Wenda Sheard offers nine ‘heart hints’ for advocating for gifted children, emphasizing empathy and relationships. She recommends documenting a child’s school day, trusting teachers, encouraging self-directed learning, running contests, considering home learning transcripts, citing evidence, using sunshine laws, and strategic persuasion to build support and change practices.
Gifted children often display behaviors—intensity, sensitivity, perfectionism, underachievement—that can be mistaken for disorders. Lack of clinician training leads to misdiagnosis, especially in twice-exceptional youth. Psychologists need education, and organizations like SENG provide resources, training, and public awareness to reduce misdiagnosis and support families.
This Q&A; with three SENG Model Parenting Group facilitators explains why parents join SMPGs, how meetings run, and differences for twice-exceptional children. Facilitators describe session topics, group dynamics, and observed changes: parents gain understanding, peer support, practical strategies, self-reflection, and often ongoing connections.
This study evaluated SENG Model Parent Groups and found parents increased understanding of gifted characteristics, social and emotional needs, peer and family relationships, and advocacy. Participants reported greater confidence supporting their gifted children, improved strategies for discipline and stress management, and valued peer support and school partnerships.
This article describes the SENG-Model Parent Support Groups, a ten-week program developed to help parents of gifted children address social and emotional needs. It outlines topics covered, training expansion, participant outcomes, and encouragement to establish local groups and facilitator training.
Shari Hill describes SENG-Model Parent Groups (SMPG) as ten-week sessions offering social-emotional support for parents of gifted children. Facilitators guide weekly discussions on topics like communication, intensity, motivation and relationships. Participants build lasting connections, gain insight into their own giftedness, and many groups continue meeting afterward.
Interview covers how to distinguish gifted behaviors from pathology, typical gifted characteristics, risks like perfectionism and misdiagnosis, educational strategies, twice-exceptionality, suicide risk factors, and advice for selecting clinicians knowledgeable about giftedness to ensure proper assessment and interventions.
During the holidays the author contrasts commercial gift-giving with meaningful gifts that nourish spirit. She describes a family tradition of donating time or money to charities to teach gifted children service and awareness. Practical guidelines and charity resources help families choose organizations and involve children.
