Signs of Learning Exceptionalities Gifted Children and Teens

Gifted Treatment and Therapy in Toronto

What is Gifted?

According to the National Association of Gifted Children – these are individuals who demonstrate outstanding levels of ability or competence in one or more domains. These behaviours are shown to a higher degree with regards to frequency, intensity and duration, than other children of the same age. Giftedness is more than just being “really smart” – it is an alternative way of thinking. There are many effective virtual and in-person treatments and therapies in Toronto that can help children manage the challenges faced with giftedness.

What are Common Gifted Symptoms?

Children who are gifted may show the following symptoms:

• High curiosity level and fascination with certain topics

• Sophisticated vocabulary, may appear talkative

• Perfectionistic tendencies – have high expectations of themselves

• Ability to think abstractly and metaphorically

• Ability to learn things independently or without being taught (i.e. learning to read before formal reading instruction)

• Concern for early moral and existential issues

• Comfortable with themselves and nonconforming to social norms; aware that they are “different”

• Unusual emotional depth and intensity for their age – may show high sensitivity or empathy to the feelings of others

• High levels of frustration, particularly when they are having difficulty meeting expectations from themselves or others

• Intensely focused on their passions and resists changing activities that they are focused on

• Asynchronous development (i.e. differences between a child’s intellectual development and their physical, social and emotional development)

  • A 5-year-old child may have the reading level of an 8-year-old, but the emotional development of a 3-year-old

How does Giftedness Present in Children and Youth?

• Individual may have an advanced vocabulary

  • Benefits: communicates ideas and thoughts well

  • Challenges: peers may see it as “showing off”

• Individual may have a long attention span

  • Benefits: can easily focus on a task or long project

  • Challenges: reacts negatively to interruptions and resists changing the activity even after the class has moved on

• Individual may be individualistic

  • Benefits: strong sense of uniqueness/self; asserts self and their ideas

  • Challenges: difficulty making friends; has specific beliefs or ways of doing things and sticks to it without understanding how they are being perceived by others

• Individual may be self-motivated and self-sufficient

  • Benefits: is able to teach themselves and requires minimum help

  • Challenges: may challenge authority; be overly aggressive

• Individual may be very curious and have a variety of interests

  • Benefits: asks a lot of questions; is passionate and excited about topics

  • Challenges: may become distracted from a task and go in a new direction

How to Support Gifted Children?

• For academic functioning:

  • Provide enrichment activities – gifted children may require stimulating environments and intellectually stimulating activities (i.e. modify activities to be interactive and use advanced materials to meet the child’s needs)

  • Set a reminder with the child for how much time they have to spend on an activity – they may become very immersed in what they are doing and resist changing subjects

  • Provide flexibility in how assignments/activities are done to allow for creative expression

• For emotional/social skills:

  • De-emphasize doing things “perfectly” and focus on the process of learning (i.e. praise their persistence in their attempts rather than focusing on their achievement)

  • Use role-play/activities involving perspective changing to support the child in understanding that others may have different perspectives/beliefs than them

Gifted Support for Families

For individuals and families in Toronto struggling with giftedness, there are a variety of in-person and virtual treatments that may be beneficial, including:

• Individual and family therapy

• Gifted programs and groups for kids that focus on social skills and self-regulation

• Social skills training

• Emotional regulation training

• Play therapy

• Cognitive behavioural therapy to reduce anxiety

• Parent training for gifted kids