Clinical Practice with Gifted Families

Abstract

We have gained profound respect for the 5000 families served by the Gifted Development Center over the last 28 years. These unsung heroes have an uphill battle convincing educators that their children have legitimate needs. They often face a wall of resistance, if not outright hostility. Would those who claim, "All our children are gifted" be as likely to say, "All our children are retarded"? While gifted children have parents and some teachers who advocate for them, their parents may have no advocates at all. Parents of the gifted need as much support as their children. As the primary influence in their children's lives, they should be perceived as partners in the emotional and academic development of their children. Parents have fought for provisions for the gifted and are invaluable allies in keeping special programs alive. They need practitioners who care not only about their offspring, but also about them. Everyone who serves gifted children needs to become an advocate for the parents of these children. Although empirical research on the issues of gifted families is sparse (Moon, 2003), there is ample clinical research on the types of support needed by families of the gifted. Parents often seek psychological services to (a) confirm their child's giftedness, (b) guide them in parenting, (c) determine an educational path, (d) help them advocate more effectively, (e) locate available resources, (f) deal with family dynamics, (g) provide home stimulation, and (h) obtain guidance with specific issues, such as underachievement (see Chapter 8), finding friends (see Chapter 3), twice exceptionality (see Chapter 7), and, occasionally, undeveloped potential in the parents.