Gifted School-Age Children

Hi there,

I am the mother of the "mini-scientist." I haven't been to this board for awhile, but it's nice to hear from another parent of a creatively gifted child. What you say about mood disorder is interesting. Can you tell me how your daughter's mood disorder affects her? My son is only 6yo and in Kindergarten, but he recently has been getting quite frustrated and even angry when things go wrong at school. For example, he got very upset when he discovered that I forgot to pack him a snack one day. There have been other incidents as well. I think we're going to have him see a psychologist. He also sees the school counselor on a regular basis.

I find that there is little understanding of the creatively gifted. I'm constantly struggling to figure out how to help my son succeed in school and maintain his creativity at the same time. And I don't know whether trying to get him to go along with the program in school is beneficial or detrimental. I wish there were a roadmap for this.

Lillian

Hi Ally,
My son, Connor, is 12 years old and is Gifted identified. He also has a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder and has mild Cerebral Palsy. His area of creativity is in his writting and we take careful note if he seems to be spending a large amount of time on his writting. It's a good sign that his mood has shifted and he's trying cope with it on his own.

stacy

Stacy,

Thanks so much for your reply. Mandy's doing quite a lot better since I posted initially, but her moods are still really, really intense. She cycles pretty quickly between up and down and all the other variations, but there are times when I notice her taking refuge in her math and science things. On your advice, I'll try to take closer note of those times and try to talk to her about how she's feeling.

Thanks,again

Aly.