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THE UPDATETHE ASSOCIATION FOR THE GIFTED, A DIVISION OF THE COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN FALL 2012

The Underachieving Gifted Child: Recognizing, Understanding, and

Reversing UnderachievementDel Siegle, Ph.D.

This is an excerpt of a chapter from The Underachieving Gifted Child: Recognizing,Understanding, and Reversing Underachievement, A CEC-TAG Educational Resource, used

with permission from Prufrock Press, Inc.

The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to ones opportunities and

make the most of ones resources.Luc de Clapiers

Underachievement is among the most frustrating and bewildering education issues

parents and educators face. It is not a crisis of a certain group of people; it is a very real factorin the lives of students from both low and high socioeconomic groups and from rural as well asurban areas. Although it is more common among males, it can also be an issue for females.

Underachievement often surfaces around middle school and can continue into high school andbeyond (Peterson & Colangelo, 1996). A majority of male underachievers are alreadyunderachieving during seventh grade, compared to a majority of female underachievers, who

begin to underachieve during eighth and ninth grade (Peterson & Colangelo, 1996). Some

researchers have suggested that as high as 50% of gifted students underachieve at some point.However, the extent of underachievement among gifted students is difficult to measure for two

reasons. First, there is no universally accepted definition of giftedness. Second, somecontroversy surrounds what criteria should be used to define underachievement.

On the surface, educators and parents may view academic underachievement as a

motivation issue. However, underperforming is much more complex than simply not beingmotivated. Additionally, several factors contribute to individuals being motivated. Students failto engage and fail to achieve for a variety of reasons. The purpose of this book is to review the

reasons why students are not achieving to their full potential and to discuss strategies that theyand others in their environment can consider to help reverse their underachievement.

In the early 1990s, Csikszentmihalyi (1993) coined the term flow to describe peak

experiences people have. During these experiences, individuals are completely absorbed inwhat they are doing and often lose track of time. Generally speaking, flow occurs whenactivities offer a high degree of challenge in areas where individuals perceive themselves as

possessing a high degree of skill. Maximum performance occurs during these flow experiences.Flow occurs when individuals have clear goals, decisiveness, the merging of action andawareness, complete (yet effortless) concentration, a sense of control, loss of self-

consciousness, an altered sense of time, immediate feedback, and a focus totally on the activitywithout regard to self (Csikszentmihalyi, 1993). One goal of parents and educators can be to

Continued next page

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The Underachieving Child (continued from page 1)help young people become more engaged so they can have flow experiences. My own work(Siegle & McCoach, 2005b) has shown that students who believe they have the necessary skills

to perform a task, who find the task meaningful, and who feel supported in their efforts tend to

embrace learning and achieve. Unfortunately, these conditions are often not present for manygifted and talented students in school.

Gentry (Gentry, Rizza, & Gable, 2001) has suggested that five interrelated conceptsshould underlie educational programs for gifted and talented students: challenge, choice,interest, enjoyment, and personal meaning. Many gifted students are not being academically

challenged because they have long ago mastered the content they are being asked to complete(Reis et al., 1993). This is particularly true during the early elementary years. It can be

problematic for students because they fail to develop the self-discipline, work habits, and

effective study skills that they need once the curriculum does become challenging. A seconddanger is that they do not come to expect school to be an exciting place for them to grow or tolearn new things.

Gifted and talented programs have traditionally focused on identifying studentsinterests and strengths and providing them with opportunities to explore their passions(Renzulli, 2012). Unfortunately, when economic times are difficult, gifted and talented

programs are often the first to be cut (Purcell, 1994). Gifted and talented students also spend themajority of their school experience in the regular classroom where differentiation and choiceoptions are limited (Archambault et al., 1993). Although teachers may want to provide

appropriate educational opportunities for the gifted and talented students in their classroom, fewteachers have received the necessary training to understand the needs of gifted and talentedstudents and how best to serve them (Archambault et al., 1993).

Educators are not the only group responsible for making school more meaningful forstudents; parents also play a role. The importance parents place on schoolwork and the type ofwork ethic they model for their children also directly influence the meaningfulness and

enjoyment young people associate with school. Parents who are unhappy with the educationalopportunities their gifted and talented offspring is receiving can inadvertently sabotage thechilds educational achievement. This is particularly true when parents share their concerns

with the student. Parents have a duty to advocate for appropriate educational experiences fortheir children, but they should also not impugn the importance of school and education.

Although underachievement is not a prominent area of research in general education, it

is a major area of concern in gifted education. When The National Research Center on theGifted and Talented conducted a national needs assessment on issues related to gifted

education, the underachievement of gifted students was the highest area of concern (Renzulli,Reid, & Gubbins, 1991). Colangelo (2003) reported that underachievement was the problemmost often addressed by counselors in his center for gifted students. In fact, entire careers have

been built around counseling and reversing the underachievement patterns of gifted students

(Rimm, 1996).

Because humans are diverse and complex beings, decades of research and counselingexperiences in the field of gifted education have not produced a single silver bullet to solvethis perplexing issue.

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However, promising practices exist, and many individuals have been successful inhelping students turn their underachievement around (Baum, Renzulli, & Hbert, 1995;

Rimm, 1995; Whitmore, 1980). Underachieving students have traditionally benefitted fromcounseling interventions, modifications in their curriculum, or a combination of both. Whatworks for one student may not work for another. An individual student may find a topic

interesting while another student finds it mundane. What motivates one individual to pursuea challenging course of action holds little relevance to another individual. Althoughachievers share some central beliefs about themselves and their attitudes to school,

underachievers differ much more from each other on these issues (McCoach & Siegle,

2003a). Therefore, no single plan for reversing underachievement works with every studentwho is not achieving to his or her potential. However, because achievers do share some

common characteristics, this information is useful to consider when helping low-achievingstudents reverse their underachievement pattern.

What we do know is that if nothing is done, many underachievers will not catch upafter they leave high school. The greater their underachievement, the less likely they will

reverse it. Students with high IQ scores and mediocre grades tend to produce in life whatstudents with average IQ scores and mediocre grades produce.

In other words, their life accomplishments are more closely related to their gradesthan to their academic potential. Their unexplored talents represent potential loss for society

and for their own self-fulfillment. However, students with highly educated parents and

students with high aspirations have a greater chance of catching up and reversing thispattern (McCall, 1994). Therefore, extra attention needs to be given to students of poverty

and students from traditionally underrepresented groups.

So, why do some gifted students fail to perform at a level commensurate with theirabilities? What happens to underachieving gifted students in occupational settings if they do

not achieve academically during their adolescent years? How can parents and educators helpgifted students reach their potential? Can anything be done to reverse underachievement?This book reviews research related to these questions and describes several practices that

have helped students recognize their potential and strive to achieve it.

The Underachieving Gifted Child (continued from page 2)

An excerpt from The Underachieving Gifted Child: Recognizing, Understanding, and Re-

versing Underachievement, A CEC-TAG Educational Resource, usedwith permission from

Prufrock Press, Inc.

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From the President

The TAG Board is a working board that focuses on issues that affect the lives of students with gifts andtalents. The Board met in Waco, TX in September and as a result, we approved revisions to the DiversityAward from last year. It is now the Equity for Under-represented Minority Students Teacher Award.

TAG Board members Dr. Fred Bonner, Dr. Tarek Grantham, and Dr. Donna Ford have built on the workof Dr. Gloria Taradash and forged a set of criteria and guidelines for this national award. According tothis committee, the purpose of this national award is to recognize a teacher who has: (1) demonstrated acommitment to enhancing excellence and equity for under-represented gifted student populations, (2)infused culturally responsive classroom or program innovations that meet the needs of students who areunder-represented in gifted and advanced programs, and (3) provided leadership to advance the NAGC/CEC teacher standards and positions on diversity. For the guidelines and the application process, pleasevisit our website at www.cectag.org .

It is not too early to plan to attend the CEC 2013 Convention & Expo to be held April 3 -6 in San Anto-nio, TX. Please mark your calendars and tell your supervisors how important it is for you to attend! Reg-istration is now open at www.cec.sped.org . Our famous TAG Symposium will be on Wednesday, April3 from 9-3. Watch for registration information. The TAG Business Meeting will be Thursday, April 4

from 5:30-6:30 pm, and the TAG Social will follow at 6:30. We will provide the locations as soon as

that information is available. These events will also be listed in the program book.

This is my last newsletter as President of TAG. Dr. Julia Roberts of Western Kentucky University willbe stepping into the role of President as of January 1, 2013. I have appreciated the support of the TAGBoard during my presidency and the willingness of each person to take on any task or request enthusias-tically. I want to particularly thank Dr. Susan Johnsen for her wisdom and guidance as Past President.Her willingness to provide assistance any time I asked was invaluable.

We have just elected new board members and officers. Following are brief bios for those who won inthis election. The TAG board invites those of you who are interested in getting more involved withTAG to let us know your area of interest. We continue to look for energetic members who want to add

their expertise to any of our committees.Cheryll Adams, Presidentcadams@bsu.edu

At the end of this newsletter, you will find the CEC Professional mem-

bership application. If you are interested in another membership type

(retired; student; associate; or premier), please see http://www.cectag.org.

http://www.cectag.org/http://www.cec.sped.org/http://www.cectag.org./http://www.cectag.org./http://www.cec.sped.org/http://www.cectag.org/

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From the President (continued from page 4)

Vice President (January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015)Jennifer L. Jolly, is an associate professor in elementary and gifted education at Louisiana StateUniversity. Her research interests include the history of gifted education and parents of gifted children.

She is the current editor ofParenting for High Potentialand serves on the editorial advisory boards oftheJournal for the Education of the Giftedand Gifted Child Today. Dr. Jolly also served two terms assecretary for the CEC/TAG Board. She received the 2011 Louisiana Council for Exceptional ChildrenHigher Education Professional Award and the 2012 Michael Pyryt Collaboration Award. Her classroomexperience includes eight years in the Texas public school system working with both gifted and generaleducation students.

Secretary (January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015)Jennifer H. Robins, Ph.D., received her doctorate in educational psychology with an emphasis in giftededucation from Baylor University. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she spent four years teachingelementary gifted and talented students in Waco, TX. She is currently senior editor at Prufrock Press,

focusing on the development of scholarly materials, including gifted education textbooks andprofessional development books, as well as classroom materials for teachers of gifted and advancedstudents.

Members at Large (January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015)Cecelia Boswell, Ed.D., is the Director of Advanced Academics for the Waco Independent SchoolDistrict and an educator who has more than 40 years of experience in education. She has been a teacherof migrant and gifted/talented students, served as the advanced academics consultant for a TexasEducation Service Center (ESC) and as the state director for AP/IB Projects. Under her leadership, theSmall Schools Guide for Gifted, Advanced Placement (AP) Task Force research, and AP/International

Baccalaureate Projects across the state were developed. Dr. Boswell is a past president of the TexasAssociation for the Gifted and Talented and founder of Austin Creek Educational Systems. She hasworked throughout Texas with schools and EDCs, created curriculum and on-line courses for educatorsof the gifted/talented, and developed a variety of products for the Texas Education Agency. She workedwith Florida in the development of their standards for gifted education. For three years she co-directedresearch for Texas International Baccalaureate Schools. Dr. Boswell has served on the CEC-TAGBoard for the past three years. She has made multiple presentations at state and national CECconferences, including the CEC-TAG Policy Position Statement symposium. She has been a part of the

planning committee and made presentations for the highly successful fall CEC-TAG Conference atBaylor University for the past three years.

Tarek Grantham, Ph. D., is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and

Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia (UGA).

He teaches in the educational psychologydegree program, primarily in the Diversity and Equity Strand in the Gifted and Creative Education(GCE) emphasis area. He has developed and taught courses to address recruitment and retention ofunder-represented groups such as Multicultural Gifted and Talented Education, Retention of EthnicMinorities in Advanced Programs, Gifted and Advanced Black Students in School, Creativity andEquity, and Action Research. He has served as program coordinator for the GCE on -campus andonline graduate programs. Dr. Granthams research addresses the problem of under-representationamong minority students in advanced programs. He has guest edited a special issue forRoeper Reviewentitled Under-representation Among Ethnically Diverse Students in Gifted Education, and recently,

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From the President (continued from page 5)

he co-edited Gifted and Advanced Black Students in School:An Anthology of Critical Works. Dr. Gran-tham has consulted for university programs, schools, community groups, and parents on issues of under-representation and underachievement among culturally different students enrolled in advanced pro-

grams.

Dr. Grantham has served as a Board Member on the Education Commission and on the Diversityand Equity Committee for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). He serves on theCouncil for Exceptional Children, Talented and Gifted Division as co-chair of the Parent, Community,and Diversity Committee. Dr. Grantham has been awarded the Mary M. Frasier Excellence and EquityAward by the Georgia Association for Gifted Children for outstanding achievement in practices that pro-mote equitable identification procedures and/or provision of high-quality services to gifted students fromunder-represented groups.

Claire E. Hughes, Ph.D. is an associate professor of in the Department of Special Education/Elementary Educationat the College of Coastal Georgia. She graduated from The College of Williamand Mary with dual emphases in gifted education and special education. Her research areas include:twice-exceptional children, particularly children with high-functioning autism; the role of ability andlanguage in stress management; and response to intervention issues in gifted education. She has been a

visiting fellow at Oxford in the area of high functioning autism, and has authored several articles, chap-ters and books and an ongoing blog at professormother.com. She is a former elementary and middleschool teacher, has presented at numerous national and state conferences and is currently the Chair ofthe Special Populations Network of the National Association for Gifted Children, She lives on St. Si-mons Island, GA, and is the mother of two twice-exceptional children.

Webmaster

Tracy Ford Inman, Ed.D., is associate director of The Center for Gifted Studies at Western KentuckyUniversity, and is active on the state, national, and international levels in gifted education. She hastaught English at the high school and collegiate levels, as well as in summer programs for gifted andtalented youth. In addition to writing and co-writing several articles, Tracy has co-authored two bookswith Julia Roberts through Prufrock Press: Strategies for Differentiating Instruction: Best Practices forthe Classroom, now in its second edition, andAssessing Differentiated Student Products: A Protocol for

Development and Evaluation. Tracy and Julia received the Legacy Book Award from the Texas Associ-ation for the Gifted and Talented forStrategies for Differentiating Instruction. Tracy was co-editor of

Parenting Gifted Children: The Authoritative Guide from the National Association for Gifted Children,

a compilation of the best articles inParenting for High Potential, which won the Legacy Award in 2011.CAN Coordinator

Ken Dickson has been a member of the Council for Exceptional Children and The Association for Gift-ed (TAG) for over 20 years. He currently serves as Specialist for LD/GT for the Baltimore County Pub-lic Schools in Towson, Maryland. He has served in a variety of educational leadership roles in severalorganizations at local, state and national levels including TAG Board membership. Ken is an active ad-

vocate involved in academic and cultural diversity relationships, educational equity, public policy, andinterventions that support students access, support, and opportunities for learning.

Chair of Diversity, Parent, and Community Committee

Fred A. Bonner II, Ed.D., is professor and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education atthe Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey. Prior tohis appointment, he was professor of higher education administration in the Department of Educational

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From the President (continued from page 6)

Administration and Human Resource Development at Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station. Heearned a B.A. Degree in Chemistry from the University of North Texas, an M.S. Ed. in Curriculum &Instruction from Baylor University, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration and College

Teaching from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. He has been the recipient of the American

Association for Higher Education (AABHE) Black Caucus Dissertation Award and the EducationalLeadership, Counseling, and Foundation's Dissertation of the Year Award from the University OfArkansas College Of Education. In 2010, Dr. Bonner was awarded the 2010 Extraordinary ServiceAward from the Texas A&M University College of Education and Human Development, CollegeStation, Texas and the 2010 Faculty Member of the Year, Texas A&M University Student AffairsAdministration in Higher Education (SAAHE) Cohort, College Station, Texas. He is the author of

Academically Gifted African American Males in College, a book focusing on the postsecondaryexperiences of Black males in Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and PredominantlyWhite (PWI) settings.

Be sure to check out and "Like" CEC-TAG's new Facebook page. It will

include TAG updates/announcements, links to interesting articles/resources and will also serve as a space to communicate/share ideas

with fellow TAG members! Search for CEC-TAG -The Association for

the Gifted or this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/CEC-TAG-The-Association-for-

Gifted/345144215516610

http://www.facebook.com/pages/CEC-TAG-The-Association-for-Gifted/345144215516610http://www.facebook.com/pages/CEC-TAG-The-Association-for-Gifted/345144215516610http://www.facebook.com/pages/CEC-TAG-The-Association-for-Gifted/345144215516610http://www.facebook.com/pages/CEC-TAG-The-Association-for-Gifted/345144215516610

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Does Obamas Win Signal Changes for Education in Second Term?

By Kimberly Hymes, CECThe election results which secured wins for President Obama, Senate democrats and House republicans have us all speculating what the next four years will hold for education policy issues. Here are a few initial

observations:

Education Funding will Still Face Hurdles: Although President Obama has been historically supportiveof increasing funding for education programs, we cannot forget that Congress is the branch of governmentthat actually sets funding levels and the impact of the political split between a Republican -led House ofRepresentatives and a Democratic-led Senate will likely result in a continuation of the recent fiscal de-

bates.As a result, the prospect of reinstating funding for the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education

Act which was eliminated in 2011 remains an uphill battle. However, as the only federal pro-gram dedicated to addressing the needs of students with gifts and talents, CEC, together with the

National Association for Gifted Children and voices from the gifted education field, will continue toadvocate for this funding.

Of course, the most immediate education funding issue is the looming threat of sequestration, the8% automatic cut to many federal programs, including education, set to go into effect on January 2,2013. If Congress does not act to avoid sequestration, education will be cut by $3.5 billion includ-

ing a $1 billion cut to special education programs. Democrats on the House Appropriations Com-mittee have estimated that sequestration could cost 12,000 special education layoffs and impact over500,000 children with disabilities. President Obama and other Congressional leaders have publical-

ly stated the need to avert such cuts. But, with many fiscal hawks in Congress and public pressure

to decrease the deficit, it remains unknown how policymakers will reach an agreement.

Rewriting No Child Left Behind will be Impacted by the New Waiver Reality: Congresss stalemateover reauthorizing rewriting No Child Left Behind/Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

became the Obama Administrations gain when Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced schools

could be freed of some of NCLBs most controversial requirements in exchange for adopting certain educa-tion reforms which were priorities of the Administration.

To date, 34 states plus the District of Columbia have been granted ESEA waivers and many stateshave waiver applications pending. The waivers have allowed states to propose with certain condi-

tions differing criteria for establishing their own accountability systems. Gone is 100% proficien-

cy for all students by the year 2014, now the conversation has evolved to adopting college and ca-reer ready standards and setting ambitious but achievable goals.

Over the last two years, the House and Senate have both taken steps to reauthorize ESEA, whichcould be used as a starting point for conversations as the 113 th Congress takes office. But with themajority of states participating in the waiver process and a Congressional agenda that may include

politically charged issues such as immigration reform, it remains unclear how certain an ESEAreauthorization is in the coming year.

http://www.policyinsider.org/2012/07/house-subcommittee-passes-education-budget.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/07/house-subcommittee-passes-education-budget.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/06/ceccase-release-2012-survey-on-impact-of-budget-cuts-and-pending-sequestration-.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/10/house-democrats-issue-sequestration-report-12000-special-educators-face-lay-offs-over-500000-student.htmlhttp://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibilityhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/02/house-committee-votes-to-approve-key-esea-bills-cec-opposes-measures-.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2011/10/nclb-no-more-the-senate-drafts-its-own-esea.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2011/10/nclb-no-more-the-senate-drafts-its-own-esea.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/02/house-committee-votes-to-approve-key-esea-bills-cec-opposes-measures-.htmlhttp://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibilityhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/10/house-democrats-issue-sequestration-report-12000-special-educators-face-lay-offs-over-500000-student.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/06/ceccase-release-2012-survey-on-impact-of-budget-cuts-and-pending-sequestration-.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/07/house-subcommittee-passes-education-budget.htmlhttp://www.policyinsider.org/2012/07/house-subcommittee-passes-education-budget.html

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Does Obamas Win Signal Changes for Education in Second Term? (cont. from pg. 8)Sweeping Changes to Education Move to Implementation Stage: In the first weeks of his first term, Presi-dent Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the economic

stimulus package. This law made a $100 billion investment into education programs, including doublingfunding for most IDEA programs and $4.35 billion for education reforms, such as Race to the Top.

As a signature Administration initiative, Race to the Top has spurred the creation of new teacher eval-

uation systems; adoption of college and career ready standards in 45 states (AKA common core statestandards); funded the development of the next generation assessments which will use computersand be given throughout the school year; and supported the expansion of charter schools, among other

issues. Many of these reforms are now moving from the planning and policy phase to the implemen-tation phase in states throughout the country, marking a turning point in education policy over the nextfew years. (Read CECs Position on Special Education Teacher Evaluation which includes gifted ed-

ucators)Many changes in policy and practice are imminent for educators across the country whether it is learningnew standards common across most states, implementing new evaluation systems that incorporate student

performance, or using new assessments that move far away from the traditional paper and pencil, one -daytest.

The leadership in the White House, U.S. Department of Education, House of Representatives and Senate

will all impact the next few years in education policy. CEC is committed to providing nonpartisan, timely information on special and gifted education policy. Often,

we need the collective voice of the special and gifted education communities to explain how children andyouth with exceptionalities will be impacted by certain policies. CECs Legislative Action Centermakes con-tacting policymakers EASY! Want to become more involved with CECs advocacy efforts? Email

pubpol@cec.sped.org!

http://www.ed.gov/recoveryhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.htmlhttp://www.corestandards.org/http://www.corestandards.org/http://www.policyinsider.org/.services/blog/6a00d83452098b69e20120a579a152970b/search?pager.sort=relevance&filter.q=next+generation+of+assessmentshttp://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PolicyAdvocacy/CECProfessionalPolicies/Position_on_Special_Education_Teacher_Evaluation_Background.pdfhttp://capwiz.com/cek/home/mailto:pubpol@cec.sped.orgmailto:pubpol@cec.sped.orghttp://capwiz.com/cek/home/http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PolicyAdvocacy/CECProfessionalPolicies/Position_on_Special_Education_Teacher_Evaluation_Background.pdfhttp://www.policyinsider.org/.services/blog/6a00d83452098b69e20120a579a152970b/search?pager.sort=relevance&filter.q=next+generation+of+assessmentshttp://www.corestandards.org/http://www.corestandards.org/http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.htmlhttp://www.ed.gov/recovery

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Double Speak: The Language of Twice-

ExceptionalityClaire E. Hughes, Ph.D.During one of the campaign debates, both President Obama and Governor Romney riled disability advocates with their phrasings- specical-ly autistic children by Obama, and disabled children by Romney. The blogosphere and the Twitterverse lit up with advocates, parents, andindividuals weighing in on the complexities of their language usage. While the candidates continued to debates the issues of Medicare andtaxes and wealth distribution, a parallel debate was erupting online.

Perhaps nowhere are the differences between special education and gifted education more highlighted than in the way they refe r to thegroups of children; we have The Association for THE Gifted (TAG), whereas there is the Individuals WITH Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).Even in the language, it is made clear that giftedness is a part of who you are - from personality to learning needs to identity- whereas disa-bility is something you have that is separate and apart from who you are. I have seen children with gifts and talents as a designation insome educational circles, but within the eld, the language remains Gifted children.

There are many who accuse disability advocates as being overly sensitive. However, person-rst language is a concept that goes beyondpolitical correctness- or, as seen in the debate, lack of political usage- and has been a long, hard-won battle to change perceptions. I tell my

preservice teachers that I will take off points from their papers if they refer to disabled children; they are children with disabilities. Aroutine exam question in my Special Education 101 class is Why is the use of person -rst language so important?

The answer is a complex one. Person-rst language places the person rst, so that the disability is not the rst expression of their person-hood- a child with learning disabilities may also be a 7-year old boy who loves Minecraft, riding bikes, and enjoys watching the Saints playfootball. It may be a 17-year old girl who plays soccer, loves the color blue, and watches iCarly and the Saints as well. Their disability is adisability dened by school and their performance within those walls. When a teacher or a parent refers to a child as a disability rst, theyare dehumanizing those aspects of a child that leads to success, and emphasizing the areas of challenge. I know that I, personally, hate to beknown as the absent-minded professor or the messy wife- adjectives that describe me, but the me that is me is so much more thanthose adjectives.

We have seen this already. The terms moron and idiot used to be medical ones, describing the level of intellectual challenge faced by

certain individuals. These words were quickly absorbed into common language to indicate poor choices and intentional stupidity, instead ofthe typical level of functioning at which some people exist. Weve seen it recently with the use of the word retard- a very painful andnegative word that does not honor the challenges and strengths that families and individuals with developmental delays face. We see it, toa lesser degree, with the terms geek and nerd to dehumanize those with intellectual strengths. The range of human diversity is wide andacceptance of that range is necessary- and in biological terms, an expression of strength.

With dehumanizing, comes lack of acceptance. With dehumanizing, comes bullying. With dehumanizing, comes torture and suicide andmurder and all kinds of pain and degradation that has been visited upon people with differences over the centuries and across cultures.(Continued next page)

JOIN CEC-TAG!!

Member benefits:

Four issues of the Journal for the Education of the Gifted(JEG) per year (includes online access to current and past issues)

Six issues of Teaching Exceptional Children Four issues of Exceptional Children

Quarterly newsletters from CEC and from CEC-TAG A discounted member rate for all meetings of CEC and TAG

30% discount on all CEC products 10% discount on Prufrock Press products

Peer-to-peer support A network of colleagues who are leaders in the field of gifted education

Double LinesDouble Lines

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Double Speak (continued from page 10)

However, there are some disability advocates, particularly among the autism and the Deaf communities, who note that such use of person -rst language promotes the very lack of acceptance that it is trying to avoid. Jim Sinclair, in his seminal blog Why I Hate Person-FirstLanguage notes that the use of with autism implies that autism is a bad thing, rather than an element of the richness of h uman diversity.One would never describe a person as the person with left-handedness or the person with maleness, or the person with Catholicness-handedness, gender, and even religious background are considered important enough aspects to ones identity that they are placed rst indescriptions. Amanda, an autistic woman who is nonverbal, but communicates through typing on a computer, notes that her difculty withour language of verbal expression is considered a disability, but our refusal to learn her language of sensory engagement i s consideredperfectly normal.

The Deaf community is even more assertive- stating that deafness is, indeed, NOT a disability at all, but merely a difference in how perceivesthe world, and that it is hearing people who miss out on a rich, sensory experience because of their over -reliance on one sense. In myclasses, I draw an overly-simplistic line between the deaf, who have hearing impairments, and the Deaf, who have a rich, shared language andculture and community. Such distinctions are too simplistic, simply because there is no easy right response, and as a person with averagehearing and average neurological wiring and above-average language skills, I cannot- and should not- represent the characteristics of agroup to which I do not belong. But it is important that people like me understand that there are multiple viewpoints to the use of languagethat respects others.

There is another, more insidious and signicant implication as well to the use of language as well. If you have a disability, then you seek to

cure it. If you are a disability, then you learn to manage it and to embrace it. My mother is left-handed. She has learned to cut withright-handed scissors, but would never try to cure her handedness; she recognizes that the world was not designed for her, and that being

lefthanded is just a wonderful oddity. It is worth noting that it has taken the school system decades of trying to convert lefthanded peopleto realize that there is no changing them, and perhaps we can just teach them how to manage in a right -handed world, and at times,perhaps to change the world in small ways for them. Its why I just bought her a left-handed peeler.

Twice-exceptional children (children with twice-exceptionality?) straddle this language divide; I often refer to them as gifted children withdisabilities. This is a use of language that honors their abilities and denes them by their strengths while acknowledging their areas ofchallenge as something that, well, challenges them. In my case, I am the mother of a gifted boy with Tourettes simply because he IS gifted,but he HAS Tourettes and there are some days when he is impacted by Tourettes, but there are days and times when he is not. In my case,I am also the mother of a gifted girl- who on some days has autism and on other days is autistic. Its a small linguistic difference, but a criticalone. And its one that I would prefer that you ask me about- does she have autism, or is she autistic? Given our situation, my answer maychange from day to day, but that choice of language is mine-and hers- alone to make. I would prefer that you appreciate all aspects of herand understand that on some days, her giftedness is a challenge and on other days, her autism is a strength and that it all adds up to thewonderful kid that she is.

I teach my preservice teachers to ask parents how to refer to their child, because it is their choice and their decision of how they want theworld to understand. However, in writing and in public, I teach them to refer to children who fall within the exceptional categories as giftedchildren, but children with disabilities, and nally, gifted children with disabilities. Or they will get points taken off of their papers.

Which means, President Obama and Governor Romney, had you taken my class, you both would have gotten a C+ for language!

References:

Boggs, A. (2007). In my language. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jc

Sinclair, J. (2011). Why I dislike person rst language. Retrieved from http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/436505

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jchttp://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/436505http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/436505http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jc

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Empowering Gifted Potential in Early Learners:

Part 3, Affirmative Risk Taking

Charisa M. Owens, Ph.D.

Developing a sense of independence is a rewarding stepping stone in the healthy development of youngchildren. Parents and caregivers notice this stage almost immediately when they hear phrases like do it myselfor I do it from their toddlers. As any veteran parent and teacher of early learners will tell you, a toddlers new

found surge of self-sufficiency comes with higher risks for messes, bumps, bruises, and yes, more tantrums.

In my household, the phrases I got this and Leme do it, and Okay. Okayy. Okayyyy mom, I can doit are exclaimed with excitement and pride from Champ, my 4-year-old son. Exerting his independence is not newto my family and we have learned to embrace it. We noticed it as early as 3 months when his behaviors suggestedthat he wanted to hold the bottle to feed himself. But too often, his advanced thinking and ideation do not take intoconsideration the limitations of a toddlers physical abilities. As a result, Champ becomes frustrated and disap-

pointed with himself. Many of his tantrums developed into pity parties as he would often declare Ill never do itor I cant learn. It is hard to hear words of defeat from such a young child, especially your own children who

demonstrate great potential in one or more areas of talent.

My expertise in gifted education along with a history of identified gifted family members helped my fami-ly understand and embrace Champs assertion of independence. My husband and I felt confident to support oursons need adequately for experiences that allowed him independence without hampering his emerging sense ofself as a talented young African American male. We embraced his ability to recognize the challenges and benefitsof a task by celebrating and encouraging his original ideas. Through trial and error, we created opportunities forhim to practice his judgment without our influence. It was nerve-wracking at first; however, he quickly began toshow improvement in assessing what tasks he could take on independently and what activities he would need help

with. In a few months, we noticed he was more confident with his independence.

Looking back at my sons behaviors during the summer and how we responded to this challenge as par-ents, I reached an aha moment. To confirm this moment of clarity, I read research by June Maker, Kathi

Kearney and Alina Morawska about nurturing talent in early learners. I discovered that my husband and I helpedour son achieve a more mature sense of independence by allowing him to take on appropriate and positive risks.

Our response to our sons assertion for independence fostered greater confidence in his judgments.

Taking RisksTaking risks is the ability to discern between the advantages and disadvantages of an opportunity and

weigh the impact of varying outcomes. This is a natural human behavior that helps identify and sharpen ones

strengths. Overtime, experiences with risk taking can develop confidence or insecurity as a part of ones identity.

A part of early childhood is to discover how ones abilities, characteristics, and features are uniquely dif-ferent from family members. In doing so, young children learn to see themselves as separate from their relatives,which includes exploring different situations, testing boundaries, and taking risks. According to Eriksons theoryof development, young learners between the ages of 1 and 5 years old are seeking for opportunities to develop their

self-esteem during what is known as the Autonomy vs. Shame and Initiative vs. Guilt stages of development. Ap-

propriate and positive risk taking behaviors in young children can manifest into some behaviors that we as parents,caregivers, and educators identify as fussiness, stubbornness, disobedience, and/or insubordination. In the case of

toddlers demonstrating characteristics of giftedness, these problem behaviors can be more pronounced.

Research on nurturing young learners who are gifted contend that early childhood learning should include expe-riences that teach children to make calculated decisions about a different opportunities (Maker, J. C. and King, M.A. (1996) , Kearney, K (1988), Morawska, A. and Sanders, M. R. (2009)). Early learners who demonstrate charac-

teristics of gifts and talents also need informed guidance with differentiating between the advantages and

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Empowering Gifted Potential (continued from page 12)

disadvantages of a situation. This allows a child to experience some success with taking risks and aids inmaintaining the childs aspirations to explore and create. Providing various types of guided opportunities for takingrisks is critical in the development of a positive self-image and identity as a child with gifted potential. Withoutguidance, young children with emerging talents may be deterred from developing confidence in their talents

(Smutny, 1998).

Role of Parents and ProfessionalsParents, caregivers, and educators of young children are the pillars of guidance and support. Our response

to young children taking risks can encourage or suppress a part of their identity and their understanding of theirown abilities. When a child is willing to engage in an activity independent of our consent; we must seize theopportunity and make the moment a teachable one for the child. It is in the moment when we recognize what isoccurring that we will be able to guide the child through the process of judging between advantages anddisadvantages of an opportunity, and weighing the impact of varying outcomes. This begins with shifting our

approach to the childs action(s) and demonstrating patience, flexibility, and resourcefulness.

Enabling Appropriate and Positive Risk TakingThe most common methods Ive used in the classroom and at home to assure appropriate risk taking for

young children are choice-based independent activities. This method is used frequently in my classroom and homebecause it can be easily modified to correspond to any childs abilty(ies), area of strength, and environment.Whether teaching a large class of students or being a mom to my son, I have found this method very successful in

empowering appropriate risk taking.

Choice-based activities allow young children to select what type of activity they want to participate in, orwhat they want for lunch, or what they want to wear for school, bringing their desires to life. For children whodemonstrate emerging gifts and talents, choice can be a powerful tool for demonstrating their gifts and talents.Choice-based activities are a great way for early learners to practice their advanced and/or emerging talents at theirown pace. Some examples of choice-based activities that Ive used are pictorial learning menus and choice boards.

Examples of choice boards and learning menus can be found at teacherspayteachers.com.

References

Kearney, K. (1989). Parenting highly gifted children: The challenges, the joys, the unexpected surprises. The

Gifted Education Communicator, 19(2), p 10 12.

Maker, J. and King, M. (1996).Nurturing giftedness in young children. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional

Children.

Morawska, A. and Sanders, M. R. (2009). Parenting gifted and talented

children: Conceptiual and empirical foundations. Gifted Child Quarterly,

53(3), p 163 173.

Smutny, J. F. (Ed.) (1998). The young gifted child: Potential and

promise, an anthology. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Interested in learning more about empowering early learners with

emerging gifts and talents? You may tweet your comments or questions to @DrCMOwens.

http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_5/teacherspayteachers.comhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_5/teacherspayteachers.com

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The electronic version of theJournal for the Education of the Gifted(JEG) is available throughSAGE Journals Online (SJO). To activate your account please follow the steps below.

1. Go to the SAGE Journals Online site: https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/activate/basic.

2. Where it says Activate Your Online Subscription: enter your Member ID then selectThe Association for the Gifted-CEC (TAG-CEC) from the Society drop down menu and

click Submit.

3. On the Instructions page be sure to check your personal data. Enter a username andpassword and click submit to confirm activation. Do not click the Journal Title link untilthe confirmation process is complete.

4. Once complete, return to the electronic Journal homepage and select the Journal coverfor access to the current issue or click Current Issue.

5. To select an issue from the archive click All Issues.

6.

To search for articles either click Search this journal or use the Advanced JournalSearch.

The username and password you create you will use when returning to the site http://jeg.sagepub.com/. If you forget your username or password go to the Subscribe tab and lookfor the link What to do if you forget your User Name and/or Password under Managing your

Subscription to Journal for the Education of the Gifted which will take you to the followinglinkhttp://online.sagepub.com/cgi/recnamepwd. You will be asked to provide some infor-mation about yourself. Upon confirmation of the information your username and/or password

will be emailed to you.

If you require further assistance, please contact your Societys Member Services Dept. or con-

tact SAGE directly at societymember@sagepub.com.

https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/activate/basichttps://online.sagepub.com/cgi/activate/basichttp://jeg.sagepub.com/http://jeg.sagepub.com/http://jeg.sagepub.com/http://jeg.sagepub.com/http://jeg.sagepub.com/mailto:societymember@sagepub.commailto:societymember@sagepub.comhttp://jeg.sagepub.com/http://jeg.sagepub.com/http://jeg.sagepub.com/https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/activate/basic

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Differentiation: Nuts and BoltsFall Institute in Gifted Education

Presented by The Association for the Gifted, Council for Exceptional Children Waco, Texas

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Fall Institute in Gifted EducationPresented by The Association for the Gifted, Council for Exceptional Children

(cont. from pg. 16)Photos courtesy of Dr. William Shiu

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