WATG 2024 Annual Conference

This session aims to present a unique approach to engaging parents as part of a rich discussion about how to nurture and develop students’ passions and talents. Research shows that parents of gifted children seem to fully recognize the uniqueness of their children, but only a few understand their child’s ability profile and emotional peculiarities.Therefore, they may struggle to manage their child’s socioemotional needs, passions and special interests. Parents often struggle when they realize their child is gifted. Trying to provide a framework, regarding the profiles of gifted children, of the challenges faced by their parents, is a complex issue. Not only because of myths and misconceptions about giftedness, but also because of parents' high expectations.

Recent studies have questioned the traditional conception that considers giftedness as an immutable trait of the person, linked merely to the individual’s cognitive abilities. Indeed, innate abilities play a role in the emergence of giftedness, however other key factors relating to psychological and social dimensions appear to be central to the development and expression of individual potential. This evidence allows us to reinterpret giftedness from a developmental perspective, which considers the complex interdependence of different variables at the individual, familial, educational, and societal levels. Gifted children are first and foremost children and therefore, it is crucial to create the environmental conditions that can best support the gifted child’s harmonious development of cognitive and socio-emotional competencies in schools and at home.