By Debbie Clelland
This month we are sending you some information about one of my favourite resources for parents of gifted children: the organization Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG).
This organization is based in the US, but has a lot of very relevant and useful information for parents in Canada as well. They focus on the social and emotional aspects of giftedness, and their founders have a psychology background so the they offer a different perspective than many of the education-based organizations.
SENG does some great work in the gifted community, including:
* webinars offered by experts in the field of giftedness
* summer conference that includes a children’s program
* training facilitators of parent groups
* lots of resources on their website, including articles
One of my favourite articles is one that really helps parents understand overexcitabilities, and is written in a way that is easy to see how they play out in the classroom as well. And, rather than just telling what overexcitabilities are, there are some “strategies” offered that I have found very helpful. Sharon Lind is the author. It starts:
Overexcitability and the Gifted
by Sharon Lind
A small amount of definitive research and a great deal of naturalistic observation have led to the belief that intensity, sensitivity and overexcitability are primary characteristics of the highly gifted. These observations are supported by parents and teachers who notice distinct behavioral and constitutional differences between highly gifted children and their peers.
The rest of the article is found at: http://sengifted.org/overexcitability-and-the-gifted/
