Since learning last fall that my son is intellectually gifted, I’ve been hearing from teacher friends (and seeing in books and online) that general-education teachers don’t feel like they have the background info they need to understand and support the gifted students in their classrooms.
An article that Education Week just published supports this notion:
only 30% of general-education teachers feel strongly that they’re equipped to handle the needs of learning-disabled students (full story)
The statistic is one of many findings from a joint study by the National Center for Learning Disabilities and Understood.org.
Although the article doesn’t mention giftedness specifically, what it does mention are several conditions that gifted kids are misdiagnosed with (because so few people understand asynchronous development and the five types of overexcitabilities).
And from what my general-education friends and relatives tell me, they feel ill-equipped to help their gifted students. (Both those who have been identified and others, who display the traits I describe and are quite possibly undiagnosed.)
Debunking this type of neurodiversity
It will take time to increase awareness about the unique social-emotional traits that stem from how gifted kids’ brains develop and function; however, I know I can help narrow this knowledge gap…with teachers, school administrators, pediatric clinicians and others.
I have so many ideas to make this happen!
Want to help, too? If you believe in this undertaking, please tell others about the Kite Kid Mama blog, and the resources I recommend, to learn more. Some of the resources are listed here on my site; others come via email when you subscribe to receive updates.
All the best,
