Gifted At-Risk

Gifted At-Risk
Gifted students are outstanding learners who are not usually considered at risk of academic failure or problems. However, gifted students can still underachieve. There are risks related to the student's giftedness. This concept was formally set forth in 1972 in the U.S. in the Marland Report:
Gifted and talented children are, in fact, deprived and can suffer psychological damage and permanent impairment of their abilities to function well which is equal to or greater than the similar deprivation suffered by any other population with special needs served by the Office of Education.
Specific risks
However, the following risks are listed in The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children:
frustration, irritability, anxiety, tedium, and social isolation
intense social isolation and stress among those with IQ greater than 160
difficulty making friends due to advanced concept of friendship, mostly among those less than age 10
de-motivation, low self-esteem, and social rejection among the exceptionally gifted
emotional awareness beyond their ability to control
difficulty with peer relations proportional to their IQ
loneliness, anxieties, phobias, interpersonal problems, fear of failure, and perfectionism
underachievement for social acceptance
lack of resilience reinforced by easy work and well-intentioned but misguided praise
increasing perfectionism throughout school years among girls
fear of failure and risk avoidance due to perfectionism
depression among creatively gifted
There is a cause-and-effect relationship between the unmet learning needs of gifted students and the above risks. "Research indicates that many of the emotional and social difficulties gifted students experience disappear when their educational climates are adapted to their level and pace of learning."
Linda Kreger Silverman enumerates these additional risks:
refusal to do routine, repetitive assignments
inappropriate criticism of others
lack of awareness of impact on others
difficulty accepting criticism
hiding talents to fit in with peers
nonconformity and resistance to authority
poor study habits
Further, there exists anecdotal evidence of truancy problems with gifted children, who sometimes miss school because of disengagement, and worse, fear of bullying. In 1999, legislation was introduced in Colorado to recognize gifted students as at-risk, with truancy as a factor, but the bill did not become law.
Lastly, meta-analysis from the paper "Gifted Students Who Drop Out—Who and Why: A Meta-Analytical Review of the Literature" shows two key points. First, 4.5% of high school dropouts are gifted, and they leave school in part because of school-related issues. One would expect a very few gifted children to drop out, given the ease with which they can excel in school. According to the Achievement Trap, this problem is even more pronounced among economically disadvantaged children.
See also
Gifted education
Intellectual giftedness
Marland report
Underachiever
References
Notes
Sources
Further reading
External links
Achievement Trap: How America Is Failing Millions of High-Achieving Students from Lower-Income Families
Hoagies' - Gifted Students At Risk
Overlooked Gems: A National Perspective on Low-Income Promising Learners
SENG - Gifted kids at risk: Who's listening?
Education reform
Gifted education
Special education