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Best Tips for Parents of a GT Child
Parenting and specifically parenting gifted children has changed dramatically over the past several decades due to the resources and camaraderie afforded by social media. Online groups provide a sense of community for parents of gifted kids who were once separated both geographically as well as socially. Today parents don’t have to make the journey alone. In recent years, parents have also benefited by learning about ways to get together in real life at conferences and regional meetups that were once unknown. Parents can also access much needed information and advice on their own schedule. The convenience of online resources available 24/7 cannot be overlooked.
Parenting is often based on one’s own life experiences, but the challenges of life in today’s world can be very different than they were a generation ago. Parents should seek out current advice whenever possible. The role of asynchronous development can’t be minimized when dealing with life’s big transitions. It differentiates the experiences most gifted children face when transitioning to new educational experiences and meeting life’s milestones. Parents should build a strong emotional bond with their gifted children early in life and consider themselves as partners in the transition process. Each child is an individual with unique attributes and challenges which play a role in that process.
What steps can parents take if they suspect their child is twice-exceptional? A twice-exceptional child will exhibit both abilities and disabilities; strengths and weaknesses at the same time. It is easy for even professionals to misdiagnose these kids. Parents should seek help from those familiar with giftedness. Understanding the needs of twice-exceptional children is a necessary step toward being successful in life. Parents are the first and best advocates. Knowledge about twice-exceptionalism is a powerful tool. Twice-exceptionality is a challenge, but not a roadblock. Once accommodated, 2e kids can lead productive and successful lives. Being proactive in diagnosis and seeking help is the first step.
When should parents seek professional help regarding their gifted child? When that behavior impacts their lives in any significant way, parents should at the least consider a professional diagnosis. When children enter the school system, parents are often guided to seek professional help regarding concerns they might not see in a home setting. If parents see sudden changes in behavior, a decline in school work, or issues with interpersonal relationships between their child and others; they should seek professional intervention.
What should a parent who is experiencing difficulty getting educational services for their gifted child do? Although it shouldn’t be the case, parents often find themselves on the opposite side of educational priorities from their child’s school personnel. It’s important to document everything in writing. Know that the school will be doing the same. It may not seem fair, but parents need to keep their cool when advocating on behalf of their child. Patience can be beneficial in getting the best educational placement as well as serving as a role model for their child. There are many factors – positive and negative – weighed by a school district in providing services to an identified gifted child. Parents need to be aware of the school’s philosophy on GT education and the availability of resources.
Being the parent of a gifted child has its ups and downs, but things really do eventually work out. The ‘little lawyer’ in elementary school turned defiant teen in high school will one day be your best friend. Networking with other parents of gifted children is a great way to save your sanity, know that you aren’t alone, and provide for ‘strength in numbers’ when working with schools to provide the highest quality of education for your child.
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 2PM NZST/Noon AEST/1 AM 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:
My Son Is A ‘Gifted Child’ Here’s Why Raising Him Has Been Anything But Easy
For Gifted Kids, Better to be Hands-on or -off?
A Middle School Survival Guide for The Parents of Gifted Children
Wonderschooling: Living in a World of Input Overload
Grayson School Blog: The Intrinsic Intensity of the Gifted Child
Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page: Parents of Gifted Children
Tips for Handling Gifted Children: For Parents and Teachers
Why Being Gifted Isn’t Always a Gift
When Gifted Kids Move: Tips for Parents and Districts
What Most Parents of Gifted Children Wish They had Known about College Planning
Choices Exclude: The Existential Burden of Multipotentiality
When Your Gifted Child Disappoints
Twice Exceptional: Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities Considerations Packet
Cybraryman’s Gifted Parenting Page
Cybraryman’s Twice Exceptional Children Page
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Parents of Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Kids Facebook Group
If This is a Gift, Can I Send it Back?: Surviving in the Land of the Gifted and Twice Exceptional (book)
Crushing Tall Poppies (blog)
Image courtesy of Unsplash
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad
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Connecting the Gifted Community
For the past 5 years, Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT has had the support of the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. This has enabled #gtchat to grow and flourish not only on Twitter, but to encompass an expanded web presence on Storify, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and a weekly post on the blog.
With the Internet now an integral part of our lives, the choices to connect with like-minded people are ever-increasing. Many teachers have gravitated toward Twitter due to the expansive number of available educational chats (300+), ease of use, brevity of interactions, development of PLNs and the information about opportunities to connect offline at conferences and edCamps. A simple 30 minute daily commitment can provide a wealth of resources and contacts.
A unique opportunity also exists for parents as participants in #gtchat as it is one of a very few Twitter chats that addresses the needs of both parents and teachers. Topics covered each week include a wide array of interests concerning the gifted community. Guests includes academics, psychologists, authors and leaders in the community. Twitter also provides a way for parents to connect both online and offline. Global #gtchat has arranged TweetUps at the international, national, and state level.
It was exciting to introduce our new #gtchat Advisory Board! You can connect with them on Twitter: Tracy Fisher @antraasa Ginger Lewman @GingerLewman Jeffrey Farley @FarleyJeffrey Jo Freitag @jofrei Heather Vaughn @msheathervaughn and Angie French @teachagiftedkid .
Thank you, also, to Mr. Jerry Blumengarten ( @cybraryman1) who was one of the original advisors of #gtchat from the beginning and a frequent contributor to #gtchat.
On a personal note: As I begin my 6th year as moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT, I look forward to facilitating the conversation for many more years to come. My contact information is listed below and I welcome your suggestions for topics, guests, and resources. A transcript of this chat can be found on our Storify page.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Tuesdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Wednesdays at 14.00 NZDT/12.00 AEDT/1.00 UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Storify. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news & 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
Links:
Cybraryman’s Twitter Educational Hashtags Page
Digital Learning Day: Social Media PD Best Practices
7 Tips for Getting the Most out of Twitter Chats
Links for Portland Parents of Talented and Gifted Children
Social Networking – Impacting the World of Gifted Education
Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT Blog: Starting a Gifted Parents’ Group
Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) Website
Twitter for Teachers – A Practical Guide to Get Started Today
6 Things Teachers Must Try This Summer!
Cybraryman’s Social Media Page
WISGIFT List-Serv (Wisconsin Gifted for advocates, educators, parents, and other supporters of gifted education)
Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented
Plymouth Gifted – 2017 Summer Opportunities
WCGTC 22nd Biennial Conference Registration
Gifted Homeschoolers Forum: Local and Regional Support
Minnesota Dept. of Education: Gifted Education
Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Symposium
AUS: Gifted Families Support Group Inc.
Sprite’s Site: The Twitter Stream
Gifted Homeschoolers Forum: Gifted Cubed
Photo courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Public Domain
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.
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How to Chat on Twitter
From time to time, I am asked, “How do I join your chat on Twitter?” Since we were off last week, I thought this would be a good time to explain the chat process.
Each Friday at 7E/6C/5M/4P, people get together on Twitter to chat about all things related to the gifted community using the hashtag #gtchat. To join the conversation, you need to have a Twitter account and it cannot be designated as ‘private’. If you feel the need to protect your tweets (only followers can see what you tweet), consider opening a second account under a pseudonym just to chat.
You can participate in a chat directly on Twitter by searching the hashtag #gtchat and then choosing the ‘Live’ tab on the search results page. You may want to Save your search to use for future reference. (Hint: Follow #gtchat’s official Twitter account @gtchatmod to see tweets concerning chat times and topics.) It is important to know that you must remember to add the hashtag #gtchat to each of your tweets so that they will be visible to the rest of the people at the chat. As the chat progresses, you will have to Refresh your screen to see available new tweets.
An alternate way to join our chat is to use a 3rd party app such as Tweetchat or Twubs. These apps add the hashtag to your tweets automatically and also only display the tweets using the hashtag during the chat. Most participants, including the moderator, use Tweetchat. To use this app, sign into your Twitter account; open a second tab in your browser and go to Tweetchat.com; enter the hashtag ‘#gtchat’ on the opening screen; utilize the ‘Authorize App’ function; you will be redirected to the #gtchat tweet stream. Once there, you can tweet, retweet, reply and favorite tweets just like on Twitter. (Hint: If you are familiar with apps such as Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, you may use either of these as well.)
It’s as simple as that! So, what have you been waiting for? Join us on Fridays for #gtchat on Twitter. National and International chat times are listed below. It you miss a chat, you can always access the transcript at Storify and I post a short summary with links from the chat here at this blog every week. Take a look around the blog to see what you have been missing! For more general information about chatting on Twitter, check out the links below. (Thanks to Jerry Blumengarten @cybraryman1 for the links. Jerry also was instrumental in helping #gtchat get started!)
Prior to our last chat, we welcomed a new sponsor for #gtchat, GiftedandTalented.com. You can read more about this new partnership at the TAGT website here.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented and sponsored by GiftedandTalented.com is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Fridays at 7E/6C/5M/4P in the U.S., Midnight in the UK and Saturdays 11 AM NZST/9 AM AEST to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Storify. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news & information regarding the gifted community. Also, checkout our new 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
Links:
How to Take Part in or Moderate a Chat on Twitter from Cybraryman
Twitter from Cybraryman
Twitter for Beginners from Cybraryman
A Quick Start Guide to Participating in a Twitter Chat
How Do You Participate in t Twitter Chat?
Twitter Chats: How to Survive and Thrive in a Twitter Chat … Hockey Style Eh?
Official Twitter Educational Chat Schedule
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The Gifted Introvert
An important topic not often covered in discussions about gifted individuals, this chat was quite active and experienced some lively debate! It was exciting to see many new faces and old friends with participants from 18 states and 5 countries.
The chat covered such questions as “Is introversion and shyness the same thing?”, “Can introversion and extroversion exist at the same time?” and “How can teachers help the introverted gifted child?” A full transcript may be found here.
PLEASE NOTE: Our next chat “Educating for Global Competence” is THURSDAY, 9/12 @5PM ET/4PM CT/22.00 UK/7.00 (ET AUS – Fri). There will be no chat the following day.
Links:
We Are the Introverts (comic) courtesy of Gifted Homeschoolers Forum
Introversion: The Often Forgotten Factor Impacting the Gifted from SENG Gifted
“What is the difference between being shy and being introverted?”
“Introversion and Giftedness” (pdf) from Dr. Linda Silverman (1993)
“The Gifted Introvert” (2002)
“The Creative Personality: Both Extroverted and Introverted”
“Introversion vs. Shyness: The Discussion Continues”
“Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts” (video)TED Talks
The Development of Shyness and Social Withdrawal (Amazon)
After the Show: The Many Faces of the Performer from Scott Barry Kaufman
“Make Your Class Cozy for Gifted Introverts” from Ian Byrd
“Why Are Such a High Proportion of Gifted People Introverted?”
Introversion and the Highly Gifted
