Pamela Goldberg, BSN, MS, LMFT
Latest posts by Pamela Goldberg, BSN, MS, LMFT (see all)
- Educating Gifted Children Comes With Its Own Set of Challenges - October 23, 2016
- We Must Equip Our Kids with the Tools to Recognize and Stop Emotional Manipulation - October 23, 2016
- Build Protective Factors to Keep Children Safe - October 23, 2016
Educators have long been aware that gifted children can be very difficult to educate and are just as challenging to teach as those with learning disorders
Gifted children are often referred to me by teachers, school counselors and child therapists who have identified red flags and need an intervention.
Why an intervention? Isn’t giftedness a good thing? Well, it turns out that gifted children come with their own set of challenges, particularly in the area of education.
Many gifted children fail to work to their potential and may even have failing grades. On tests, they may get the difficult questions correct while skipping the easy questions. Gifted children are often disruptive in school, complaining of boredom and seem to space out and lose focus. They sometimes get oppositional and argumentative with teachers and parents; they think they are way smarter so, “why bother?”
The motivation of a gifted child waxes and wanes depending on the relationship between the child and the teacher. Gifted kids thrive on praise. When they feel criticized or misunderstood, however, they often become quite defensive.
When gifted children want to avoid an unpleasant consequence or acquire something interesting, they may use manipulation tactics. A clever child sees this as a game of outsmarting their opponent (parent or teacher).
Intervene Upstream
SEL for Prevention’s Camp MakeBelieve Kids (CMB) programs, for students K-5 and Upper Elementary, were created with the gifted child in mind. The programs offer positive support, challenging discussions, and interesting activities during structured and unstructured group time.
Gifted children are taught the appropriate way to interact with peers, manage moods, and get their needs met. We equip them with the language of feelings and creative ways to manage those feelings, thoughts, and behavior. They also learn assertive but friendly communication, strategies for handling bullies, avoiding peer pressure, understanding social clues and much, much more.
Gifted children thrive in our programs.
It’s heart warming to hear from group leaders who observe the gradual changes in the gifted child, who often begins with a negative, know-it-all attitude and leaves with gratitude. Finally, they feel they can navigate their social and emotional world.
Given plenty of talk time, role playing time and problem-solving tasks, gifted children soon become program leaders. Peers, as well as their teachers, often pick these children to mentor children with other special needs, such as Asperger’s Disorder or ADHD.
To learn more about SEL for Prevention’s Camp MakeBelieve Kids programs, schedule your free, live overview today.
