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The Role of Environment in Parenting Gifted Kids
The Role of Environment in Parenting Gifted Kids

There are many aspects of an environment created within the family which can affect a gifted child’s development beginning with the emotional bond between parent and child. This family environment encompasses parental and sibling relationships as well as a family’s finances. Important factors also include the family’s living space and the learning environment within the family.
Family dynamics involve a wide-range range issues such as the presence of parents or even multiple generations, divorce or loss of a parent, and financial considerations. A child’s development can be affected by a parent’s employment status which may involve relocation or available time spent with children, and accessibility to academic resources. Family dynamics are highly influenced by the parents’ mental health and educational attainment, Also, the family’s cultural background and belief system may strongly influence a child development.
Gifted children, like all children, need a nurturing and supportive home environment to support their mental health. An environment conducive to good mental health requires parents to be present in their child’s life, aware of issues which may affect their child’s mental health, and an understanding of healthy child development in general. How families respond to stress and trauma, encourage independence in their children, or balance family tensions can all affect a gifted child’s mental health.
Families with multiple gifted members may encompass a wide range of characteristics including those who are extremely inquisitive, highly sensitive or possibly out-of-sync with peers. Although genetics has proven to have a strong influence on intellectual potential, the gifted child development if highly influenced by family values, goals and lifestyle. Parenting styles should encourage independence by finding a balance between permissiveness and authority, providing unstructured time, utilizing positive discipline, and access to enrichment opportunities.
Parents can strive to provide a supportive environment at home only to find that their child’s school environment may override their best intentions. Parents need to be aware of a school’s climate, take time to get involved in child’s school through volunteering and advocacy, and develop positive relationships with teachers and school personnel. They can encourage their child to participate in opportunities available at school, help their child find peer networks, and when necessary consider alternatives to traditional education strategies (i.e., homeschooling, Microschools).
Home-school relationships are an intricate part of encouraging student well-being and academic excellence. Strategies need to address SEL learning, cognitive development, and positive peer relationships at school. GT kids need opportunities beyond those normally experienced in the regular classroom. Teachers can collaborate with and look to expertise from parents to help in providing these educational opportunities.
A transcript of this chat may 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 Noon NZST/10AM AEST/1AM UK 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. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
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:
Biological and Environmental Influences on Intelligence (YouTube 3:40) | UT Austin
Environmental Influences on Intelligence
A Neurocomputational Model of Developmental Trajectories of Gifted Children under a Polygenic Model: When are Gifted Children held Back by Poor Environments? | National Institutes of Health
Family Environment and Social Development in Gifted Students (Abstract Only) | Gifted Child Quarterly
Considerations and Strategies for Parenting the Gifted Child | The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
Parenting the Gifted and Talented Child: A Qualitative Inquiry of the Perceptions of Mothers Regarding their Unique Experiences in Raising Gifted and Talented Children (pdf Doctoral Dissertation LSU)
Bright but Bored: Optimising the Environment for Gifted Children (pdf) | Australian Journal of Early Childhood
Creating the Ideal Learning Environment for Gifted and Talented Students
The Joy and the Challenge: Parenting Gifted Children Readings and Resources (pdf)
Ten Suggestions for Parents of Gifted Children (pdf Webb)
Creativity, Motivation to Learn, Family Environment, and Giftedness: A Comparative Study
15 Ways to Help Gifted Students Thrive in School (pdf)
The Home Environment of Gifted Puerto Rican Children: Family Factors Which Support High Achievement (pdf)
Stimulating Gifted Toddlers and Preschoolers at Home
Optimal Environment for the Gifted Child
How to Nurture Your Gifted Child
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Childhood Environment affects Brain Growth and Function, a Series of New Studies Finds (2012)
Intelligence and How Environment Affects It
Activities for Gifted Toddlers: Finding Enrichment Opportunities for a Young Gifted Child
Early-Life Environment Influences Brain Growth and Behavior
Effect of Environmental Factors on Intelligence Quotient of Children | Industrial Psychiatry Journal
How Parents Can Support Gifted Children (Silverman) | Child Development Institute
Beyond Bloom: Revisiting Environmental Factors That Enhance or Impede Talent Development (pdf) | American Psychological Association
Synaptic Pruning Mechanisms in Learning (pdf)
Cybraryman’s Child Development Page
Cybraryman’s Early Literacy Page
Word Gap | Wikipedia
Lead Crime Hypothesis | Wikipedia
Photo courtesy of Pixabay Pixabay License
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.