The Adjustment and Maladjustment of Gifted Children
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TEXAS ASSOCIATION FOR THE GIFTED AND TALENTED Member, National Association for Gifted Children (NAGCl Drawing the Line: WINTER 200 1 ISSUE The Adjustment and GUIDANCE & COUNSELING Maladjustment of OF GIFTED STUDENTS Drawing the Line: The Adjustment and Gifted Children Maladjustment of Gifted Children Maureen Neihart 1 Maureen Neihart, Psy, D, From the President Krys Goree 2 Eccentric and creative, or manic? Intense and reflective, or obsessive compulsive? Executive Director's Update Where is the line between normal gifted adjustment Amanda Batson 3 and maladjustment? How does one differentiate typi Legends Through the Looking Glass cal gifted behaviors from the characteristics of certain James Delisle 4 disorders? For example, when do we say that a gifted boy exhibits "psychomotor intensity" and lacks chal Speciali~ed Counseling: The Sodal"Emotional lenge in the school curriculum, and when do we diag Needs of Gifted Adolescents nose him with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Julianne Jacob Ryan 6 Where is the line that divides mild autism from prodi gious talent in a highly introverted and sensiti ve gifted Appropriate Edu(ational Pla(ements for person? When is it simply perfectionism, and when is Advanced Secondary Students it compulsi ve behavior? How and where we each draw Tandra L. Tyler-Wood the line depends on the lenses we wear. Culture, train Maria Victoria Perez Cereijo 8 ing, values, and the setting in which our lives intersect with the gifted all influence our decisions. A teacher What the Research Says About wears a different lens than does a physician, a school Counseling the Gifted psychologist, or a parent. Susan Johnsen 24 Clinicians are trained to treat disease, but few are Q & A: Answers to Your Questions familiar with the subtleties of gifted children's devel Donna Corley 32 opment. Educators are trained to teach, but few are familiar with the nuances of developing abnonnal con Parent and Community ditions in children. Behaviors and attitudes that might Involvement Focus be attributed to maladjustment from one perspective Rick Peters 34 could be attributed to giftedness from another. There is a need for discussion that raises everyone's awareness about the confluence of gifted development, Call for Artkles 35 creativity, and maladjustment. The question seems to (see NEIHART, page 10) GUIOANCE & COUNSELING OF GIFTED STUDENTS FROM THE PRESIDENT Krys Goree PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Michael Cannon Happy 2001! What an exciting year for those of us who PRESIDENT are involved in education! Krys Goree This issue of Tempo focuses on the timely and timeless topic of social and emotional needs of gifted youngsters. PRESIDENT-ELECT This topic is especially appropriate because, in my mind James Collett and heart, it relates to every other topic that could possibly FIRST VICE·PRESIDENT encompass the notion of appropriate identification and Debra Midkiff services for the gifted. If we do not target the affective SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT needs of youngsters, there is no possible way to provide a Suzanne Bell productive educational setting in which they might thrive. "Mrs. Goree, when my heart hurts my head just won't THIRD VICE-PRE5IDENT Raymond F. (Rick) Peters work l " I'll never forget the gifted first grader who approached my desk one October morning to share this SEC RETARY/TREA5URER revelation with me. The look on the child's face clearly Tillie Hickman communicated an understanding of self and deep inner IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT feelings. Karen Fitzgerald There are many children sitting in classrooms around our state whose hearts are hurting. They may be hurting because of personal problems. They may be hurting because their academic needs are neither recognized nor EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Amanda D. Batson, Ph.D. addressed. They may be hurting simply because of their tendencies to be sensitive, intense, and perfectionistic. Whatever the case, we can be sure that effective assessment practices, curriculum, program design, staff development, The Thx;l~ Axx(ICi;llinn I'm the (,ifted ami Talented (TAClT) is a 11I)I)[lI'I)ril ()I'gilllizl)(ioll of and/or family and community involvement will not impact pal'!:llIs and professionals promoting apPl"(1priulC education for gitl~d and Wlenled .~llll.lcI11x in Ihe .~lalc nr·l~xax. children in the way that we desire if their social and TAGTT<!lIIpo is (hC(lrficiul jOlJrlml oflhc TC~IIX j\xxm:ialinn I'm Ihe CifLt!u .nld"ndclllt:!d. Ii ix PLlblixht:J fOlII' limes II YCM inlanuarY,Apl"il, July, Ilnd October. The ~llb~cripti(ln iX;1 hc:n~l'il emotional needs are not addressed. forTAGT mCl1lbcr~, AllillIlll individillillind f;ll11ily dues arc $J.~. We are very fortunate to have an editor, Michael Maled,ll appc'll'ing in 11:1111''' may bc 1"C,prilllcd unless otherwise noted, When !;opying an urti!;le plcll~C !;ite 7i'1!1f1() nl1(t TAGT 'l.~ Ihe ~nUIl.:e. WI:! ;Jppn::L:I;Jli: copic.'l ot' public!ltion~ containing Cannon, who seeks the work of experts in the field of gifted Tl!lIlpl) repl"illls. education and provides cutting-edge information and TA(iT due~ uul ~L:ll il~ IIlcIIlb(:r~hIJ) Ibll() .ldVCl"lbcl'.'l orolhcr pmtics. H()w~ver, mcmber~hip nUlllcs nnd uddrc~~l' ure mndc ilVllilnbt~ fill" <1ppmved r~.~~;lrL:h r~ltut!~ls. tf YOll do 110t wish research to the members of TAGT through Tempo. We Yl)lIl' n.IIllC 10 be made .lII.lilnble for GIT-roluted rcseardl, plense write to TAGT ill the addrc~.~ below, must utilize this information and make a conscious effort Address correspondence concerning Ihe Telins AI'S(l(':illlion tbr (ile (.!irl~d alld T;Jti:llll!'d to stay informed, carefully reading the research and del ving (indudilill ~ub!lcrJptlol1 (Ju(!!ltlons) 10 TACT, 406 Eil,I'; JlIJI SII'r!el, Silile 3JO, AIiSlill, TiI,I"{IX, 7870J-2617, Cnl! TAGT 111 512f 4lJ l).X24X, rAX :i12/499-g264 lH by c-mail ut into issues that directly affect gifted children. lll.glflcd@yah()o.com. A(ldrc.~~ I.:(}n"c.~pUlldelll.:(! L:WIL:t!I'IIIJI!; "ii:!IIIf1i! content 10: MidlUd Call1iOll, TAGT Edilorial As we venture into the New Year, I invite you to join OJ/kll. 552/ Marlill UIIII', r;IPa,\'(/, 7,'( 79903, Call the edilorialuJlke ;lllJl:i/77g-39S8, FAX me in actively targeting the many needs of the gifted 919771.)-2625,01" e-mail: c'Ulnon@wIK'.nct. students in our state. This is a legislative year in the state ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED: Plcnse Ilmify TACH it' YIIU ;m: 1I11)VIJ)£ 01' if of Texas, meaning that our governmental leaders will be YOllr m;lilil1!j: addri:~~ h;J.~ dlall!;t:d. TAGT plIbllcalions are, scntviu third-dllss muillind IIrC lUll forwurdcd by tile Po~t om!;\'!, A I~Il, nole the dale al lhe lup ri!;hl ()t' y()UI' II\IllJing label. Thi~ is making very important decisions. Some of the issues they Ihc d.IIC your membcrship in TAGT expires. Be ~(lr~ to renelV yO(lr m~lllher~hip. Yuu will Iml address will directly affect those for whom we advocate- r~(,:~ive TAC,T pllhli(;;llioI1~ or lIIailin!;~ ;Ifl!!r yulll' I))cmbc('ship cxpirmiol1 dllte. OPINIONS EXPRESSED BV INDIVlbUAl AUTHORS DO NOT (see GOREE, page 23) I NECESSARILY R~PRE5E~T OFFICIAL POSITIONS OF TAGT. 2 TEXAS ASSOCIATION FOR THE GIFTED AND TALENTED. TEMpo. WINTER 2001 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S UPDATE 77TH LEGISLATURE POSITION PAPER Amanda D. Batson, Ph.D. On April 2000, the TAGT Executive Board adopted four the Education of Gifted!l'alented Students. "[s]chool dis planks for its 77th Legislature Position Paper. Subsequently, tricts shall provide an array of appropriately challenging the Board adopted its entire position paper on September learning experiences for gifted/talented students in grades 16, 2000. Your active support for these positions is cru 1 through 12 that emphasize content from the four core aca cially important if these priorities and plans are to become demic areas." Further, according to state guidelines, cur reality forgifted students in Texas. Please contact me at riculum and instruction for gifted students must be addressed [email protected] if you are interested in par by "modifying the depth, complexity, and pacing of the gen ticipating in the TAGT 77th Legislature Network (also eral school program." known as the TAGT Legislative Action Team). Yet, despite these expectations in existing policy, for most of the 330,000 gifted students across the state, the THE MISSION OF TEXAS ASSOCIATION FOR THE GIFTED operative policy is one of benign satisfaction, minimal fo AND TALENTED cus and merely adequate attention because, after all, these The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a not students will "make it anyway." This attitude is unfair and for-profit corporation whose goal is to promote awareness inappropriate. The fundamental mission ofTAGT is to con of the unique social, emotional and intellectual needs of test this attitude vigorously. Beginning now, and working gifted children and to impact the development of appropri with the 77th Legislature, TAGT will replace this attitude ate services to meet these needs. TAGT has been working with the view that all children, including gifted children, for a quarter of a century with educators and parents to should be challenged and educated to learn and develop to develop appropriate services for these children and to set their fullest potential. high standards and clear accountability measures for all TAGT is aware and fully supportive of the state's ac Texas schoolchildren. countability system. All Texans, particularly the legisla tive and civic leaders who put this system in place, should INTRODUCTION be proud, as the Rand Corporation recently concluded, that The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented seeks to Texas leads the nation in educational improvement for its build upon current education policy in Texas to aSSure high youngsters.