The Cost of Raising Gifted Kids

Assessments and testing mark the beginning of the journey for many parents of GT kids. It’s important to understand the difference between the two and which is necessary for their child. Testing is generally regarded to determine intellectual ability and many schools (but, not all) do school-wide testing in 2^nd or 3^rd grade. These results are usually used to decide entrance to GT programs. Assessments are far more wide-ranging and are usually done privately at the parents’ expense. They are rarely covered by insurance and may include travel expenses as well as professional fees.

Parents of GT students experience many extraordinary financial costs beginning with assessments followed by expenses for enrichment such as special classes, academic camps, or summer programs. Extraordinarily talented students may require tutors, mentors, and coaches which can be expensive. Families who choose private schools have tuition and travel costs or homeschool have curriculum, books, and tech costs as well as loss of income of the parent providing instruction.

One of the first unexpected costs associated with higher education is the availability of financial aid or lack thereof; it’s not automatic and there are lots of smart kids competing for aid (hint: check the school’s endowment funds). The cost of college visits – finding the right ‘fit’ – can strain a family’s budget. Virtual visits and online research beforehand may help. For accelerated students or Early College entrants, there may be fewer merit scholarships (if college transfers) and fewer work-study opportunities due to the student’s age.

One of the hidden costs of raising gifted kids is the extraordinary amount of time required to engage inquisitive minds and precocious interests. Parents of gifted kids often spend extensive amounts of time learning about and advocating for an appropriate education for their child – meetings with school personnel, forming parent groups, and locating resources. Time required for travel to extracurricular activities or alternative education options, time away from work for parents, and time to attend conferences can be overwhelming.

The social-emotional costs of raising a gifted child can also affect family budgets. Mental health care and counseling can become a real financial burden. Social costs come into play when parents seek to provide and nurture friendships for their child who may be experiencing asynchronous development. A less often discussed cost for GT students is the emotional costs of bullying by other students and unfortunately by some adults. This can lead to lifelong issues for many.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at 1AM GMT to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community.

About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com

Resources:

An Accelerated Journey | Gifted Parenting Support

A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students

Mary Baldwin University Early College

Mary Baldwin University Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG)

The Gifted Parenting Journey: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Support for Families of Gifted Children | Dr. Gail Post

A Parent’s Perspective on the Young Scholars Program and Raising a Gifted Student | Davidson Gifted

What Most Parents of Gifted Children Wish They had Known about College Planning | Davidson Gifted

The Financial Impact of Homeschooling Your Child

Raising Gifted Kids? Some Strategies You Should Know

Raising a Profoundly Gifted Child What is it really like to parent a profoundly gifted child?

It Pays to Have a Smart Child, but It Can Cost, Too | New York Times

The Hidden Costs of Having a Gifted Child | Smithsonian Magazine

Why You Don’t Want Your Child to Be a Genius | BBC Worklife

How to Afford a Gifted Child

High Costs of Raising Gifted Children

CTY Online Programs Course Tuition and Fees–Academic Year 2022-2023

CTY Summer On Campus Tuition 2023

Summit Center FAQs

Belin-Blank Center Assessment and Counseling Clinic (pdf)

Toddler IQ tests: Should you have your child tested?

How Much Does an IQ Test Cost? Understanding the Price Tag of Intelligence

Gifted Development Center: Assessment

New is Good: Novelty is Essential to Keeping Bright Learners Engaged this Summer

Disclaimer: All links in this post are for informational purposes only and are not intended as a recommendation.

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad

Cultivating SEL in Gifted Youth

Every child is different, and this applies to children identified as gifted, HG, PG, and/or 2E. Emotional development will vary across the population and should not be stereotyped. The emotional development of gifted kids is primarily affected by asynchronous development and intensity. Intense emotions may present as anxiety, existential depression, or power struggles with others. Asynchrony can lead to uneven academic and emotional growth.

Social development can be difficult for some GT students, but not at all for others. It is, as with emotional development, a unique situation for each student. Many gifted children struggle with finding true peers among classmates and developing meaningful friendships. Unfortunately, some GT students feeling misunderstood resort to hiding their abilities in an att empt to ‘fit in’ socially.

SEL is important for all students and is most impactful when embedded in the curriculum as well as into academic instruction. Students need to be taught self-management skills which lead to academic independence and a sense of ownership of how they learn. Questioning can be a powerful strategy to integrate SEL into the curriculum followed up with classroom discussions to raise awareness and prompt reflection.

How can teachers meet the social-emotional learning needs of gifted learners? A little understanding can go a long way. Teachers need to be aware of myths about GT students, avoid sarcasm, recognize asynchrony, and avoid power struggles. One of the best strategies to aid in SEL is providing opportunities for grouping – in and out of the regular classroom; adjusting depth and complexity; and connecting with families. Teachers can also assist GT students’ SEL by seeking out-of-school opportunities for talent development, and academic programs and competitions.

Parents need to recognize that their gifted child is a child first and whose social-emotional development requires nurturing beyond the school walls. As their child’s first and most important advocate, parents should cultivate positive relationships with their teachers and seek the support of other parents with GT students. Parents can also nurture SEL and growth by providing enrichment opportunities outside of school and ways for their child to develop peer relationships (i.e., summer/weekend camps).

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

3 Ways to Integrate SEL Into the Curriculum | Edutopia

38 Simple Ways To Integrate Social-Emotional Learning Throughout the Day

Gifted and Talented Children: Addressing Social Emotional Challenges (pdf) | Kentucky Department of Education

Social Emotional Learning: Teaching Principles for Creative, Talented and Gifted Students | American Psychological Association

Maximizing the Social and Emotional Growth of Gifted Children

Social-Emotional Learning | Ricks Center for Gifted Children

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum | Gifted Association of Missouri

Stop Neglecting Gifted Students’ Social and Emotional Needs

Supporting Gifted Students’ Social and Emotional Learning (pdf)

Nurturing the Social-Emotional Development of Gifted Children | Potential Plus UK

Social-Emotional Curriculum with Gifted Students (book) | NAGC

Social and Emotional Learning for Advanced Children in Early Childhood Birth to 8 (book)

The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know? (book)

Gifted SEL Continuum (pdf)

Predictions for Gifted Education in 2023

Gifted Social and Emotional Resources | Davidson Gifted

Cybraryman’s SEL Pages and More

Responsive Classroom

Graphics courtesy of Lisa Conrad

Procrastination and Gifted Kids

This week, Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT celebrated 11 years of support from the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. Many thanks to TAGT!

There are generally two types of procrastination – deferring daily routine tasks related to decision making and academic procrastination where students postpone academic tasks such as studying for a test or writing a term paper. Procrastination may be intentional, can involve delaying or postponing activities, and possibly span a lifetime. It should be taken seriously especially when it affects quality of life, academic success, or creates mental health issues.

Occasional procrastination may have some short-term benefits by allowing more time for planning or being able to give more time to details. As a means to an end, procrastination can allow a person to explore their passions or pursue quality time with friends and family. For creative individuals, procrastination can provide time for thinking, ideation, creativity, and reflection.

Procrastination can definitely be problematic for students when it interferes with learning, productivity, and skill building. When it leads to conflicts, stress, or unnecessary disagreements; it becomes problematic. Serious ramifications of procrastination include trauma, health-related issues, and even substance abuse.

There are a myriad of reasons why gifted kids procrastinate such as oppressive workloads, boredom, fear of failure, or perfectionism. Gifted children may become distracted by intense interests in their areas of passion, have poor organizational skills, or experience impostor syndrome. Procrastination may also result from rebellion, trying to hide their abilities to ‘fit in’, or external influences such as too much screen time.

There are strategies to counter procrastination beginning with determining the root-cause and then developing a plan to manage it. For gifted students, opportunities should be aligned with capabilities and purposeful. Encouragement, timely feedback, and ‘genuine’ praise can lead to successful outcomes. In addition, student voice and choice, high-level exploration, meaningful collaboration, and appropriate challenge can all counter procrastination.

A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

Investigating the Mediating Role of Procrastination in the Relationship between Positive and Negative Perfectionism and Mobile Phone Addiction in Gifted Students

Academic Procrastination in Language Learning: Adolescent Learners’ Perspectives (pdf) | Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature, and Culture

7-Point Plan to End Procrastination | Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities

Effect on Procrastination and Learning of Mistakes in the Design of the Formative and Summative Assessments: A Case Study

Ten reasons why your gifted child procrastinates | Dr. Gail Post

The Real Causes of Procrastination

Not Now Maybe Later – Helping Children Overcome Procrastination (book)

Bust Your Buts – Tips for Teens Who Procrastinate

Procrastination and Gifted Learners (YouTube 56:25)

Predictive and Explanatory Relationship Model between Procrastination, Motivation, Anxiety and Academic Achievement (pdf) | Eurasian Journal of Educational Research

An investigation of self-efficacy, locus of control, and academic procrastination as predictors of academic achievement in students diagnosed as gifted and non-gifted | European Journal of Education Studies

Finally, My Thesis on Academic Procrastination (pdf)

Differences in Learning Characteristics Between Students With High, Average, and Low Levels of Academic Procrastination: Students’ Views on Factors Influencing Their Learning

The ABC of academic procrastination: Functional analysis of a detrimental habit | Frontiers in Psychology

The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done (book)

Graphics courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Bullies and the Bullied

In many instances, it can be difficult to identify signs of bullying regarding GT students. This population may try to obscure the situation, see it as a personal failing, or try to fix it on their own. GT students who are bullied may try to hide their abilities, have difficulty socializing with age-peers, experience loneliness, or develop a negative self-image. When dual statuses are involved, the prevalence of bullying rises. This can include 2E students, GT + LGBTI students, or culturally diverse GT students.

It is extremely important in the prevention of bullying for schools to have an explicit anti-bullying policy with specific provisions for GT students. Anti-bullying policies should identify who are deemed aggressors, victims, or bystanders as well as vulnerable populations. It should state consequences of bullying behaviors. Teachers should consider GT students when contemplating anti-bullying interventions (possible bullying scenarios, classroom discussions, etc.) and the effect of gifted education programs which separate out gifted students.

It is naïve to think that the GT student will always be the student being bullied. Bullying can transform the victim into a bully, and this needs to be considered. School personnel need to be vigilant in recognizing bullying behavior and taking steps to intervene at the onset of the behaviors. Attempts should be made to determine if the bullying is in retaliation by a victim or why the behavior is occurring. School counselors, when available, should be utilized before stronger measures are enacted.

Cyberbullying has been on the rise with the increase usage of social media and was exacerbated by recent pandemic lock-downs. Contextually, cyberbullying generally occurs outside of school in online forums and often anonymously, but can have repercussions in school settings. Because cyberbullying affects student life, schools need to include counseling and consequences when it’s brought to their attention. It also needs to be addressed in the school’s anti-bullying policies.

When should bullying be referred to healthcare professionals or law enforcement? Bullying can produce significant anxiety disorders (social, OCD, GAD), depression, stress, and withdrawal. Extreme scenarios requiring immediate healthcare interventions may include issues such as suicide ideation or moral disengagement (i.e., poor judgement behavior). Law enforcement may be necessary when physical threats or actions occur or after other interventions are deemed insufficient.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.