Nurturing the gifted child A Resource Guide for Parents Copyright 1991, American Mensa, Ltd. Nurturing the intellectual, social and emotional development of any child is a challenging opportunity. However, parents of gifted children face unique and often difficult child-rearing challenges. Gifted children may perform exceptionally well or do very poorly in school. They may be average students. They may be cheerful and well- adjusted or lonely and unhappy. They may be learning disabled. There are all "kinds" of gifted children. This resource guide has been prepared to help you as a parent identify resources that meet the wide-ranging needs of your gifted child. It includes information on national organizations, readings, periodicals and university-based programs for gifted children. As you begin exploring these resources, we encourage you to contact Mensa. Since every member of Mensa is or was at one time a gifted child, Mensans have a special concern for the promise and the difficulties associated with growing-up gifted and parenting gifted children. Mensa provides members (adults and children) with a network of intellectual peers as well as newsletters, bulletins and special programs. Mensa programs for the gifted include: o Gifted Children Resource Programs o Young Mensans (ages 3 to 25) o Gifted Children Pen Pals International o Mensa Audiovisual Archives o Mentors o American Mensa Education and Research Foundation (MERF) o Annual Scholarship Programs o Symposia o School Programs/Local Gifted Projects Mensa publications for the gifted include BRIGHT IDEAS and the MENSA RESEARCH JOURNAL. Mensa also has a variety of Special Interest Groups that may appeal to gifted children and their parents. To find out more about Mensa, please write or call: American Mensa, Ltd. Dept. GCCS, 2626 E. 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11235-3992.(718) 934-3700 ----------------------------------------------------- National organizations and resources for gifted childs American Association for Gifted Children, 1121 W. Main Street, Suite 100, Durham, NC 27705. American Mensa, Ltd., Gifted Children Resource Programs, Laura Katz Hathaway, National Coordinator, 292 Villanova, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Mensa's National and Local Gifted Children Coordinators can refer parents to specific resources and programs throughout the country. Council for Exceptional Children ERIC Clearing House on Handicapped and Gifted Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. EIRC/Educational Information and Resource Center, 606 Delsea Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080. Includes the National Clearing House for Gifted Resources. Gifted Child Society, Inc. 190 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ 07452. Mensa Gifted Children Pen Pals International. Dr. Debby van de Vender, 166 East 61 Street, Box 11G, New York, NY 10021. Children need not be Mensa members. NAGC/National Association for Gifted Children, 1155 15th Street, NW, Suite 1002, Washington, DC, 20005. NSLTIGT/National State Leadership Training Institute on the Gifted & Talented, Hilton Center, 900 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1142, Los Angeles, CA 90017. SENG/Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted. Duke E. Ellis Human Development Institute, 9 N. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., Dayton, OH 45407 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Books about gifted childs Adderholdt-Elliot, Miriam. Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Too Good? Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 1987. Alvino, James and the editors of Gifted Children Monthly. Parents Guide to Raising a Gifted Child: Recognizing & Developing Your Child's Potential. Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1985. Clark, Barbara. Growing Up Gifted. 3rd ed. Columbus, OH: Merrill Publishing Co., 1988. Coffey, Kay, et al. Parents Speak on Gifted and Talented Children. Ventura, CA: NSLTIGT, 1976. To order contact LTI Publications, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, 535 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA 93009. Daniels, P.R. Teaching the Gifted Learning Disabled Child London: Aspen Publications, 1982. Delisle, James R. Gifted Kids Speak Out. Revised ed. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 1987. Ehrlich, Virginia. Gifted Children, 3rd ed. Monroe, NY: Trillium Press, 1989. Galbraith, Judy. The Gifted Kids Survival Guide Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing. Three Volumes, written for gifted children: 10 and younger (1984); 11 to 18 (1983); and a sequel for ages 11 to 18 (1987). Third volume co-authored by James Delisle. Gallagher, James J. Teaching the Gifted Child, 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, Inc., 1985. Ginsberg, Gina and Harrison, Charles. How to Help Your Gifted Child: A Handbook for Parents and Teachers. New York: Monarch Press, 1977. Guilford, J.P. Way Beyond the IQ: Guide to Improving Intelligence & Creativity. Buffalo, NY: Creative Education Foundation, 1977. Kerr, Barbara Smart Girls, Gifted Women. Columbus, OH: Ohio Psychology Publishing Co., 1986. Moore, Linda Perigo. Does This Mean My Kid's a Genius? How to Motivate and Live With a Gifted Child. New York: New American Library, 1982. Rimm, Sylvia. Underachievement Syndrome: Causes & Cures. Watertown, WI: Apple Publishing, 1986. Stone, Nancy Alvarado. Gifted Is Not a Dirty Word: Thoughts About Being Bright in an Average World. Irvine, CA: Technicom, (4521 Campus Drive, Suite 405, Irvine, CA 92715), 1989. Russell, D.W.; Hayes, D.G.; and Dockery, L.B. My Child Is Gifted! Now What Do I Do?, 2nd ed. North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented, Inc. (PO Box 5394, Winston-Salem, NC 27113), 1988. Turecki, Stanley K. and Tonner, Leslie. The Difficult Child. New York: Bantam Books, 1989. Vail, Priscilla L. Smart Kids with School Problems. New York: Dutton, 1987. Webb, James T., et al. Guiding the Gifted Child. Columbus, OH: Ohio Psychology Publishing Co., 1982. --- Periodicals The Gifted Child Today, P.O. Box 6448, Mobile, AL 36601. Bi-monthly for parents and teachers. Roeper Review, P.O. Box 329, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48013. Quarterly for teachers, counselors and parents with some background in the field. Understanding Our Gifted, P.O. Box 3489, Littleton, CO 80120. Bi-monthly for parents and teachers. --- Publishers and other resources for gifted childs Free Spirit Publications, 400 First Avenue N., Suite 616, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Books and materials for gifted children. GCT Catalog. GCT Inc., P.O. Box 6448, Mobile, AL 36660. Educational Games, software, learning activities and tapes. State Educational Offices, Local School Districts, Cultural Institutions and Universities. Sponsor programs for gifted students. --- University-based summer programs Center for Academic Precocity (CAP). Arizona State University, College of Education, Farmer Building 417, Tempe, AZ 85287. CTY/Center for the Advancement of Academically Talented Youth. The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. TIP/Talent Identification Program. Duke University, 1121 W. Main Street, Suite 100, Durham, NC 27705 UCI Academic Talent Search and Pre-College Program. University of California, Irvine, University Extension, P.O. Box 6050, Irvine, CA 92716 ------------------------------------------------------- Characteristics of the gifted child Adapted from and used with courtesy of the Council for Exceptional Children, Reston, VA. ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children. ERIC Digest #E476. The outstanding abilities of gifted children often enable high- performance in one or a combination of areas including general intellectual ability, specific academic ability, visual or performing arts, creative thinking, leadership, and psychomotor abilities. Using a broad definition of giftedness, a school system could expect to identify 10% to 15% or more of its student population as gifted and talented. Characteristics of a gifted child may include: 1. Superior reasoning powers and ability to handle ideas. 2. Persistent intellectual curiosity. 3. Avid reading. 4. Superior written and/or spoken vocabulary. 5. Wide interests, often developing one or more in depth. 6. Ability to learn quickly and easily, and retain what is learned. 7. Insight into arithmetical problems that require careful reasoning and grasp of mathematical concepts. 8. Creative ability and/or imaginative expression in dance, music, art and drama. 9. Sustained concentration for lengthy periods. 10. High standards and self-criticism. 11. Initiative and originality in intellectual work. 12. Keen observation and responsiveness to new ideas. 13. Social poise and ability to communicate with adults. 14. Excitement and pleasure from intellectual challenge. American Mensa, Ltd., is the U.S. affiliate of the international high IQ Society. The sole criteria for membership is a score in the top 2% of the population on a standardized IQ test. In addition to offering members stimulating social and intellectual opportunities, Mensa is committed to raising public awareness of giftedness and the special needs of gifted children. Copies of materials must be obtained directly from the sources listed in this guide. American Mensa, Ltd. Dept. GCCS 2626 E. 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11235-3992 (718) 934-3700 Every effort has been made to verify information in this guide, however, Mensa cannot be held responsible for misprints, and does not endorse any particular organization or program listed. Copyright 1991, American Mensa, Ltd. --------------------------------------------------------------- Gifted children e-mail pals Disclaimer: This program has not been sanctioned, recognized, or approved in any way by American Mensa, Ltd, or any other Mensa organization. If you are a gifted child who is interested in finding an e-mail "penpal" or if you know of a gifted child who is, please send me an e-mail message containing the information listed below. No affiliation with Mensa is necessary for a gifted child to participate in Gifted Children E-Mail Pals. All gifted children of school age, including gifted students enrolled in college, are both eligible and encouraged to participate. Since this activity for gifted children is just beginning, it is difficult to determine how long it will take to match children of similar ages together. It really depends upon the number of children who participate. Any G&T teacher with Internet e-mail access who would like his/her students to participate can send me an e-mail message indicating this. At this point I do not know if there will be adequate interest to be able to include requests of this nature. No attempts will be made to match classes with classes as there are already a number of programs that provide this service. The following information needs to be included in the request for a GC E-Mail Pal: Name of gifted child Child's date of birth Child's grade in school Name of child's school (or indicate that child is homeschooled) City, State, and Country where child lives E-Mail address(es) to be used for correspondence Name of child's parent/guardian if the child is under 18 (and e-mail address if it differs from the child's address) Name of person providing the information. (It is adequate to indicate whether the child or a parent is providing the information.) Strongly encouraged, but optional, information to be included: Child's gender A short list of the child's interests or hobbies Send the request for a GC E-Mail Pal to me at one of the following e-mail addresses: Internet: lwhitley@lakes.trenton.sc.us CIS: Linda Whitley, 73422,2746 (For messages from CIS accounts only.) AOL: LLWhit  --------------------------------------------------------------------- ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING THE EDUCATION OF THE GIFTED (rev. 11/4/91) The following organizations have as their avowed purpose the promotion of the education of the gifted. This information is provided by Mensa as a service to its members. Mensa takes no responsibility for the actions of organizations other than itself. American Association for Gifted Children, c/o Talent Identification Program, Duke University, 01 W. Campus Dr., Duke Building, Durham, NC 27708 (919) 684-3847--The AAGC works to help gifted children reach their full potential and use their talents to benefit others. American Indian Research and Development, 2424 Springer Dr., Suite 200, Norman, OK 73069 (405) 364-0656--An educational service organization whose goal is to improve the quality of education for gifted and talented Native American students. Association for Gifted and Talented Students, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA 71497 (318) 357-4572--A group composed of parents, educators, and others who are interested in meeting the educational and social needs of gifted students. The Association for the Gifted, c/o Council for Exceptional Children, 920 Association Dr., Reston, VA 22091 (216) 672-2477-- A division of the Council for Exceptional Children whose members are educators and parents. Seeks to stimulate interest in program development for gifted children. Association of Gifted-Creative Children, 250 W. Highland Ave., Tracy, CA 95376 (209) 832-0825--A group for the parents and educators of gifted children. Gifted Children Society, 190 Rock Rd., Glen Rock, NJ 07452 (201) 444-6530--Provides educational enrichment programs such as the Saturday Workshop Program and Summer Super Stars. Hollingworth Center for Highly Gifted Children, PO Box 464, South Casco, ME 04077 (207) 655-3767--A support group for highly gifted children (IQs over 140) and their families. National Association for Creative Children and Adults, 8080 Springvalley Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45236 (513) 631-1777--A group of individuals who wish to foster the creativity of gifted children and adults. National Association for Gifted Children, 1155 15th St. NW, NO. 1002, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 785-4268--A group of librarians, educators, and parents who seek to advance interest in programs for the gifted. National/State Leadership Training Institute on the Gifted and the Talented, Hilton Center, 900 Wilshire Bldg., Suite 1142, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (213) 489-7470--Sponsors summer institutes, workshops, and seminars on the teaching of the gifted and talented for educators. World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, College of Education, Rm. 211, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77710 (409) 880-8046--A group whose goals are to foster international exchange of information on research and programs supporting the gifted and talented. Currently organizing a consultant service to assist countries to develop gifted programs.