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- Defining Giftedness
Why "giftedness" is more than test scores or academic achievement.
- Education Alternatives
Providing an appropriate education for a gifted or twice exceptional (2e) child often means thinking outside the box. Sometimes a traditional classroom setting is a good match, but it's not for everyone. Many families choose various methods of homeschooling (secular, religious, unschooling, eclectic, carschooling, and so on), while other families prefer charter schools, independent study programs, part-time homeschooling or other alternatives.
- Learning Styles and Needs
Here is where you can read about visual spatial, auditory, sequential and kinesthetic learning styles. We include articles regarding Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities (OEs), learning organizational methods and other executive function skills.
- Care and Feeding of Sensual Overexcitability and the .pdf of companion presentation slides came from Lorraine Bouchard's terrific workshop at the 2006 SENG conference.
- Home(Schooling)
By David Albert, homeschooling speaker & author
- Slowpitch
By David Albert, homeschooling speaker & author
- Fa Nichts
By David Albert, homeschooling speaker & author
- Kinesthetic Learners: A Homeschool Success Story
By Kayla Garelick, M.Ed., LL.M., J.D.
- Visual-Spatial Learners and the Challenge of Spelling
By Alexandra "Allie" Golon, Author; Director, Visual-Spatial Resource
- Organizational Skills for Visual-Spatial Learners
By Alexandra "Allie" Golon, Author; Director, Visual-Spatial Resource
- Behavioral Management of Gifted Children: A Neuropsychological Approach
By Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, President, American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology
- Underachievement
By David Albert, homeschooling speaker & author
- Don't miss! The Gifted Brain & Learning: At Home and At School Dr. Barbara Clark applies neuroscientific insights on giftedness to the learning process.
- Visual Learners Convert Words To Pictures In The Brain And Vice Versa, Says Psychology Study
- Two thumbs up! Mental Health Continuums: Cognition, Sensory Processing and Arousal Marlo Payne Thurman writes about asynchronous development, sensory processing, and boredom.
- What is dyslexia really? How the Brain Learns to Read Can Depend on the Language, by Robert Lee Hotz for the Wall Street Journal
- New! What Does a Smart Brain Look Like? Inner Views Show How We Think Scientific American reports on the "new neuroscience of intelligence"
- Getting a Look at Visual/Spatial Learning, by Becca Orlowski (Becca Orlowski is a CHN gifted contact)
- What It Means to Be a Kinesthetic Learner by Sue Douglass Fliess
- What It Means to Be an Auditory Learner by Sue Douglass Fliess
- Helping Auditory Learners Succeed by Shannon Hutton
- Visual-Spatial Learner: An Introduction by Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D.
- New! What the heck is Dyscalculia? The math disability you have never heard of.
- New! Dysgraphia: When it's more than Bad Handwriting by Sara Gardner
- Testing
How do you know if your child is gifted, or has unidentified learning differences? Many families seek assessments (qualitative or quantitative) in order to understand how their child's brain works. The full scale score can be handy, but the subtest scores - when tests are administered by qualified and experienced testers - can be eye-opening. Testing is not necessary for every child, but when behavioral issues indicate unknown obstacles (no, they're not just being a pain!), an assessment can be a good way to determine if a child is so skilled at compensating that the surrounding adults are unaware of the effort being put forth in this regard.
- To Test or Not to Test
By Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD, Director, Gifted Development Center
- Understanding Testing: Using Test Results to Support Clinical Judgement
By Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD, Director, Gifted Development Center
- "Why Is Assessment Important If We Plan On Homeschooling?"
By Alexandra "Allie" Golon, Author; Director, Visual-Spatial Resource
- Making Sense of IQ, by Nadia Webb, SENG Board of Directors
- New! Practical Questions About Testing and Assessment, by Dr. Ed Amend
- An Overview of Issues in Assessing Gifted Children, by Linda Silverman -- this article addresses such questions as which test should be used, which version and what kind. Includes quantitative and qualitative assessment.
- Why Should I Have My Child Tested? by Carolyn K. of Hoagies Gifted Education Page
- More extremely useful articles by Carolyn K: Testing and Assessment: What do the tests tell us?, Why do my child's test scores vary from test to test?, and An Inventory of Tests
- Understanding Tests and Measurements for the Parent and Advocate, by Peter Wright and Pamela Darr Wright for LD Online
- Smart as we can get? Gains on certain tests of intelligence are ending in some places -- this article by David Schneider from American Scientist discusses the end of the Flynn Effect, the tendency for IQ scores to rise over time.
- Teens and College
Should you allow your child to begin college early? How early? Which college? If your child does not have a formal high school diploma, how can you get them into college? What if your child does not want to go to college right now? How do homeschooled children perform in advanced educational settings at any age? Browse through these articles for more insight into this complicated issue.
- Homeschooling Gifted Teens: Preparing for College
By Wes Beach, GHF Teen Advisor; Director, Beach High School
- Some Thoughts About College Admissions
By Wes Beach, GHF Teen Advisor; Director, Beach High School
- Considerations in Early College Attendance
By Tonya L. Andersen, Homeschooling Parent and Author
- New! Alternatives for Homeschooling Teens: Self-Direction, Engagement, and Success by Wes Beach
- Young Teen College Students Report Happiness in this recent study of 12 to14 year olds in college.
- Homeschooled Applicants: Helpful Tips is an article on the MIT Admissions site aimed at homeschooled applicants to the university.
- New! Ryan's Early College Experience by Rita Ostrager -- an excellent piece on the issues faced by young college students
- New! Parents' Perspectives on Early College Entrance for Profoundly Gifted Children: Readiness Issues and First College Class Options, by Beth Wright
- Myths and Realities of Early College, by Lorel Shea
- Independence and Relationship Issues in Intellectually Gifted Adolescents, by Deborah Ruf
- First-Year College Performance: A Study of Home School Graduates and Traditional School Graduates, by Dr. Paul Jones and Dr. Gene Gloeckner
- Colleges That Admit Homeschoolers FAQ, by Karl M. Bunday
- From Homeschool to College, a how-to article by Joan H. Bress, LICSW, CEP
- Living with Gifted Children
Let's face it, living with gifted and 2e children is complicated. Jokes about duct tape and soundproof closets aside, it can be helpful to understand what your child is feeling, how they are developing, and what they were thinking when they asked that unusual question or performed that dangerous experiment alone out in the shed (and how do you explain the damage to your neighbors?). These kids are asynchronous, intense, and endlessly fascinating to live with. The articles here give some perspective to those of us raising such children and reassure us that we are not alone.
- Unnecessary Expectations
By Lisa Rivero, gifted homeschooling author & parent
- Living with Sensory Sensitivities
By Corin Barsily Goodwin, Director, GHF, and Mika Gustavson, MFT
- New! How to Escape Perfectionism, an adult perspective from the Harvard Business Review.
- Friendship and Giftedness is a blog post by Carol Fertig with a handful of links on friendship and socialization.
- Straight Talk: Helping Bright Teens Through Tough Times the Davidson Institute for Talent Development compiled suggestions from Jim Delisle, Ph.D., Deborah Ruf, Ph.D., Esther Sinclair, Ph.D., James Webb, Ph.D., Nadia Webb, PsyD
- Homeschooling with Profoundly Gifted Kids, by Tagfam.org director Kit Finn, is an excerpt from High IQ Kids: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts
- Traversing the Straits of Adolescence: A Guide for Parents of Profoundly Gifted Teens by Robert Schultz for the Davidson Institute for Talent Development
- Tired of the socialization question? Check out Can kids get proper socialization at home? by Beatrice Ekwa Ekoko
- Actualization of Giftedness: Effects of Perceptions in Gifted Adolescents by Shelley Fahlman. Includes bibliography for further reading.
- Life in the Asynchronous Family, by Kathi Kearney
- "The Highly Gifted," column series by Kathi Kearney; appeared in Understanding Our Gifted, 1988–1994.
- Classic! Play Partner or Sure Shelter? What Gifted Children Look for in Friendship, by Miraca U. M. Gross
- Social Skills of Gifted Children, by Louise Porter
- Tips for Parents of Intense Children, by Sharon Lind
- Read about emotions and perfectionism in gifted children at the Genius Denied site:
- Special Challenges/Twice Exceptional (2e)
Twice exceptional children are both gifted and have learning differences, resulting in an extreme asynchrony that can increase parenting challenges exponentially. Some of these exceptionalities may include autism or Asperger's Syndrome; auditory and visual processing disorders; dyslexia and dysgraphia; sensory integration dysfunction; ADD or ADHD; bipolar disorder; OCD; Tourette's Syndrome; and myriad other dual diagnoses. Some families have found ways to deal with the challenges in their family that make their homes run relatively smoothly; others describe their family lives as akin to "the bar scene from Star Wars."
- Homeschooling the Twice-Exceptional Child: Why 2e Does Not Fit Well in the Traditional Classroom and What to Do About It by Corin Barsily Goodwin, Executive Director, GHF, and Mika Gustavson, LMFT (reprinted from 2eNewsletter, Issue 32)
- Raising My Twice-Exceptional Children... Not What I Signed Up For! (pt.1)
by Sarah Garrison, Board member, GHF
- 2E Homeschooling: the Sequel (pt.2)
by Sarah Garrison, Board member, GHF
- Gifted Children with Learning Challenges (Twice Exceptional)
by Corin Barsily Goodwin, Director, GHF
- Exceptionalities often run in families. The article Living with Aspergers is a worthwhile read from the Families of Adults Affected by Asperger's Syndrome (FAAAS) website.
- New! Check out Learning and Motivational Characteristics of Boys with AD/HD and/or Giftedness, a report from the Council for Exceptional Children.
- Twice Exceptional Children by Sue Douglass Fliess
- Don't miss! An interview with Temple Grandin: Life Among the Yakkity Yaks: The renowned inventor on how the insights she gained from her own autism fueled her career.
- Information Processing Disorders, from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
- Giftedness and LD: Twice Exceptional and Still Struggling, by Dr. Sheldon H. Horowitz, National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
- 'Holland'
- Welcome to Holland, written by Emily Perl Kingsley, a mom whose child was born with Down Syndrome, wrote this essay to help ease the pain of raising a "different" child. It has been spread around far beyond the Down parenting community as a well-intentioned effort to bring the same comfort to parents of special needs children everywhere.
- Wikipedia explains the essay and its analogies.
- Unfortunately, the message is simply inappropriate for parents of some "different" children, and Cathy Marciniak articulately explains why. Her essay, Response to 'Holland' is a must-read for anyone trying to understand what life can be like with twice exceptional children
- Tips for Parents: Homeschooling Twice-Exceptional Children, by Meredith G. Warshaw
- Siblings of Twice-Exceptional Children, by Meredith G. Warshaw
- New! Dysgraphia: When it's more than Bad Handwriting Excellent blog post from Not Otherwise Specified: Life on the Autistic Spectrum
- Good description of Sensory Integration (Sensory Processing Disorder) on Neuropath Learning
- Brain Scans Link ADHD to Biological Flaw Tied to Motivation, by Katherine Ellison for the Washington Post
- New! What the heck is dyscalculia? "Dyscalculia is the Jermaine Jackson of the dyslexia family..."
- New! Gifted Children with CAPD, by Lorel Shea for BellaOnline
- Helping Teens Develop a Healthy, Balanced Lifestyle, by Arlyn Roffman (SchwabLearning.org) -- article on how various learning disabilities (LD) create challenges for kids of all ages as they juggle the many components of healthy living, personal grooming and hygiene.
- Asperger's Disorder, by Carol E. Watkins, M.D. This concise but comprehensive overview of what Asperger's looks like also takes into account the wide range of possible characteristics, rather than using broad strokes to paint one "Aspie" as just like every other "Aspie."
- A lot of parents wonder if their gifted child has Asperger's Syndrome. Read Diagnostic Confusion in Asperger Disorder for more information.
- ADHD and Giftedness by Megan Foley Nicpon, Ph.D./ Davidson Institute for Talent Development
- Book Reviews and Interviews
As you might expect, these are book reviews, interviews and articles relating to topics near and dear to GHF members.
- Professionals
What do you want your friendly neighborhood therapist, pediatrician, teacher or coach to know about your child or how your child thinks or behaves? As a professional, what would help you to understand the children you work with and their families? What are some of the issues you may face repeatedly, and which are indicators of giftedness or twice- exceptionality that is either "normal" or pathological? Why are these families homeschooling instead of sending their children to school? These articles will give you clues about what to look for in children who present along this continuum in order to best assist them in developing their potential.
- What Parents Want Teachers (and Professionals) to Know About Highly Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Children
Compiled by Sarah Sheard, engineer and gifted mom
- The Many Faces of Perfectionism
By Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D, Director, Gifted Development Center
- At-Risk Youth and the Creative Process
By Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D, Director, Gifted Development Center
- Misdiagnosis and Missed Diagnoses: Giftedness and Disorders
By Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D, Director, Gifted Development Center
- Don't miss! The Blame Game: Are School Problems the Kids' Fault?, by Pamela Darr Wright, M.A., M.S.W. Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- Need help understanding OCD -- or explaining it to someone else? Try Children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: A primer for teachers
- Preventing Burnout in the People Who Help Us, by Meredith G. Warshaw
- Tips for Selecting the Right Counselor or Therapist for Your Gifted Child, by James T. Webb
- Psychologists Familiar with Testing the Gifted and Exceptionally Gifted, by Carolyn K.
- Gifted and Talented Children: Issues for Pediatricians by Nancy M. Robinson and Paula M. Olszewski-Kubilius. This 1996 article does not mention homeschooling as an option; nonetheless it can be a handy item to print out and hand to a professional who feels they have limited time to be educated on gifted issues.
Articles in highlighted text are original contributions to the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GHF) web site. Articles in plain text are links to external web sites.
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