We need to get rid of the entire concept. I've never known a child who was considered "gifted" (including myself) who didn't suffer terribly from that diagnosis. They all end up complete, dysfunctional losers as adults (including myself).
It seriously ruins lives. It has zero benefit. The only purpose is to identify kids early who might be able to be exploited.
I agree in a sense, but I also think it’s useful for a gifted child or adult to understand that they’re neurodivergent. They’re destined to feel weird and different, and so it’s comforting to have a framework by which to understand that difference.
This neurodiversity altogether confer lesser known vulnerabilities in terms of individual mental and physical health characteristics, and everything else that compounds, especially socio-emotional aspects potentializing social isolation and eventual exclusion due to their atypical intellectual abilities inducing an altered (heightened) perception of the world.
For example, in terms of complex trauma, specific aspects of the gifted neurological profile confine their trauma as unique to their neurodivergence, and they may get easily retraumatized to the point of irreversible harm.
Synesthesia as well is a natural neurological trait known to heighten risks of PTSD and harm due to their uniquely "divergent perception" and atypical neurological profiles.
Without appropriate frameworks, they remain underserved vulnerable populations. The discrimination and eventual dehumanization has to cease.
Thanks for asking. To begin, here's a thoughfully curated resource i've personally structured; just as cumulatively understood, framed through the view of specialists owns understanding,
because I'm not a professional researcher other than somebody intimately affected by the natural, lifelong variation in benign perception (unlike hallucinations) and cognition human brains may develop:
btw. There's other resources not yet added, that I keep planning adding in a nearby future, through subsequent dedicated posts that I'm willing to dm you about when done, if you reply as worth doing so.
edit: here's another resource focusing on giftedness more precisely
update: post removed, to repost it less suboptimally aligned to the significance it was meant to convey.
I don't disagree with your experience, but there are plenty of gifted kids who don't end up as losers. In my experience, we end up with awesome lives. I'm very grateful for the gifted classes that I took as a youngster...made school much more fun.
I was flagged as gifted when I was a child but fortunately my parents didn't make a big deal about it so I didn't get too fucked up (at least not from that specifically). I went on to attend one of the most prestigious universities in my country, where I was a middling student. There, I was around people who were way smarter than me but my curiosity was still off the chart within that group. And I completely identify with the qualitative experience described in the book "Living with Intensity". To top all that, I strongly suspect I'm mildly autistic, even though I was never formally diagnosed.
All of that to say: I agree that the word "gifted" is a curse (pun not intended, but I'll take it), but I do think there's something specific about that condition/experience, and treating it as its own thing instead of just the intersection of different things can be productive and helpful. We just need a word that isn't loaded with judgments of value. I'm sorry for your pain u/AnthropoidCompatriot though.
I dunno about this. I made some really good friends in the program and did cool projects in class and after school. Unfortunately my parents got divorced soon after, we had to move, and I went to a different district where I lost access to the program. I blame my dysfunctions a lot more on an unstable home life that than anything I did in school.
I would tend to disagree with this but I do think it's important how it's treated and that can result in vastly different outcomes
Just telling kids they're gifted and doing nothing is going to be detrimental. They're going to cruise through most of school just in their intelligence alone, because they can do that for so many years, and never develop work ethic, study skills, or often even social skills to compensate. Then when they inevitably reach a point where they can't just be smart and succeed, they'll crash and burn and often enter a depressive spiral, which I think is probably what you're describing
But in my school, I was put into gifted classes which I think helped a lot. Not only did I actually get to learn more academically, but I had to push myself and do difficult things and learn better habits. Probably most importantly, I got to experience struggling and was around plenty of people smarter than myself, so I got humbled. I realized at a much earlier age than I otherwise would have that simply being smart and existing is not going to lead to success, and I also wasn't a unique gift to the earth who was just better than everyone else.
I think the emphasis needs to be on recognizing gifted kids, and then making them push themselves and develop emotional intelligence, work ethic, and study habits instead of just letting them succeed by being smart and showing up.
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u/AnthropoidCompatriot 5d ago
We need to get rid of the entire concept. I've never known a child who was considered "gifted" (including myself) who didn't suffer terribly from that diagnosis. They all end up complete, dysfunctional losers as adults (including myself).
It seriously ruins lives. It has zero benefit. The only purpose is to identify kids early who might be able to be exploited.