What is most often overlooked when considering private school for your gifted child?

Does your gifted child need a private school education to succeed? Are the costs of private high school education worth it?  Do they provide more challenge, more stimulation and more creativity - all something gifted children need? Do they really open the door to admission at more prestigious colleges? What are the drawbacks? And what is frequently overlooked?

Most families cite numerous reasons for choosing private education, including the richness of the learning environment, smaller class size, individualized attention, presumed greater potential for success, values education (particularly in religious schools), and advantages in the college admission process. Nevertheless, even families who can afford the tuition often wonder whether the benefits outweigh the costs. A recent article questioned the presumed benefits and noted the shortcomings of private schools, particularly in relation to college admissions (see this ). It is a reminder that a private education certainly does not guarantee acceptance at top colleges, and challenges the assumption that enrollment is even necessary for achieving success. 

But one question is frequently overlooked: Is this school the best for my child’s emotional well-being?

Psychological factors need to be weighed as heavily as educational benefits. When deciding which educational setting is best, the child’s psychological well-being is as critical as the educational fit. All children, and especially gifted children, need a challenging, supportive, enriched learning environment. If this cannot be achieved and there are other options available, it is reasonable to consider a different school. Safety, self-confidence, respect, and engaging interactions with teachers and peers are all necessary for children to feel free to learn and grow intellectually. If they are preoccupied with anxiety related to social stresses, boredom, isolation, or too much academic pressure, they will not thrive. For a child who is bullied, feels alienated from peers, or fears for his or her physical safety, transfer to a different setting can be a lifesaver and provide much needed relief.

Some families proactively choose a private education to enhance their child’s opportunities, even when their child is already thriving socially and emotionally in public school, assuming that private school will be as socially and emotionally advantageous as it is academically. However, academic excellence or religious values do not necessarily mean that the school will provide the social/emotional environment your child needs.

What do you need to ask when deciding whether private school is good for your child’s 

emotional well-being?

1. Does the school provide specialized services, guidance, and close supervision that is unavailable in the public schools? Will my child feel more secure and nurtured in such an environment? Does he or she need the added attention, encouragement and accountability? Would these extra services help my child feel more confident in his or her academic abilities and would this contribute to an upward trend in school performance?

2.  Are more challenging classes available that would better meet the needs of my gifted child? Not all private schools screen during the admissions process, so it cannot be assumed that your child would necessarily find more similarly gifted peers than already enrolled in public school. Even if most classes seem to be engaging, are there additional classes that might be exceptionally challenging? Are there stimulating extra-curricular activities that will spark my child’s interest, or are fewer opportunities available, given the smaller number of students at the school? For example, certain clubs, athletic teams, or even a school orchestra might not be offered due to limited student interest.

3. Will my child benefit from a more homogeneous environment with students who are similar to one another? What if my child is different in terms of religious, racial or socioeconomic background from many of the students? Will this lack of diversity create a problem? Even if my child is demographically similar to the other students, will the lack of diversity affect his or her world view? If the school is populated by particularly wealthy families, will this contribute to a sense of entitlement or an unrealistic perspective about acquiring wealth or material possessions?

4. Will the more intensive emphasis on academics challenge my child to flourish and succeed, or will it create too much pressure? Could this contribute to excessive perfectionism in a child who is already too driven, or depression in a child already preoccupied with anxiety over possible failure? Will the environment create unrealistic expectations regarding college admissions, contributing to an assumption that entrance into an elite college is essential to success?

These questions are not easily answered, but need to be raised. It is essential to weigh the potential social and emotional consequences, both positive and negative, when considering a private school education.  Easily overlooked, it could be argued that emotional well-being is the key to your child’s academic success.

Next blog: Surviving public school!

Read more

Choosing the right college for gifted students: the fit factor

April is a mixed bag, full of contradictions. It brings gorgeous flowers…along with seasonal allergies. It also marks the end of the long decision-making process for many high school seniors deliberating over choosing the “right” college. A time of excitement and joy for some, , and chaos and confusion for many more, April can wreak havoc on students and families who must wrestle with this critical decision.

Identifying the “right” college for a gifted, high ability student carries an additional burden. Just when advocating for appropriate educational services might seem to be over, the weighty impact of choosing the best college looms large. What is best for a gifted child? Is it a high-reach, tippy-top ivy league or liberal arts school? A small, non-traditional college where the student receives a lot of individual attention? A prestigious technology school?  A large university with an honors college? Or is a moderately competitive school where the student feels less academic pressure and can stand out as a leader the best option? How much actual choice do students really even have, given the highly competitive admissions process, the sobering reality of cost (or financial aid availability), and the mitigating variables that impact every student's decision, such as location, weather, school size, proximity to home, and course of study?

The right fit may be the most important criteria for success. But what exactly is fit? And how does a gifted student determine what fit is right for him or her? Fit is that intangible, hard to describe feeling a person experiences when he or she feels comfortable, challenged and supported. It occurs in situations where there is sufficient safety, encouragement, respect, and social support, along with creative and intellectual challenge. Most gifted students have weathered enough academic and social experiences in high school to possess some sense of what they find intellectually stimulating or boring. They know where they feel comfortable socially and what types of individuals appeal to them.

The fit factors that gifted students need to consider along with other variables when selecting a college include the following:

      1. How important is my peer group to me? Is it critical for me to be with like-minded peers who are similar intellectually, or am I comfortable with a variety of interests, outlooks and abilities? Did I blend in easily with peers of all abilities in high school, or did I primarily gravitate toward the other gifted students? Was I uncomfortable with students who were different and sometimes feel like an outsider? Or did I enjoy being different, and appreciate standing out as a leader or being recognized for my strengths?

      2. Is a challenging intellectual environment critical? Would I feel bored if I had to sit through classes that were not stimulating? On the other hand, if I was able to “slide by” academically in high school, am I up to the challenge of a demanding workload?  Is it time to pick up the pace and actually challenge myself for the first time? If I was a perfectionist in high school, do I need to consider how I will feel in an environment where I do not always succeed at everything? Would competition with equally talented peers create too much stress?

   

      3. Does the school offer creative, challenging outlets for involvement beyond classroom assignments? Are the faculty readily accessible for consultation and willing to encourage creative involvement? Will I have opportunities for the extra-curricular activities I enjoy, can I pursue topics of interest in depth, and will I have the freedom to design a program that allows me to grow intellectually and creatively?

      4. Where do I think I will fit in the best? Where do I see myself feeling the most comfortable, respected, well-liked, supported, challenged, and inspired? Where can I have fun in a way that allows me to pursue my interests and be true to myself? Where can college be a catalyst toward personal and professional growth, rather than a distraction from accomplishing my goals? Identifying a list of personal needs regarding fit and prioritizing them can be invaluable.

While the above questions are suitable for any college-bound student, they are particularly relevant for gifted teens, since the stakes are so high. Gifted individuals can become impatient with slow-paced, rote learning and will lose interest in a program that is not appropriately challenging. If a gifted student is surrounded by peers who are bored, disinterested, and not engaged in class, or if the teaching is substandard, the student may lose respect and interest, and also disengage. If the student feels ostracized by peers, cannot find an accepting group of friends, or is unable to identify any activities of interest, he or she will be unfulfilled. What is most important is to envision how it  would be to live, eat, sleep, learn and play at a particular school, and how this will facilitate your educational, personal and professional growth. What will be the right fit for you?

Read more

The Misdiagnosis Initiative: An Interview with Dr. James Webb

Note: This is a cross-post from the Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented blog. As moderator of #gtchat, this interview was conducted to raise awareness of the issue of misdiagnosis.

Dr. Webb, thank you for taking the time to talk to us about this important issue to the gifted community. Parents and educators of gifted and twice-exceptional children have long struggled with the consequences of misdiagnosis and how to approach their health care professionals about the matter.

Moderator:   What is The Misdiagnosis Initiative and why did SENG decide to promote it at this time?

Dr. Webb:   The Misdiagnosis Initiative is SENG’s latest effort to make parents and professionals aware of the possibility that gifted children and adults may be misdiagnosed as having ADHD, Asperger’s OCD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Bipolar, or other behavioral disorders, and that many of them may be placed inappropriately on medication. Additionally, SENG is raising awareness concerning twice-exceptional gifted children—i.e., those who are gifted yet do, in fact, have a disorder. In these cases, it is usually the person’s disability that is emphasized, and the gifted aspects are too often overlooked.

In addition to informing parents, SENG is making concerted efforts to reach health-care professions, such as pediatricians, family practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, etc., because extremely few of these professionals have received any training about the characteristics of gifted children and adults and how these characteristics can result in behaviors that are mistaken for disorders or that have implications for disorders.

SENG’s Misdiagnosis Initiative, which really has been going on for several years, has several components:

·         Producing a brochure titled “Decreasing Medical Misdiagnosis in Gifted Children,” available from SENG both in English and in Spanish to give to health-care professionals. This is available in print or as a free Internet download from SENG and nearly 10,000 copies have been distributed.

·         Producing bookmarks for parents of gifted children, available free from SENG, that list Internet and book resources. To date, over 30,000 have been distributed.

·         Featuring a brief now on YouTube, developed a few years ago by SENG, on misdiagnosis and dual diagnoses of gifted children that has been viewed over 28,000 times.

·         Highlighting a of a Grand Rounds lecture on misdiagnosis and dual diagnoses that I did at the University of Wisconsin Medical School that has been watched over 7,800 times.

·         Drawing attention to the book Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults, which has sold over 35,000 copies.

·         Conducting Continuing Education classes on this topic for psychologists and other counseling and health care professionals.

·         Establishing communication with the American Academy of Pediatrics to encourage them to incorporate characteristics of gifted children into their diagnostic guidelines for disorders such as ADHD.

·         Writing, and encouraging others to write, articles in general media as well as for professional publications in order to bring attention to this neglected area.

·         Conducting a nationwide survey of parents of gifted children to ascertain their experiences with physicians who see their gifted children.

Although these activities may seem like a lot, they do not come close to accomplishing the task and are really just the beginning. We continue to hear horror stories of gifted children who are overlooked, neglected, misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and inappropriately treated. Because of this, SENG is actively seeking funding from various foundations to continue and expand the Misdiagnosis Initiative. 

Moderator:   Last year, SENG sent a letter to the American Academy of Pediatrics questioning why their diagnostic guidelines fail to mention the possibility that a child’s intellectual giftedness may contribute to symptoms similar to ADHD. What was their response?

Dr.Webb:   When the American Academy of Pediatrics lowered the recommended age for diagnosing ADD/ADHD from age 6 to age 4, it caught our attention, particularly since there was no mention of the need to consider gifted child behaviors. In November 2011, we wrote a letter to the American Academy of Pediatrics, and follow up contact was made primarily by Marianne Kuzujanakis, M.D., MPH, who is not only a Harvard trained pediatrician, but also a SENG Board member and parent of a highly gifted child. (See her article at the Huffington Post .) At the time, I frankly thought that despite her credentials the American Academy of Pediatrics would brush us aside. I am happy to say that they did not. What is emerging is a continuing dialogue with AAP about how SENG might help to inform pediatricians about issues regarding gifted children. This dialogue has also resulted in several publications on the topic in , and we are optimistic that this increased attention will continue.

We are also hoping to have similar dialogues with the American Psychiatric Association. However, we have delayed this partly because we are such a small group attempting a very large task, and also because we are awaiting the arrival of DSM-5 to see what changes have been made and the implications those changes will have for the issues of misdiagnosis and dual diagnoses of gifted children and adults. 

Moderator:   Mental disorders are generally diagnosed solely on the basis of observable behaviors reported by parents, teachers, school counselors, etc. Are pediatricians the best personnel to diagnose ADHD/ADD and other disorders often confused with gifted behavior; especially in young children? Who would be a better alternative for parents of gifted children to seek out for a diagnosis?

Dr. Webb:   Psychologists, in my experience, are generally the best at making an accurate diagnosis of ADD/ADHD—particularly if they are neuropsychologists who are also knowledgeable about gifted children. Regrettably, there are not a lot of these professionals around the country. The next best will be pediatricians, if for no other reason than that they often have a very long standing relationship with the child and the child’s family. It is important, however, for parents to appreciate how difficult it can be for a pediatrician to make such a diagnosis; the typical office visit is often only 15 to 20 minutes, and the physician must rely on short child observation and rating scale information provided by teachers or parents. Parents must recognize, too, that these brief rating scales were not developed for gifted children.

Whether you seek help from a physician or a psychologist, it is particularly important to find someone who will not see gifted behaviors as necessarily representing behavioral disorders. Parents should openly ask the psychologist or physician about prior knowledge and experience with gifted children or adults, and perhaps about SENG’s Misdiagnosis Initiative. Giving the professional a copy of SENG’s brochure can help, too, or perhaps even a copy of the book, Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults. If you and your child have a good relationship with the treating professional, and if the professional is open to considering gifted behaviors and treats the child with intellectual respect, then you probably are in a good situation.

Moderator:   How do gifted characteristics put children at risk for misdiagnosis?

Dr.Webb:   Perhaps the biggest risk comes from the gifted child’s high level of intensity and sensitivity. However, these characteristics, often referred to as “overexcitabilities,” are not necessarily problems. Most often, the problems come because such a child is inappropriately placed in an educational system (e.g., spending large amounts of time waiting for others to catch up), or is criticized by his family members who do not understand that the behaviors are characteristics of gifted children (e.g., “Do you have to question everything?” or “You are just stubborn and strong willed!”), or the child has substantial difficulty relating to her age peers (“Why do you have to be so bossy” or “Why don't you want to play with the other children?”). When a bright, intense, and sensitive gifted child is put in such an ill-fitting and unsupportive situation, the result often are problematic behaviors. However, these behaviors are not indicators of emotional problems.  

   
      Some years ago, the educator May Seagoe composed a list of characteristics of gifted children. On the left side, she wrote the strength that derived from that characteristic. On the right side, she wrote potential problems that could arise from that very same characteristic. For example, a strength might be that the child acquires information quickly; a related problem area might be that the child is impatient with others who do not learn as rapidly. Or perhaps the child has high energy (a strength), but also his frustration with inactivity may lead him to interrupt others (a problem). I would be pleased to provide a chart of these if people would email me at , or you can find them . 

      

      Because of the high energy level of gifted children, ADHD is perhaps the most common misdiagnosis, and parents might find it helpful to look at how behaviors of gifted children can be similar to those of ADHD. For this, I often recommend that they look at a brief article titled “”  

      

      Moderator: What practical strategies can you offer to parents who suspect their children may have been misdiagnosed? 

      Dr. Webb:   Here are some general guidelines that may help parents in their initial thinking as to whether the behaviors are gifted or behavior disorder.

·         Does the developmental history indicate early developmental milestones or precocious development?

·         Are the behavior patterns typical ones for gifted children or adults?

·         Are the problem behaviors only found in certain situations or contexts, rather than across situations?

·         Are the problematic behaviors reduced when the person is with other gifted persons or in intellectually supportive settings?

·         Are the problematic behaviors most easily explained as stemming from a gifted/creative person being in an inappropriate situation?

·         Are the behaviors ones that truly cause an impairment in personal or social functioning, or are they simply quirks or idiosyncrasies that cause little discomfort or impairment?

If you answered yes to any of these six questions, you should mention this to the diagnosing professional. You may also want to get more specific and detailed information from  a free SENG article at , or from the book Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults. I would also encourage parents to consider getting a second opinion. Second opinions have been a valued tradition in medicine for many decades, and they are equally valid with regard to behavior problems as well.

Moderator:   What resources are available to parents of gifted children to assist them in talking to their healthcare providers?

Dr. Webb:   I encourage parents to use all of the resources that I have listed in the SENG Misdiagnosis Initiative above. Additionally, parents may wish to look at  which provides not only highly relevant and informative articles, but also there is a list of psychologists who have been recommended by other parents. 

Moderator:   Dr. Webb, you have dedicated your professional career to help gifted children and their parents recognize misdiagnosis. What initially influenced you to pursue this path?

Dr. Webb:   We founded SENG in 1981 at the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology, after the suicide of a highly gifted teenager who had not received mental health help sufficient to alleviate his misery and depression. After his death, his parents contacted us and asked us to begin a program, and in addition to establishing parent discussion support groups, we also provided testing and counseling to families of gifted children. Soon, we began to notice a significant number of gifted children who had been diagnosed as having ADHD. As we studied them, we determined that many of these children did not have ADHD. Instead, they were bright, intense, sensitive children, most of whom were educationally misplaced and understimulated, who often were not able to relate to their age peers, and who were in power struggles with adults because they were so strong willed.

I reflected on how much training I had received in my own doctoral graduate training program in psychology. I realized that I had received only about 60 minutes worth of lecture on the subject, with the professor focusing on the Lewis Terman studies as an example of longitudinal research. I also remembered one of my professors saying to me that “In testing, once a child scores above 130, you can stop testing because it really doesn't make much difference after that” and “Bright children are far less likely to have social, emotional, and behavioral problems.” Since I was now involved in the training of clinical psychologists, I began asking other psychologists, as well as other healthcare professionals, how much training they received about gifted children and adults. I discovered that they had either received none at all, or they had received about the same as I had.

Clearly, in my mind, there was a need to educate other professionals. So, I began to give class lectures to my doctoral students, and I began writing professionally about the topic. Through SENG, I began conducting classes in continuing education for psychologists, and gradually other professionals have begun to pick up on this area.

Moderator:   We at Global #gtchat believe strongly that awareness and dissemination of information is critical to combat the misdiagnosis of gifted children and adults. There will be a special Twitter chat at #gtchat on Friday, May 10^that 7PM EDT concerning the Misdiagnosis Initiative from SENG. 

Read more