Parenting with eyes wide open: Young gifted children, early entry and social isolation

Abstract

This case study outlines the challenges of eight Australian mothers with intellectually gifted preschoolers. The ideal ways of nurturing children’s giftedness, the parents’ role in early identification and the effect of maternal depression and possible association with twice exceptionality (gifted with a disorder) are discussed. The narratives of case study parents then describe how and whether the needs of their preschoolers were understood or met in early childhood services, and the advice they received about early entry. It was found that early entry met the needs of children whose parents chose this acceleration option and that the preschoolers who missed out because of intervention by their educators did not fare so well. Findings also indicated an urgent need for the inclusion of compulsory early childhood giftedness courses for Australian pre-service educators and an equally urgent need for professional development courses about giftedness for educators already working in early childhood services.

Early Childhood Gifted Education

“…Indeed, identifying and meeting the needs of young gifted children requires adequately skilled educators able to address the needs, strengths, and interests of these learners (Hertzog et al 2018;Kaplan and Hertzog 2016;Kettler et al 2017;Sutherland and Stack 2019;Wellisch 2020). Many educators often experience difficulty in identifying the characteristics of gifted young children and the types of appropriate learning accommodations beneficial to them.…”

“…While many educators seem to be aware of the need to identify young gifted children early, they seem to be unable to recognize signs of giftedness (Wright and Ford 2017). This dichotomy stems from the fact that many early childhood educators have little or no formal training in identifying young gifted children and designing learning opportunities for them and so, young gifted children's needs are often not well understood and they are not offered the right provisions early enough (Kettler et al 2017;Sutherland and Stack 2019;Wellisch 2020). Such findings highlight the need for early childhood educators who are adequately trained to recognize giftedness and to provide differentiated services for young gifted children.…”

“…Strong evidence suggests that providing differentiated services for young gifted children increases their chances of future academic success and reduces their social, emotional, and education problems in the long run (Harrison 2004;Kettler et al 2017;Wellisch 2020). Specifically, differentiated learning experiences that focus on talent development in areas of language, numeracy, and the arts ensure continuation of progress for the gifted child.…”

“…Several gifted education programs exist which provide opportunities for gifted children to develop and demonstrate their potential. For example, early entry to school, an option to enter school before the standard minimum age, is a well-researched area of acceleration for intellectually gifted children (Wellisch 2020). Yet, evidence suggests that sometimes educators' biases and subjectivities in referral to gifted education programs may limit the development of potential possibilities of certain gifted children (Wright and Ford 2017).…”

“…Sometimes, such knowledge and insights are frequently ignored by educators, making the difference in the child's behavior from same-aged peers seems as abnormal, often resulting in the child masking abilities and consequently lead to underachievement. True and meaningful dialogue between educators and families can improve understanding of the young gifted child's abilities and help them reach their full potential (Harrison 2004;Wellisch 2020).…”