No Child is Just Born Gifted - NAGC

opportunities to nurture their rapidlyexpanding and curious minds. Thefollowing are a few activities parents canprovide from kindergarten throughouttheir child’s school life:• Give your child access to new ideasand information by including him or herin discussions at dinner and during familyconversations.• Research ideas together; show yourchild how you gather information foryour work and personal interests.• Share your enthusiasms with yourchild.• Provide choices and alternatives asmuch as possible and include your childin decision making wherever appropriate.As soon as children can understand theconsequences of an action they should bepart of the decision.• Model clear and open communicationprinciples such as not blamingothers, making expectations known,identifying and speaking from one’s ownbeliefs while accepting the beliefs ofothers. Help your child use these principlesin communicating.• See and use problems as opportunitiesfor learning, and help your child dothis in his or her life.• Reduce tension for your child, asgifted children are known to put excessivepressure on themselves to achieve or to be“perfect” in what they attempt. Share yourstrategies for accepting less than perfectionin yourself. Also, have flexible rulesthat change appropriately and withdiscussion, share the establishment ofguidelines and goals, and acknowledgeand point out strengths as well as areas inneed of development.• Acknowledge your child’s accomplishmentseven though everyone mayexpect him or her to do well.• Help your child understand whatgiftedness is and the implications of thislevel of brain growth, including theresponsibilities your child has to helpnurture this dynamic process.• Provide a safe place for your child todiscuss problems. Listen without judgmentas your child explores his or her feelingsand possible solutions. There are manypeople who will not understand giftedchildren’s intensity and the needs thatrelate to their advanced and acceleratedbrain process. Your home may at times bethe only place your child feels protected.• Mostly, just enjoy living with yourgifted child. While it is a never-endingchallenge, it is an unbelievable joy!The newborn child is amazinglycompetent and able to learn. With loveand careful attention, parents and teacherscan provide the opportunities to optimizeevery child’s potential and realize eachchild’s giftedness. No child is just borngifted.Dr. Barbara Clark is a Professor in the Divisionof Special Education and Coordinator forgraduate programs in the area of gifted educationat California State University, Los Angeles, .Dr. Clark is the author of the widely used text,Growing Up Gifted (5th Edition, 1997) andOptimizing Learning (1986), both publishedby Merrill/Prentice Hall. She has taughtpreschool children on commercial television asthe teacher of Romper Room and in both regularand gifted classes at the elementary level inpublic schools.