Social-Emotional Characteristics of Gifted Children

Joan Franklin Smutney, Sally Y. Walker, and Elizabeth A. Meckstroth. Acceleration for Gifted Learners, K-5.Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2007.

This book is a very practical guide to the topic of acceleration for teachers and school personnel who work with children of elementary school age. The authors share their expertise in early childhood development, gifted programming, and the social-emotional development of gifted children through the anecdotes and examples sprinkled throughout the text. The book broadens one's notions of the types of acceleration available to teachers and schools and how to effectively implement acceleration within the classroom via differentiated content, thinking strategies, products, and policy. An entire section of the book deals with the gifted child's personality and the social-emotional aspects of acceleration. This book is best for teachers and administrators but also appropriate for parents.

The Handbook of Secondary Gifted Education, Edited by Felicia A. Dixon and Sidney M Moon, 2006, Prufrock Press, Waco, Texas.

This book is a comprehensive look at both the development of gifted adolescents and the options available for their talent development. There are chapters devoted to the unique psychological and social-emotional issues of adolescence such as identity formation, career development, and how these are traversed by gifted students and particularly special populations of gifted adolescents including students of color, students with learning disabilities and gifted females. Other chapters discuss the talent development process in various domains including sports, the visual arts, and academic domains. There are chapters devoted to various curricular areas and what schools can do within these to develop the abilities of gifted adolescents as well as chapters on various program options currently available including special schools and extra-curricular options. Finally, the last section of this comprehensive book looks at teacher education and professional development for teachers who work with gifted adolescents. This book is comprehensive but written at a level for even newcomers to the field. It is recommended for teachers, adminstrators and parents as well.

Talent Children and Adults. Third Edition. Jane Piirto, Prufrock Press, 2007.

This is a very comprehensive look at the field of gifted education and creativity. The book is 730 pages long and contains 12 chapters. Perspectives on definitions of intelligence and theories of giftedness and creativity are covered as well as common practice in identifying giftedness and creativity. Piirto then proceeds to deal with each stage of development, young gifted children, giftedness during the elementary and middle school years, high school and college aged gifted students and adult giftedness. In the discussion of each phase, she organizes the presentation of material by domains or areas of giftedness including music, visual arts, writing and leadership.Two chapters deal with curriculum for the gifted and differentiation and there are chapters devoted to social emotional issues and special populations of gifted learners. This book emphasizes breadth of topics covered rather than depth and is an excellent resource for beginning students in the field.

A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students. Templeton National Report on Acceleration. Eds. Colangelo, Nicholas; Assouline, Susan; Gross, Miraca U.M., Belin-Blank Center for Gifteddcaon & Talent Development, 2004.
More than just grade skipping, “acceleration means matching the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum with the readiness and motivation of the student.” Endorsed by the National Association for Gifted Children, this two-part report on acceleration is an impressive achievement. The report provides accurate, research-based information about acceleration to those who most need it-parents, teachers, school administrators, and public policy-makers. It draws on the expertise of many of today's top experts in gifted education, pointing out that accelerating gifted students is strongly supported by those who have studied the practice. American educators, on the other hand, commonly are reluctant to consider acceleration as an option. Attempting to bridge the divide between these two positions, the authors outline some reasons why bright students in this country are “held back,” or not allowed to move through the curriculum at a rate that is appropriate for them, including:

• Philosophy that children must be kept with their age group
  
• Belief that acceleration hurries children out of childhood
  
• Fear that acceleration hurts children socially
  
• Political concerns about equity
  

For further information, to give your own opinion on the report, or to download the entire report for free, visit www.nationdeceived.org.

The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children. What Do We Know? Edited by Maureen Niehart, Sally M. Reis, Nancy M. Robinson, Sidney M. Moon, A Publication of the National Association of Gifted Children, Washington, D.C.: Prufrock Press, Inc., 2002
This publication of the National Association for Gifted Children compiles 24 chapters written by leading researchers of the social-emotional development of gifted children. Chapters explore subjects including perfectionism, underachievement, depression, delinquency, risk and resilience, peer pressure and social acceptance among gifted students. It also addresses specific populations within the community of gifted youth. Categories include the special concerns of girls, of boys, students with learning disabilities or AD/HD, the creatively gifted, and gifted children who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Chapters review and present research relevant to each topic. Authors carefully distinguish fact from fiction regarding the social-emotional and psychological characteristics of gifted children. They stress, for example, that there is little research to suggest that gifted students are psychologically or emotionally vulnerable because of their gifts. However, gifted students may be at risk because of the frequent disparity between their cognitive abilities and their educational program. This book is a comprehensive resource, appropriate for both parents and educators.

Mom, They’re Teasing Me: Helping Your Child Solve Social Problems by
M. Thompson and L. J. Cohen, with C. O’Neill Grace. New York: Balantine Books, 2002.
Should I help my child resolve his problems with his peers? Is my child is “normal”? Will she grow out of this social problem? Why are children at this age so cruel, insensitive, or reckless?The authors of this book, which include two psychologists and a former middle-school teacher, vividly portray the complex world of children’s social interactions, from preschoolers to young adults. Using a format that includes both case studies and extensive question-and-answer segments, the book examines social problems which may seem only too familiar to parents, such as shy children; victimized children, and children who torment or ostracize others. The book is divided into three sections: normal social pain, children at risk, and school/neighborhood problems. The authors explain that “normal” social pain, while very real and deserving of adults’ attention, is unlikely to have serious long-term consequences such as mental illness or violence. Parents and teachers should seek to address this sort of pain by deliberately teaching leadership and conflict resolution skills, as well as fostering moral environments where kindness and compassion are valued. On the other hand, adults need to recognize that some children experiencing social pain are in real danger: “Children who are systematically rejected or neglected or aggressive are at a much higher risk for dropping out of school, drug and alcohol problems, depression, criminal behavior, and even suicide.” (p. xvi). Finally, the authors emphasize that children’s social problems generally involve “complex interactions between the individual and the group.” Parents concerned about their child might well find answers to specific questions in this book. Other adults, however, can use this book to gain understanding of the stresses and rewards of the social world children navigate every day. The authors’ conversational style makes it an accessible (yet research-based) introduction to the topic for the general reader.

Being Gifted in School by Tracy L. Cross and Larry J. Coleman Prufrock Press, Waco, TX, 2000.
This is a very comprehensive book about research, theory and practices in gifted education. While it is a general text, it is probably not for newcomers to the field. The book is very rich in research and resources. Chapters cover theories of giftedness, identification, the gifted child's families, counseling issues, curriculum, instructional theory, teaching methods, etc. The authors give not just the research about each issue or practice they present, but the assumptions underlying them. The chapters on the family, the lives of gifted individuals, creativity and theories of giftedness are especially thought provoking. This book would be most appropriate for educators who have some experience in the field and have done some reading of literature and research in gifted education.

Galbraith, J. The Gifted Kids Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook. Minneapolis, Free Spirit Publishing, 1996.

Smart Girls Two by Barbara A Kerr. Dayton, OH: Ohio Psychology Press, 1994.
This book deals with the reasons why so many young women fail to live up to their potential. It deals with issues that confront girls throughout their development - from early childhood to motherhood and family. Like its predecessor above, this book is very readable and is recommended for parents, educators, teens and young adults.

Counseling the Gifted and Talented by Linda Kreger Silverman. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Co., 1993.
This book deals comprehensively with counseling issues that arise with gifted children including the characteristics of the gifted that often require special assistance or intervention, e. g. perfectionism, intense emotions, feelings of being different. The authors outline intervention and treatment strategies and options and deal with special populations such as gifted females or gifted minority students. This book is recommended for parents and educators.

Understanding Those Who Create by Jane Piirto. Dayton, OH: Ohio Psychology Press, 1992.
This is an excellent book for those who are interested in, yet new to the field of creativity. The author starts out by dealing with definitions and assessments of creativity and then goes on to present research about the characteristics of creative individuals within various fields such as visual artists, creative writers, creative scientists, mathematicians, musicians, and composers. This book is recommended for educators and parents.

Smart Girls Gifted Women by Barbara A. Kerr. Dayton, OH: Ohio Psychology Press, 1991.
This book is a classic on gifted females. The author conducted a study of her female classmates in a gifted program. Her results highlight the special obstacles that females face and suggests some possible solutions. This book is very readable and would be helpful to parents, educators, and even teens.

Before the Gates of Excellence. The Determinants of Creative Genius. By R. Ochse. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
This book presents research about eminent individuals - those who produce creative, ground breaking work in their domain of talent. The book examines theories of creativity as well as the families and early environments of creative producers. A main focus of the book is the motivation to achieve at high levels and the factors that determine or produce this. The book is recommended for serious students of creativity.

Jim Delisle and Judy Galbraith. When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers. Free Spirit Press, Minneapolis, MN.
This is a great resource for parents and teachers on the emotional needs of gifted kids. It is written in a very easy, informal style yet is packed with information that is research based. The authors deal with the basics such as what is giftedness, identifying giftedness, being a teacher of the gifted, and the emotional and psychological characteristics of gifted kids. This book is peppered with illuminating, interesting anecdotes and the thoughts and ideas of gifted kids about being gifted. That is the book's strength--it is written from the perspective of gifted children. Highly recommended reading for anyone new to the field.

Adderholt-Elliot, M. Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Good? Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 1987.

The following books are general "textbooks" on giftedness and have chapters devoted to social-emotional characteristics of gifted individuals. These are written for newcomers to the field:

• Planning and Implementing Programs for the Gifted by James H. Borland. Hewy York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University, 1989.
• Handbook of Gifted Education (Second Edition), Edited by Nicholas Colangelo and Gary A. Davis. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1997.