• Create intellectually challenging activities

• Make modifications to enhance learning atmosphere– Match methods to gifts/talents and disabilities

– Utilize inclusion, modeling, cooperative learning, and authentic learning

Characteristics of Gifted/ADHD

• Inattentiveness• Impulsive/hyperactive conduct• Eagerness• Compassion• Fidgetiness• Minimal need of sleep • Strong-mindedness since early childhood

• Difficulty with lengthy assignments

Instructional Strategies for Gifted/ADHD

• Incorporate cooperative learning activities that allow the student to take a leadership role

• Teach organizational skills• Stress appropriate social skills• Utilize communication sheets with parents

• Create short, intellectually challenging activities

• Provide hands-on kinesthetic activities• Differentiate the curriculum

Characteristics of Gifted/ Asperger’s Syndrome Youth

• Poor nonverbal communication skills• Lack of coordination• Exceptional memory• Normal to high IQ• Poor sense of time• Inflexibility• Difficulty transitioning between tasks• Inability to explain their feelings and those of others

• Poor social skills

Instructional Strategies for Gifted/ Asperger’s Syndrome Youth

• Establish a daily routine• Avoid sarcasm• Teach students to deal with sudden change• Develop social skills• Provide a rubric when asking essay questions

• Develop an IEP that addresses student’s strengths and weaknesses

• Include parents, clinical professionals, and student when making decisions about educational programming

• Provide hands-on activities• Arrange the room so that the gifted/AS child is near few distractions

General Characteristics of Gifted/Learning Disabled

• Intelligence• Ingenious problem-solving skills• Poor social skills• Exceptional memory• Frustration• Quick conceptualization of ideas• Advanced abstract reasoning skills• Academic achievement below academic potential

General Instructional Strategies for Gifted/Learning Disabled Youth

• Develop social skills• Establish a daily routine• Differentiate the curriculum• Encourage cooperation among teachers, parents, administrators, and student

• Allow for multiple program options• Develop strengths so that student can compensate for disabilities

• Design activities to engage the learner in real-world learning

• Build self-esteem