Fonseca - Emotional intensity in gifted students: helping kids cope with explosive feelings

Emotional

Intensity

in Gifted Students

Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings

Second Edition

Emotional

Intensity

in Gifted Students

Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings

by

Christine Fonseca

Dedication

Dedicated to Fabiana and Erika.

Your intensities and your passions are my daily inspiration.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fonseca, Christine, 1966

Emotional intensity in gifted students : helping kids cope with explosive feelings / by Christine Fonseca. -- Second edition

1 online resource.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN 978-1-61821-458-4 (pdf) -- ISBN 978-1-61821-459-1 (ePub) -- ISBN 978-1-61821-457-7 (pbk.)

1. Gifted children--Education. 2. Gifted children--Behavior modification. 3. Emotional problems of children--Treatment. I. Title.

LC3993

371.95--dc23

2015031627

Copyright 2016, Prufrock Press Inc.

Edited by Lacy Compton

Cover and layout design by Raquel Trevino

ISBN-13: 978-1-61821-459-1

No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

At the time of this books publication, all facts and figures cited are the most current available. All telephone numbers, addresses, and website URLs are accurate and active. All publications, organizations, websites, and other resources exist as described in the book, and all have been verified. The author and Prufrock Press Inc. make no warranty or guarantee concerning the information and materials given out by organizations or content found at websites, and we are not responsible for any changes that occur after this books publication. If you find an error, please contact Prufrock Press Inc.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

I never imagined that my first book would resonate with parents and educators of gifted children to such a large degree. With the new edition, I am thrilled to expand many of the ideas in the original manuscript and bring in updated research and resources. None of this would be possible with the help of the following:

To Lacy Compton and the team at Prufrock Pressthank you for your never-ending belief in my work.

To Krista Goeringyou saw the potential in this book from the very beginning. Thank you for helping make my original dreams a reality! I really have no words. You always manage to find time to read and give your two cents. I wouldnt be the author I am today without you!

To my GT support online, Deborah, Jen, and Lisayour shared insights into the world of gifted children have sparked much of who I am and what I do. Thank you for what you give back every day.

To the gifted children who have blessed my life throughout the yearsthis book is inspired by all of you. The push and pull between your intensities and the constant drive toward self-actualizationthese are the moments that have sparked much of the advice in this book. Thank you for all that you are, all that you will become, and the many gifts you share with the world.

Finally, my acknowledgements are never complete without a personal thank you to my family. To Dirck, Fabiana, and ErikaI never grow tired of telling you all how much you mean to me. My vocation occurs because of your unyielding support and willingness to share me with my words.

Christine Fonseca

Introduction

Why This Book

Parenting is a difficult job. You arent given a manual when you have a child and theres no survival guide to tell you what to do. Things complicate further if your child is lucky enough to be gifted. People tell you itll be easy raising a bright child, leaving you frustrated when your child begins to act a little intense.

Fortunately there are parenting books to helptoo many parenting books.

Most of these books dont address the unique needs of gifted children. In fact, as you attempt the strategies typically found in them, things often get worse. Youre left feeling angry about your own inability to execute the strategies that are supposed to work so well.

Frustrated and resentful, you turn to other family members, friends, and the school looking for help. But the same misguided assumptions about giftedness abound, leaving you feeling even more inadequate. Schools refer you to mental health professionals to assist with the emotionally intense behaviors, potentially resulting in misdiagnoses and little in the way of relief at home. And as the negative feelings build, your child increases the intensity of her behaviors, adding fuel to the fire. The result? A chaotic household with few resources available to help.

Thats where this book comes in. Designed to provide support for the difficult job of parenting gifted children, Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings (2nd ed.) provides the resource you need to not only understand why gifted children are so extreme in their behavior, but also learn specific strategies to teach your children how to live with their intensity. This second edition puts increased emphasis on strategies to help within the home setting, as well as expanding the sections on dually exceptional children, the impact of cultural and gender issues, and the most recent research regarding the social and emotional needs of gifted children. Presented in a readable and practical format, case studies and role-playing scenarios bring the information to life to provide you with the tools needed to make a positive and lasting impact on your child.

Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students addresses:

common, although inaccurate, assumptions about giftedness;

cognitive, social, and emotional characteristics of giftedness and the problems created by those attributes;