The Whole Gifted Child Task Force Report to the NAGC Board of Directors
Author: National Association for Gifted Children
Date: 2018-03-01
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Academically Gifted,Gifted Education,Talent Identification,Best Practices,Holistic Approach,Child Development,Social Development,Emotional Development,Well Being,Talent Development,Disproportionate Representation,Minority Group Students,Gifted Disabled,Poverty,Inclusion,Self Concept,Underachievement,Parenting Styles,Parent Influence

The National Association for Gifted Children's Whole Gifted Child (WGC) Task Force was the Presidential initiative of Dr. George Betts (NAGC President 2015-2017). The WGC Task Force reflects a collective of expertise related to gifted children, gifted education, counseling the gifted, and talent development. Dr. Betts charged the Task Force &quot;to present knowledge and research about the diversity of gifted children, their needs, development, and the importance of providing alternatives for their ongoing growth in school, home, and community.&quot; The WGC Task Force set out to identify what is currently known about the multidimensional nature of gifted individuals, consider how what is known might affect gifted individuals' experiences, and begin to conceive of ways the task force might use their combined understanding to bring practical and proactive recommendations to foster the development of emotional health, engagement, achievement, relationships, and meaning in life. Best practices for serving gifted and talented students are clearly defined by NAGC in the Pre-K to Grade 12 Gifted Programming Standards and guidance for identification is provided through a series of NAGC Position Papers. The WGC Task Force sees these existing resources as important but incomplete. Therefore, the Whole Gifted Child Task Force set out to explore giftedness with an eye toward valuing the perspectives of all constituencies within the organization including parents, consultants, educators, counselors, academics, and advocates. The WGC Task Force believes the following broad recommendations should inform identification practices, programs, and services for gifted students: (1) Recognize that giftedness in children exists as part of the human experience and can be demonstrated in a variety of contexts; (2) Recognize the compatibility of developing healthy coping strategies, well-being, and a strong sense of self alongside talent areas; (3) Recognize that gifted children have the right to an identity beyond their talent area; (4) Provide universal screening with valid and reliable measures of verbal and nonverbal reasoning; (5) In addition to universal screeners, utilize identification procedures that provide a holistic profile; (6) Provide programs and services that match specific areas of gifts and needs in a manner that are thoughtfully planned in advance and address a variety of factors, including noncognitive and co-cognitive factors that affect the development of a gifted child; (7) Provide programs and services that are unique relative to those provided by curricular approaches in regular classroom settings; (8) Develop opportunities, time, and resources for personalized learning to support the deep exploration of individual interests, passions, and ideas; and (9) Ensure the focus of programs and services is on developing strengths rather than solely addressing deficits. This report provides a summarized review of what is known about particular areas of concern for gifted populations. This review is meant to illustrate areas of particular importance when considering the nature of giftedness as an individual human experience. Some of the literature on gifted learners indicates they may be at a greater risk of developing behavioral or emotional problems due to such factors as asynchronous development, extremely high or unrealistic expectations of parents and teachers, lack of access to cognitive peers, heightened sensitivities and intensities, nonconformity, and a mismatch between their abilities and educational environment. These issues may pose additional demands and stress not only on the gifted learner, but on the parents or caregivers as well. This report concludes with specific recommendations by the WGC designed to engender consensus and ensure inclusiveness in organization processes as NAGC moves forward in its efforts to support those who enhance the growth and development of gifted and talented children.