Giftedness 101

309 Pages·2012·2.084 MB·English

by  Linda Silverman PhD

0
GIFTEDNESS
1 1
S
i
lver The Psych 101 Series
Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD m
a
n
“LindaSilvermanisanarticulate,insightful,authoritative,andextremely‘gift-
ed’internationalexpertintheassessmentofgiftedness….[She]hascreateda
gemwithGiftedness101.Thefieldsofpsychologyandeducationshouldwel-
comethisvibrantbookwithopenarms.”
AlanS.Kaufman,PhD
G
YaleChildStudyCenter
I
Whatisgiftedness?Isitthepotentialforsuccessorisittheexperienceofbeingan“out- F
sider”?Thisbookaddressestheuniquepsychologicalneedsofgiftedchildren,which
T
areoftenmanifestedas“feelingdifferent,”andexaminesspecialissuessuchasgift-
ed children with learning disabilities, gender considerations, implications of E
socioeconomicstatus,andmore. D
Giftedness101dispelscommonmythsaboutgiftednessandchallengestheviewthat N
eminenceisthetruesignifierofgiftedness.Itoffersspecificguidelinestopsychologists,
E
parents,and teachers;describes comprehensiveassessmentof the gifted;provides
supportforthetwiceexceptional;andfocusesonthecomplexinnerworldofthegift- S
ed.Thebookdefinesgiftednessasapsychologicalrealitywithpowerfulramifications S
throughoutthelifespan.Giftedness101willbeavaluable,eye-openingresourcefor
psychologists,educators,andotherprofessionalswhoworkwiththegifted,aswellas
1
giftedindividualsandtheirfamilies. 0
KeyFeatures: 1
•
Providesaconcise,accessibleoverviewofoneofthemostimportantand
challengingtopicsinpsychologyandeducation
• The
Examinestheconceptofgiftednessacrossthelifespan
• Psych
Coversboththeintellectualassessmentanddevelopmentofgiftedindividuals
101
aswellasthepsychologicalwell-beingissuesofthispopulation
• Series
Writtenbyaprominentexpertinthefieldofthepsychologyofgiftedness
ThePsych101Series
Short,reader-friendlyintroductionstocutting-edgetopicsinpsychology.Withkeycon-
cepts,controversialtopics,andfascinatingaccountsofup-to-the-minuteresearch,The
Psych 101 Series is a valuable resource for all students of psychology and
anyoneinterestedinthefield. Linda Kreger Silverman
ISBN 978-0-8261-0797-8
11 W. 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036-8002
www.springerpub.com 9 780826 107978
The
Psych
101
Series
James C. Kaufman, PhD, Series Editor
Director, Learning Research Institute
California State University at San Bernardino
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd ii 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4455 PPMM
Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD, is a licensed clinical and
counseling psychologist who has contributed to over 300 publications,
including the popular textbook, Counseling the Gifted and Talented. She
founded and directs the nonprofi t Institute for the Study of Advanced
Development, and its subsidiaries, Gifted Development Center (GDC)
(www.gifteddevelopment.com) and Visual-Spatial Resource (www.
visualspatial.org) in Denver, Colorado. The “visual-spatial learner”
construct, which she originated, was elucidated in her book, Upside-
Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner. The Visual-Spatial Identifi er is
one of 30 instruments she and her colleagues have created. In the last
33 years, 6,000 children have been assessed at GDC, the largest data
bank in existence on this population. This research enabled the crea-
tion of extended norms on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children,
Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale
of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV). Advising major testing
companies, she was a member of the expert Advisory Panel for the
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (SB-5), and she has con-
ducted item trials and validation studies on the SB-5, WPPSI-IV, and
WISC-IV. Co-chair of the National Association for Gifted Children’s
Task Force on IQ Interpretation, she has organized national and inter-
national conferences and workshops on the assessment of giftedness.
Advanced Development, which she founded in 1989, is the only refereed
psychological journal on adult giftedness; it birthed the specialization
of counseling gifted adults. Giftedness has been her lifelong passion;
she has been studying the psychology and education of the gifted
since 1961. For 9 years, she served on the faculty of the University of
Denver in counseling psychology and gifted education. Her PhD is in
educational psychology and special education from the University of
Southern California. Among her awards is the Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Colorado Association for Gifted & Talented. An interna-
tional speaker, she has given keynote addresses in Australia, England,
Hong Kong, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, and
Spain. Her work has been featured on The Today Show, 48 Hours, NPR,
PBS, BBC, and Eye-to-Eye with Connie Chung.
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd iiii 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4455 PPMM
Giftedness
101
Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd iiiiii 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4455 PPMM
Copyright © 2013 Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record-
ing, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Springer Publishing Company,
LLC, or authorization through payment of the appropriate fees to the Copyright
Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax
978-646-8600, [email protected] or on the Web at www.copyright.com.
Springer Publishing Company, LLC
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
www.springerpub.com
Acquisitions Editor: Nancy S. Hale
Composition: Newgen Imaging
ISBN: 978-0-8261-0797-8
E-book ISBN: 978-0-8261-0798-5
12 13 14 15 / 5 4 3 2 1
The author and the publisher of this Work have made every effort to use sources believed
to be reliable to provide information that is accurate and compatible with the standards
generally accepted at the time of publication. The author and publisher shall not be lia-
ble for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting, in whole or in part,
from the readers’ use of, or reliance on, the information contained in this book. The
publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or
third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that
any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Silverman, Linda Kreger.
Giftedness 101 / Linda Kreger Silverman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8261-0797-8 (alk. paper)
1. Gifted children. 2. Gifted children—Education. I. Title.
BF723.G5S55 2013
155.45’5—dc23 2012040247
Special discounts on bulk quantities of our books are available to corporations,
professional associations, pharmaceutical companies, health care organizations,
and other qualifying groups.
If you are interested in a custom book, including chapters from more than one of
our titles, we can provide that service as well.
For details, please contact:
Special Sales Department, Springer Publishing Company, LLC
11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036–8002
Phone: [phone] or 212-431-4370; Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Printed in the United States of America by Hamilton Printing.
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd iivv 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4466 PPMM
Giftedness 101 is dedicated to Dr. Annemarie Roeper—my
friend, my colleague—whose inspirational work changed the
lives of multitudes of gifted children. She saw who they are,
and her brave insights allowed others to see them as well. May
the Annemarie Roeper Method of Qualitative Assessment be
appreciated as a legitimate means of assessing giftedness. May
the Roeper Review and The Roeper School continue to refl ect
her passionate regard for the emotional lives of the gifted.
I dedicate my life to carrying on her work. May our hearts,
souls, and voices intertwine.
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd vv 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4466 PPMM
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd vvii 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4466 PPMM
Contents
2
Introduction ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter 1 Invisible Gifts 1
Chapter 2 What Is Giftedness? 19
Chapter 3 The Crusade to Vanquish Prejudice
Against the Gifted 51
Chapter 4 Life at the Extremes 85
Chapter 5 The Psychology of Giftedness 121
Chapter 6 Comprehensive Assessment of
Giftedness 155
Chapter 7 Optimal Development of the Gifted 191
vii
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd vviiii 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4466 PPMM
CONTENTS
Chapter 8 Where Do We Go From Here? 229
Appendix 235
References 243
Index 281
viii
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd vviiiiii 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4466 PPMM
Introduction
What is giftedness all about? This topic is mired in controversy.
● Is there such a thing?
● Aren’t all people gifted in some way?
● Doesn’t this type of labeling give a child a swelled head?
● Is giftedness just the result of “hothousing” by helicopter
parents?
● Are programs for gifted children elitist and undemocratic?
● Can’t smart kids make it on their own?
● Won’t the other kids catch up eventually?
● Does giftedness disappear or cause untimely death (“Early
ripe, early rot”)?
● Are people with unusual gifts born with some sort of com-
pensating handicap?
● Is there a link between giftedness and insanity?
● Is the notion of giftedness obsolete?
● Shouldn’t we be talking instead about talents in different
domains or multiple intelligences or expertise developed
through years of effort and practice?
These are some of the perennial misconceptions with which
the gifted and their parents must contend. Few topics engender
such strong reactions. While it is comfortable to acknowledge
that some individuals are less intelligent than we are, the idea
that some individuals are smarter than us poses an emotional
ix
SSiillvveerrmmaann__PPTTRR__CCHH0000__1166--1111--1122__ii--xxvvii..iinndddd iixx 1111//2288//22001122 33::2222::4466 PPMM