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

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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

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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. 

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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. 

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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
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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.  
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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 

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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.