Challenges Of A Gifted Child: Ultimate Review

A gifted child has a unique capacity for intellectual dispensing, personality attributes, and emotional advancement. They may not have above-average intelligence, but they have natural abilities that effortlessly make things work for them. Here, the child needs guidance and mentorship to develop this inborn ability.
Meanwhile, the talented are high-achieving children who stand out, probably in academics, sports, or other areas of interest. They worked hard to develop themselves in a particular area of their interest.
Here in this article, we will look at the challenges that a gifted child may face, as well as a final review of what a parent of a gifted child can do to help. As a parent, you should first understand the nature of the gift your child possesses.

Please read advice for parents of a gifted child here

Challenges of a gifted child.

1. Perfectionism

The first challenge for gifted children is perfectionism. Gifted children usually aim to achieve a high standard. They want to get their work 100% right. And as a result, they can spend a lot of time trying to perfect their work, which can be time-consuming, tedious, and detrimental to their health.

2. Self-independence

Gifted children have the spirit of “I can do it myself,” Consequently, they are prone to taking risks to be in control. When gifted child begins to resist anyone that may offer to assist them, it becomes a challenge to their parents.

3. Self-esteem problem:

A gifted child’s challenges can also be seen when educational programs and facilities do not meet their expectations. The inability to meet their expectations can make them feel different from other kids. And these feelings can make a child bored, depressed, and socially isolated. It is a serious issue when a child begins to lose self-confidence because he is depressed or being bullied.

4. Unrealistic expectations

Unrealistic expectations are one of the challenges facing a gifted child. Because a child is gifted, some parents have ghost expectations of them. Some parents set high goals for their children, forgetting they are still kids. A child can do well in one study area and fail in another. Expect him to be a champion in some of his endeavors but not all of them. However, what you will do is support him in the areas where he is having difficulty.

5. Relationship problem

Relationship problems are the most common challenge for a gifted child. They usually have relationship issues both at school and outside of school. They easily piss off their friends. Because they can’t meet their expectations, they always pull away from their friends, which makes it hard for them to make new friends. It is difficult for them to keep friends who are not of like minds.

6. Impatience

Gifted children have unique and numerous needs. Some of these needs are unrealistic for their parents, and consequently, they become impatient to hold on. They can also be impatient with schoolwork or extracurricular activities, especially if they feel like they are learning slowly.

7. Lack of organization

Most gifted children have organizational problems and a lack of attention. They can’t give you attention, especially when they are bored. Not paying attention is very common with boys because they are easily disorganized and distracted when they lose interest in anything. At this point, scolding will not help matters.

8. Health challenge

Health issues are one of the challenges for a gifted child. Excessive workloads aimed at achieving perfection can result in health issues. The inborn traits of gifted children include high energy and superhuman abilities. This energy can be used up by stress and work pressure, which could change how the child eats and sleeps, and more so, perfectionism affects a child’s health directly or indirectly.

9. Breaking the rules

No compliance with house rules is normal for gifted children because they will always want to do things their way. In keeping with the regulations, there is always strife between parental intensity and a gifted child’s intensity. Who the decision-maker is at home doesn’t matter to them because they persist in getting what they want.

What should a parent do to help solve the challenges of a gifted child?

1. Encourage them to do things they are not good at

There may be things a child doesn’t like to do at a tender age. It could be reading, associating with other children, watching television, or engaging in sports. Encourage that child to do those things he is not good at. For example, I know of a guy who needs to learn to write but is excelling in his business. He wanted to withdraw his money but needed someone to fill out his withdrawal slip. One day, I asked him why he didn’t go to school. He told me how passionately he hated going to school then, and it came to the point that his father asked his mother to let the boy alone. He joined his father in his mechanic’s workshop because he loves mechanics passionately. Now the guy has grown, and he has money. He have houses and cars of his choice, but he can’t write without asking for help.

2. Give them the tools they need to succeed

Give your children the support they may need in their development. Provide the necessary tools for them. Also, get a tutor for them in any subject they are not doing well in. Provide the facilities they may need for their extracurricular activities. Enroll them in some community groups that interest them. Look for a hobby or sport that can help your child gain self-confidence or feel like a normal kid.
Occasionally take them to the museum because the museum has a way of aiding in children’s mental activeness.

3. Don’t assume they’ll always remain genius

Please don’t assume your child will remain a genius all his life. A child may have had a very high IQ at a very young age, making him think like an adult. Still, when he grew up, he was no longer different from his counterparts because they were now reasoning and thinking like adults.

5. Provide intellectual challenges

Some gifted kids put less effort into getting work done because of their high ability level. Parents and teachers should provide some intellectual challenges for the child. It could be more complex work or play to help with intellectual stimulation. Then allow the child to mingle with people of like minds.

6. Avoid comparison

Avoid making comparisons between your child and other children in the neighborhood. Stop comparing them with their siblings at home. Every child has unique features and should be allowed to retain their individuality. Comparing a child with his peers or siblings can make the child or even his sibling feel inferior. Children’s comparisons have a way of killing the originality of a gifted child.

7. Relationship with friends

Monitor the relationships your gifted child maintains as a parent. Some even find it hard to make friends or stay with friends, and most of them make friends with older people than their peers. Maintain your child’s healthy relationships and social life with friends.

8. Join forums to get help

Parents can join parental forums for gifted children, where they can get more insight into how to tackle the challenges of a gifted child by interacting with other parents to share their views and frustrations. There are many parental forums out there, and joining some of them might be of great help.

Conclusion

There are lots of challenges for a gifted child. They commonly have very high expectations, which, when not met, become a challenge that can lead to low self-esteem in the child. The child should be allowed to mingle with children of like minds because some find it difficult to make friends. They like doing things their way, so don’t be too harsh on them when enforcing house rules. Their requirements are always numerous, which can be highly frustrating for parents.

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