By: Bethany Weiler & Kate Mikulencak
Parenting a gifted child can be both rewarding and challenging. Gifted students often have unique needs, ranging from academic acceleration to social-emotional support. Navigating these needs effectively requires understanding, resources, and sometimes a community of other parents facing similar challenges. Fortunately, there is a wealth of resources available to help parents of gifted children thrive. Here are some top book, webinar, and podcast recommendations for parents of gifted students.
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Gifted and Distractible
A practical, research-based guide that demystifies giftedness and learning differences in order to help “twice exceptional” children thrive.
Does your child exhibit giftedness and behavioral issues like meltdowns, power struggles, and difficulty relating to their peers? Are they out-of-the-box thinkers requiring different teaching and learning methods? It’s a widely held misconception that intellectual ability and social and emotional success go hand in hand. In fact, “twice exceptional” kids—those who are gifted and have simultaneous learning differences like ADHD, Autism, or dyslexia—are often misunderstood by parents, teachers, and themselves.
This much-needed and empowering guide reveals the unique challenges these remarkable kids face, and offers strength-based, hands-on strategies for understanding, supporting, and advocating for twice exceptional kids.
Differently Wired
It’s time to say no to trying to fit square-peg kids into round holes, and yes to raising them from a place of acceptance and joy.
A how-to, a manifesto, and a wise and reassuring companion for parents of neurotypical children, who often feel that they have no place to turn, Differently Wired offers 18 paradigm-shifting ideas—what the author calls “tilts”—that will change everything, including how to Get Out of Isolation and Connect, how to Help Your Kids Embrace Self-Discovery, and how to Show Up and Live in the Present. And through these “tilts,” how to stay open, pay attention, and become an exceptional parent to your exceptional child.
A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children
A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children (2007), the quintessential compendium of raising gifted children, has been revised!
In this new edition, coauthors Edward R. Amend Psy.D., Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC, and Janet Gore, M.Ed. reinforce the reliable approaches originally explored in the first edition, while drawing extensively on the wealth of research and information developed over the last 15 years in the areas of neuroscience, psychology, and education.
Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up
Do you find yourself constantly asking your child to “pick up the pace”? Does he or she seem to take longer than others to get stuff done–whether completing homework, responding when spoken to, or getting dressed and ready in the morning? Drs. Ellen Braaten and Brian Willoughby have worked with thousands of kids and teens who struggle with an area of cognitive functioning called “processing speed,” and who are often mislabeled as lazy or unmotivated. Filled with vivid stories and examples, this crucial resource demystifies processing speed and shows how to help kids (ages 5 to 18) catch up in this key area of development. Helpful practical tools can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2″ x 11″ size. Learn how to obtain needed support at school, what to expect from a professional evaluation, and how you can make daily routines more efficient–while promoting your child’s social and emotional well-being.
The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives
A few years ago, Bill Stixrud and Ned Johnson started noticing the same problem from different angles: Even high-performing kids were coming to them acutely stressed and lacking motivation. Many complained they had no control over their lives. Some stumbled in high school or hit college and unraveled. Bill is a clinical neuropsychologist who helps kids gripped by anxiety or struggling to learn. Ned is a motivational coach who runs an elite tutoring service. Together they discovered that the best antidote to stress is to give kids more of a sense of control over their lives. But this doesn’t mean giving up your authority as a parent. In this groundbreaking book they reveal how you can actively help your child to sculpt a brain that is resilient, and ready to take on new challenges.The Self-Driven Child offers a combination of cutting-edge brain science, the latest discoveries in behavioral therapy, and case studies drawn from the thousands of kids and teens Bill and Ned have helped over the years to teach you how to set your child on the real road to success. As parents, we can only drive our kids so far. At some point, they will have to take the wheel and map out their own path. But there is a lot you can do before then to help them tackle the road ahead with resilience and imagination.
Never Enough
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The definitive book on the rise of “toxic achievement culture” overtaking our kids’ and parents’ lives, and a new framework for fighting back. In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today’s students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. They jam-pack their schedules with AP classes, fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, and even sabotage relationships with friends to “get ahead.” Family incomes and schedules are stretched to the breaking point by tutoring fees and athletic schedules. Yet this drive to optimize performance has only resulted in skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm in America’s highest achieving schools. Parents, educators, and community leaders are facing the same quandary: how can we teach our kids to strive towards excellence without crushing them?
FREE WEBINAR RECOMMENDATIONS
Sparking Curiosity and Delight: When children show strong abilities in one academic area or another, the adults in their lives often encourage them to pursue hobbies and careers that play off those strengths. That may certainly be an advantage, but sometimes the strategy can leave children feeling incomplete. In this session, we explored a path that supports academic growth while sparking curiosity in childhood. Learn how to come alongside your kids as they dive deeply into the passions and interests that make them come alive! This webinar also had a live Spanish interpretation during the event.
Parent Webinar: Connection Before Content: Join us for the TAGT Fall webinar designed specifically for parents of gifted students. In this session, attendees will delve into the critical topic of mental health challenges students face and the significance of fostering connections and relationships in their lives. Our expert panel will guide parents through an exploration of the unique struggles that gifted students often encounter, including feelings of isolation and loneliness. By providing valuable insights and practical strategies, this webinar equips parents with the knowledge and tools necessary to support their children in combating these challenges. Be prepared for a successful new school year by joining us for this empowering event.
Finding Their Element: Nurturing Gifted Kids’ Passions: In this webinar, we’ll learn why identifying, acknowledging, and nurturing your gifted child’s passions can be the key to guiding them toward not just super achievement, but a more fulfilling and rewarding life in their “element.”
PODCAST RECOMMENDATIONS
The Neurodiversity Podcast talks with leaders in the fields of psychology, education, and beyond, about positively impacting neurodivergent people. Our goal is to reframe differences that were once considered disabilities or disorders, promote awareness of this unique population, and improve the lives of neurodivergent and high-ability people.
Feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of raising a neurodivergent child? Tilt Parenting is here to help. Hosted by parenting activist and author Debbie Reber, this podcast is your go-to resource for navigating life with ADHD, autism, PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), giftedness and twice-exceptional (2e) kids. With expert interviews and candid conversations, you’ll discover practical solutions for things like school challenges and refusal, therapy options, and fostering inclusion, social struggles, advocacy, intense behavior, and more – all through a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming lens. Whether you’re struggling with advocating for your child at school or seeking ways to better support their unique needs, Debbie offers the guidance and encouragement you need to reduce stress and create a thriving, joyful family environment. It’s like sitting down with a trusted friend who gets it. You’ve got this, and we’ve got your back!
Welcome to the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) Podcast. TAGT exists to connect and empower educators and parents to meet the unique needs of gifted and talented individuals through awareness, advocacy, and action. Learn more and find resources at txgifted.org.