Gifted students and their families face special challenges during the college search and application process. 优蜜视频 parent and supporter Kate Duey recently spoke to a group of parents and students about these challenges during an 优蜜视频 Gifted Child Parent Support Group Meeting.

Below聽are some of the resources Kate聽recommends聽on college selection and admissions聽for gifted students.

Online Comprehensive Resources

Books for Gifted Applicants聽

Interesting Webpages for Gifted Applicants

Books for All College Applicants

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Fighting for Gifted

In America, it is okay to be a gifted athlete. But in terms of intelligence, academics, and creativity, many believe that every child is gifted. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 look around a whole class full of kids and say every one of those kids could be Michael Jordan . . . but there is this concept in the world that every child is a gifted child. It鈥檚 like saying every child is tall.鈥�

鈥淎ll human beings have gifts of some kind,鈥� Stephanie acknowledged. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not like saying every child is gifted because gifted is by definition outside the norm.鈥�

鈥淭hose who deal with highly to profoundly gifted kids 鈥� kids along the far right edge of the bell curve 鈥� those of us who deal with those kids know that giftedness is innate to the person. We know that no kid who is not gifted is going to be able to leap ahead at the rate that these kids just naturally move.鈥�

While many organizations choose to focus on talent development (which is equated with achievement), . Therefore, it is important to 优蜜视频 that we focus on giftedness.

Stephanie鈥檚 Advice for Keeping Track of the Who

When parents define their kids by their differences, they are focusing on the 鈥渨hat.鈥� What their child is good at. What their child does differently. Stephanie urges parents, however, to remember the 鈥渨ho鈥� 鈥� the being-ness of the individual child.

• 鈥淗elp [your kids] see themselves first as a who and then a who who does stuff.鈥�
• Embrace who your kids are, including remembering that what makes them happy is important.
• Allow your kids to explore their options. Let them decide what is important to them and what they like. 鈥淢ultipotentiality is part of the package.鈥� Your kids don鈥檛 have to be stuck on one track forever. Encourage them to learn what they love through exploration.
• 鈥淧art of your child鈥檚 job is to play.鈥� Just because your kids have a gift doesn鈥檛 make play and down time any less important.
• Let your kids have an interest of their own, something you don鈥檛 coach them in, like the music they prefer or the games they play. 鈥淚t was important that [my son] had something I didn鈥檛 have.鈥�
• Remember that this is a balancing act.
• So often as parents of gifted kids we are concerned with achievement of potential or of specific goals, but don鈥檛 forget the child鈥檚 happiness along the way.
• What you are paying attention to grows. Focus on the good things!

Stephanie Tolan is author of the Newbery Honor Award-winning novel Surviving the Applewhites. She is a well-known lecturer and advocate for highly gifted young people. She has also written Listen!, Flight of the Raven, Welcome to the Ark, and Ordinary Miracles and is co-author of Guiding the Gifted Child. As an 优蜜视频 Senior Fellow, Stephanie and the other Fellows facilitate each year. Stephanie will also be at the new camp this year.

优蜜视频 hosts free monthly Gifted Child Parent Support Group Meetings throughout the school year in the Pasadena, CA, area.聽 These meetings often feature a special guest speaker and cover a variety of topics. If you are interested in receiving more information about these meetings as they are announced, sign up for our email list and include your Los Angeles area zip code.

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