The characteristics associated with giftedness can cause children to have social and emotional needs that must be addressed to ensure their well being. For example, the ability to understand abstract concepts could cause a child to fear death or natural disasters long before they have the skills to deal with those concepts emotionally. Perfectionism, shyness and intense sensitivity are just a few more characteristics that can interfere with your child’s learning. While it can be hard to watch as your child excels in one area yet struggles socially, there are several strategies that can be used to support their emotional health.
Provide Diverse Social Opportunities
Gifted learners may converse with adults regarding abstract ideas such as the morality of euthanasia one minute, and turn around to discuss a popular cartoon with their peers the next. While this rapid shift of perspective may seem strange to parents, it is important to remember that nurturing both sides of a child’s personality is essential for their development. Ideally, gifted children should have the opportunity to mix with adults, normally developing children and gifted peers who can all provide a diverse mixture of insight that enriches a gifted learner’s social life.
Accept Gaps in Their Development
Asynchronous development is a fancy term that you will hear a lot as the parent of a gifted learner. All this really means is that gifted children tend to excel in certain areas while others are still developing. For example, your preschooler may be able to perform complex mathematical problems several grade levels above their own, yet they may still struggle to hold a pencil as they write. Having the intellectual ability to want to do something yet struggling with the physical abilities of their chronological age can cause negative emotional responses such as frustration and sensitivity. As a parent, it is important to respond to your child with sensitivity as they present new behaviors. For example, your little tyke might be able to explain scientific concepts with the maturity of an adult, but they may still need a flashlight to fend off their fear of the dark.
Choose a Supportive Educational Program
Due to the emotional needs that arise among gifted children, it is important to make sure that they are in a supportive educational environment. Being stuck in a class where all of the students are working at the same level can lead a gifted learner to display negative behaviors out of boredom. It is also common for gifted children to be afraid of being ridiculed by their normally developing peers when they blurt out yet another correct answer in class. For this reason, education programs for gifted learners are designed to foster an environment that encourages both intellectual and emotional growth. In these types of programs, children are encouraged to improve the skills they are still developing while immersing themselves in a social environment that is filled with adults and other children who understand what it is like to be gifted.
Parenting a gifted child is full of amazing moments, yet dealing with emotional issues can be one surprise that you might not have expected. Fortunately, meeting the emotional needs of your gifted learner simply requires acknowledgement and acceptance of the differences in your child’s development so that you can surround them with a supportive environment that promotes confidence in their abilities.
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