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2008] [Gatherings] [Mensa] [Site Map] Published in IMprint, the Newsletter of Northern New Jersey Mensa,
November, 2006. Gifted children have to deal with many stereotypes. The most common
stereotype is that gifted people are equally good at everything in school. They are
expected to be "perfect" students in every way. If they don¹t fit this
stereotype they may be misidentified as having a learning disability (LD) or psychological/neurological problem even though their behavior is perfectly
"normal" and rational for a gifted child. For example, the parents of bored and
unchallenged gifted children who have disconnected from their classes are often told
that their children should be tested for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), while
the parents of gifted children whose search for something interesting to do disrupts the classroom routine are often told that they should be checked
for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, many gifted children are not "average" or "neuro-typical" in every
way other than intelligence. Instead, their intellectual gifts co-exist with learning
disabilities or other conditions which interfere with their ability to express their intelligence. They are extremely intelligent, but also have
one or more complicating factor such as dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, or Sensory Integration Disorder (SID). Too often these children have an unnecessarily difficult time in school,
simply because many people find it hard to believe that a child with a learning disability of any type could possibly be gifted. They just don¹t fit the
stereotype. How could an intellectually gifted child have difficulty learning? Unfortunately, many gifted children do face these challenges. Learning disabilities may manifest themselves differently in gifted children
than in other children. Misdiagnosis is common, for LDs often mask intelligence and intelligence often masks LDs. In
Recognizing Gifted
Children with Learning Disabilities, Dr. Linda Kreger Silverman writes: High intelligence can complicate diagnosis. Many gifted children have
learned to compensate so well for areas of weakness that they may appear average
when they are really struggling. It is important to compare the child's weaknesses
to his or her strengths and see if the discrepancies are significant, rather than to compare only with norms for average children. Even psychologists who are very experienced in working with gifted children
or with learning disabled children may have difficulty figuring out how best to help children with this combination of learning needs. These children are given many labels. They may be called GTLD (Gifted and
Talented Learning Disabled), or Multi/Dual Exceptional, or Twice Exceptional, or
2E/2e. It is very hard for these children and their parents and teachers to first find out what they are dealing with and then learn how to approach it. The most recent research on 2E issues is usually found on the internet. When
searching online, be sure to use all of the common synonyms and acronyms. This is time consuming, but looking under
"2E" will lead to different articles than "GELD," and searching for "ADD" will not get exactly the same results Here are some resources to explore:
Gifted
Children's Coordinator: Heidi
Macneal
Twice Exceptional, Twice Challenged, by Kathe Oliver
as "Attention Deficit Disorder."
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The Learning Disabilities Association of America offers little about 2E issues, but a lot about LDs. |
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Despite the implications of its name, Smart Kids With Learning Disabilities does not specialize in G&T kids. However, they offer useful information. |
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The Schwab Learning Website has information about LDs and attention problems. One of its articles is Growing Up Gifted with ADHD, written by a twelve year old girl. |
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Dr. Linda Kreger Silverman¹s one-page chart, Gifted Children With Learning Disabilities, incorporating "Signs of Giftedness" and "Signs of Learning Disabilities" |
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2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter is a bimonthly publication on 2E. Its editorial board includes the top names in 2E research and education. Don¹t miss its online resources page. To subscribe, go to the website and click on "to subscribe," call 1-630-790-2252, or write to Glen Ellyn Media, P.O. Box 582, Glen Ellyn, IL 60138-0582. |
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One issue of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter focused on the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. This district is known for incorporating up to date research in its school policies, and many New Jersey teachers have visited its schools for training. Their 2E policies are published in A Guidebook for Twice-Exceptional Students: Supporting the Achievement of Gifted Students with Special Needs, a 51 page book available online. The Guidebook contains a lot of practical information for parents and teachers. |
*****
Information given this column is current as of the date when the column was submitted to Imprint. Websites and their contents are always subject to change. Mention of a website in this column does not imply endorsement by NNJM or American Mensa, Ltd.
Cincinnati
Mensa, and
The Super Saturday Program for Gifted Kids
Super Saturday
Gifted Children Conference, Sept 23 - 24 2002, Columbus, OH
Archived links from 2001
National Association for Gifted Children Annual Convention,
Cincinnati, Nov 7-11
Prior Gifted Children Articles by Verona Bennetto:
December, 2001
August, 2001
March, 2001
February, 2001
October, 2000
September, 2000
Gifted Children Conference, Lynn Sullivan, August, 2002
The Ohio Association for Gifted Children is having their annual fall conference September 23 & 24 in Columbus. For more information visit their website at www.oagc.com.
Also the OAGC parent booklet, What to Expect When Raising a Gifted Child, can now be downloaded free of charge from the OAGC website using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Pass the word.
Lynn Sullivan
Gifted Children - Lynn Sullivan - December, 2001
Hi All - I've spent the past 2 weekends attending parenting conferences and my brain is temporarily full. But let me spill out some of what I learned.
The first conference my husband Pete and I attended was For the Love of Kids sponsored by Beech Acres. This is an annual local event that focuses on practical parenting. The highlight for me were the two presentations by Michael Gurian. He does brain based research and has shown how learning is different for boys and girls (a great resource tool for teachers and homeschoolers) and ultimately why this leads to different styles of parenting for men and women. Two of this 14 books are Wonder of Boys and A Fine Young Man. The library was out of most of his books the Monday after the conference. For those of you who have boys I highly recommend taking a look at these books.
The other speaker I really enjoyed was Madelyn Swift, who spoke about discipline for life (also the title of her book). She reminded us that discipline is from the Latin root word meaning to teach, that kids need to be frustrated in order to learn how to deal with frustration and that instant gratification is not something we want to instill in our kids.
One nice bonus of the conference was childcare available for $10. Foster (he's 3) got to spend the day at a fantastic daycare center with bright open space and great things to climb on and bikes to ride as well as a variety of new things to play with in the classroom. Of course last night he told me he doesn't want to go to school, he wants to learn at home.
The second conference I attended was the Parent's Day sponsored by the Ohio Association for Gifted Children in conjunction with the National Association for Gifted Children annual conference. Let's just say I took 4 pages of notes at the first conference and 18 pages at the second.
The first presentation was by Tim Jarvis, a financial consultant with Salomon Smith Barney, who gave a great overview of the different options for saving for college. If you are in this mode give him a call and ask him to send you the handout Comparison of Selected College Savings Vehicles. 513-762-5246 He also suggested the web site savingforcollege.com although he cautioned that it is not updated as often as they like to see things updated.
One thing that stood out about this conference was the higher percentage of Dads in attendance and the greater cultural mix of people.
The panel discussion offered insights from four leaders in the gifted kids field as well as answering questions from the audience. The unanswered questions are to be put on the website with answers from the panel. One item that really struck me was about resources for gifted dyslexic kids. I didn't realize that talking books for the blind are also available for dyslexic people.
Dr. Sally Reis gave wonderful information about the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. They have monographs on a variety of studies and Sally encouraged everyone to contact them if you need facts and studies to back up gifted programs in you school. She also reported the number of teachers that have never had training in teaching gifted education. (61% pubic 54% private) Also she recommended checking the NAGC web page for summer programs for gifted kids. The one item that both conferences mentioned is that unconditional love is a very important factor in raising any kid.
Stephanie Tolan spoke about the needs of highly gifted children. She reminded us that each child needs different support and encouragement based on their individual intellectual, social and spiritual development. If a child isn't doing well in an environment you must first examine the environment, then the child. You need to allow your child to be challenged so they develop the capacity and strength of self to accomplish the task before them so that they may take their place in the web of life.
Lunch was a quick sandwich and a dash over to the exhibit hall to peruse the vendor booths. Most all were aimed at kids already in school and college age kids, but I found a few things to adapt to my 3 year old and info at the NAGC booth for me.
Back in the presentation room Kathi Kearney gave a great overview of options and alternatives for education with a focus on home schooling. I think this is really about searching out the best options for your kids and working with them until you find a good mix that serves them best.
The best way to describe the energy radiating from Colleen Grady is to ask you to think of Xena Warrior Princess with red hair. Colleen is a warrior in her own right, since she works as a gifted child advocate and serves all our kids by lobbying the Ohio Legislature for gifted reforms. She had advice for positive advocacy and becoming involved in your child's school.
All the presentations and advice given by these dedicated people is available on the OAGC website.
I recommend both these conferences to parents who want the chance to mingle with other parents and get the latest information about raising their kids. The OAGC really gave me the insight to understand where my education went wrong, so hopefully my son's won't.
Lynn Sullivan
Cincinnati
Mensa, and
The Super Saturday Program for Gifted Kids
Sharon LeBlond
The plight of Gifted Kids in America may seem remote for many of us; but upon closer look we hope you may see that you have more in common - a connection - and possibly an opportunity to lend a helpful hand in easy ways.
The statistics on giftedness in America are staggering. For example, according to Dr. Marci Nichols, PhD in Gifted Education, more than fifty percent of the inmates in our national prison system are gifted individuals. Other statistics are just as disheartening. Let’s face it, starting out in life as gifted is challenging at best. Think about your own experience – has your giftedness always been a blessing to you?
The mission of The Super Saturday Program is to help in identifying gifted children early in life, and then to bring them and their parents into contact with one another, and to enrich their lives through a program of Saturday enrichment classes presented on one of the campuses of UC. Although the Saturday classes are stimulating and fun for the kids, we see an equal benefit for their parents in having the opportunity to network with other parents in mutual support. Raising gifted kids can be a handful, as many of you know well.
The Super Saturday Program was begun for a handful of kids by their parents here in Cincinnati in 1978 - twenty-three years ago. This program is not directly associated with Mensa, of course, but many local Mensans have given of their time and talents to its continued success over these many years. For example, our own Verona Bennetto was a founder of the program when her own kids were young. I have been actively involved as President or Vice President for over eight years, and a local Mensan, Dave Cantey, has been CEO of the program for more than ten years. We thank Cincinnati Mensa for generously donating $300 to support the program this year. Over the years we have served many thousands of kids; last year alone we served over 600 registrations. To date, this program continues to be unique to Cincinnati. Unfortunately, there is not another program quite like it anywhere in America.
An unpaid staff of Officers and Board Members run the program. Our teachers are paid for their time. Perhaps you would like to teach for us; perhaps you know a gifted child, or parent, who would benefit from the program; perhaps you or your company would like to make a tax-deductible contribution. In any case, as a Cincinnati Mensan, you can take pride in our efforts to reach and enrich the lives of gifted kids. Please visit us at www.supersaturday.org for more information, or phone us at 786-6826. Thank you.
Super Saturday Winter 2002 Registration
Winter Term: January 5 - February 9, 2002
Registrations should be postmarked by November 30, 2001
and
must include a tuition check or $75 per class with the application form
Registrations postmarked after November 30, 2001 must also
include
a late fee of $25 per class, maximum late fee $50 per family.
For class descriptions and more information see SuperSaturday.org
Questions: Leave a message at 786-6826
Questions not requiring an immediate reply: info
National Association for Gifted Children's Annual Convention
The National Association for Gifted Children's Annual Convention will be held in Cincinnati OH November 7-11, 2001. See NAGC webpage for details and registration information. As part of the Convention, the Ohio Association for Gifted Children is presenting a Parents' Day on Saturday, November 10, 2001 8AM to 4PM. For a schedule of events, biographies of the presenters and detailed descriptions of the presentations, see the OAGC webpage. The one day registration fee is $65.00 and includes lunch. Several Mensans will be volunteering at the hospitality booths and more may still be needed when you read this. To offer your services, contact Tracy Quattrone, Gifted Consultant at Hamilton County ESC: 513-674-8339. Please let me know if you will be volunteering so I can get you a Mensa identifying button (Verona Bennetto). This is a rare opportunity for us to listen to and interact with experts in this important area.
August, 2001
Cincinnati Parks have a wide variety of summer programs and camps available. Some are one-time events, others are ongoing. Times vary: all day, morning, evening. Ages range from preschool to adult. There is a fee for some of them. If you are not on the Parks mailing list, you may access the calendar at Cincinnati Parks or call 513-352-4080.
However, in your children's busy summer schedule, don't forget to leave some unstructured time for play. It's important that they learn to draw on their own resources, expand their imaginations and just generally do nothing, if they choose. They really don't have to be programmed every minute. In your own lives, you know that some "down time" is a great stress reducer. Let them have a fun summer - school will be back in session before long.
March, 2001
Calling All Kids – It would be helpful to have a list of members’ children and their ages. AML does not provide us with this information on the monthly printout. Also, members under age 18 are noted, but not their specific ages. This information will be used to plan activities. Contact Verona Bennetto.
* * * * *
Spring Cleaning is sometimes a March activity. At our house, cleaning often coincides with searching for a lost item. One day I arrived home to find everything from son Jack’s room out in the hall. Naturally I asked him what he was looking for. When his sister and dad came home, they asked him too. Jack disgustedly told each of us, "Nothing lost. I’m just cleaning my room!"
Many of us feel uncomfortable with too much neatness though. We prefer piles of books and papers to filing cabinets. And we really do know where everything is! If your children are this way, keep the rules simple. No food in their rooms (we don’t want bugs or mice). No dirty laundry on the floor or under the bed (the room will smell bad). Hang up clothes (have respect for the nice fabric). Put junk paper in the wastebasket (reduce the dimensions – as an experiment, have them try to fold a sheet of newspaper more than 7 times). And if all else fails, get a book on Feng Shui.
* * * * *
Do you suspect that your child may be highly sensitive as well as highly gifted? Often the two go hand-in-hand. Maybe you are the sensitive one. A good resource book is The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, PhD, 1996. I got it at Borders for about $14.00. It contains good, solid research as well as many narrative case studies that can help you understand yourself and others.
February, 2001
Super Saturday
(Enrichment classes for Gifted Children)
Spring Term is March 3 to April 7. Registrations must be postmarked by February 10, 2001. Classes meet at U. C.’s College of Applied Sciences, 2220 Victory Parkway, near Eden Park. There are both morning and afternoon classes, for ages 4 to 14. Cost is $75.00 per class, and there are 41 different class offerings. To obtain a brochure with registration form and professional recommendation form call 513-786-6826 or check the website www.supersaturday.org.
October, 2000
By this time all of us are back in a hectic fall schedule. If there is one single thing we do well, it’s scheduling. It’s necessary, but often we forget to leave "do-nothing" time. Then, as adults, we have to go to classes to learn yoga, meditation, and relaxation (more scheduling). Or we frantically pursue recreational activities. Think about the word recreation – it’s really re-create. Let’s give our gifted children time to re-create themselves every day, because that’s where "the seeds of creativity take root," as one wise woman Gwen Frostic put it. However this can backfire. One nice fall day years ago Lise and Jack were supposed to be cutting lawn and raking leaves. I didn’t hear any sounds in the front yard, and going out to investigate found them lying on the ground staring at the sky. Asking why they weren’t working, they said to me, "But Mom, we’re poofing clouds!"
Also try typing in Gifted Children on your search engine. You will find an extensive list of sites. One that was of interest to me was Stephanie Tolan’s. She lived in Cincinnati, was a board member of OVATAG (now AGATE), mother of a profoundly gifted son, and is a noted author of books for and about gifted children.
My daughter, psychology professor at the University of Rochester (NY), suggests this site about their new freshman, 7 year old Justin Chapman. His current biggest project is age discrimination. It’s quite fascinating to read what he’s done in just 7 years.
September, 2000
Fall, for me, has always meant "back to school" for myself and/or my kids. But now those kids are "schooled" and productive members of society. To all the parents reading this, I can assure you, the encouragement and support you give your kids is worth it. But if you’re feeling frustrated just now with the enormity of this parenting task, there are resources to help you.
One purchase you can make right now that will help with college applications is a file box. Into this goes every award, every report card, every certificate, everything that indicates what a great kid your son or daughter is, beginning with the 7th grade. College applications ask for more than grades and SAT scores. That summer-camp award may be the inspiration for the important "personal statement." Son Jack wrote his about caving, and Lise wrote hers about playing piano as a hobby. Computer records are good to keep too, but the hard copies are invaluable. And you don’t need the hassle of trying to find things during December of Senior Year. (Believe me, I know! I’ve been there.)
Here are some local resources for you:
Super Saturday: local classes for ages 5 to 13; Fall brochures available now; 513-786-6826, or http://www.supersaturday.org
OAGC (Ohio Association for Gifted Children): Regional Representative is Janet Schultz. She also is now a private educational consultant, and an AGATE board member, having recently retired as State Consultant for Gifted Education at the Ohio Department of Education.
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