High Ability

Being different as a child “I was shy. I was a mixture of insecurities and very bossy.” J.K. Rowling added that she was “Very bossy to my sister but quite quiet with strangers. Very bookish. Terrible at school.

One of the personal qualities that seems to be shared by most gifted children is being different and divergent – in terms of thinking, interests, values and behavior.

Many gifted adults feel “wrong” or anxious about “not fitting in” even though being different can be a strength, a positive attribute.

By Willem Kuipers – From a section of his book “Enjoying the Gift of Being Uncommon.” -- One of the greatest obstacles to the recognition of extra intelligent people is the mysterious qualities and extreme rarity that many people (including parents) associate with “uncommon intelligence."

Often it is either a kind of child-prodigy–assumption, like Mozart, or a comparison with other long-gone icons like Einstein and Madame Curie...But the group we want to discuss amounts to something like 2% of the population, that is, 1 in 50.

By Lisa Erickson, MS, LMHC. - "I’ve been thinking about varieties of perfectionism since having a discussion with a gifted trauma survivor.

"It became clear that some of their perfectionism was an expression of giftedness and some was related to family of origin issues. Same outcome, different sources."

Among the purposes of this site – Talent Development Resources – is celebrating multitalented creative people, and exploring how they realize their many talents. In his post “That’s DR. Winnie to you: A New Child Star Stereotype” (on his Psychology Today blog), creativity researcher James C. Kaufman, Ph.D. writes about a number of people well-known as child stars, now grown, who have explored talents outside of acting, such as  Danica McKellar & Mayim Bialik.

Creative passion and intensity can be part of a complex blend of emotions for many creative people, with strong impacts on emotional balance and achievement.

In her book, Mary-Elaine Jacobsen quotes some insightful comments by Annemarie Roeper (founder of the Roeper School and The Roeper Review, a professional journal on the gifted) about the intense inner pressure to create as a characteristic of high ability people: “Gifted adults may be overwhelmed by the pressure of their own creativity. The gifted derive enormous satisfaction from the creative process..."

"What happens to a gifted, introspective child whose dyslexia is identified and corrected by a beloved parent but whose homosexuality is rued by the same parent? In the case of Andrew Solomon, one result is a life of difficult and profound reckoning in prose. In his new book Far From the Tree, the confusing messages that young Solomon received from parents, peers, and the world at large coalesce into the question of what is an illness and what is an identity."

Whether you call a child "gifted" or "disabled," labels can influence future behavior in subtle and insidious ways.

"Gifted and creative adults need therapists, coaches, counselors and mentors who understand what giftedness is, what gifted people need, the challenges they face and the solutions that work to help them realize their potential and live fulfilling lives." Lynne Azpeitia MFT

“Something really vital happens if we treat the things that give us the most joy and delight – like, say, our creative abilities – as gifts…”

– Artist Jericha Senyak

We can really benefit from fully embracing ourselves, including our talents – especially our complex creative abilities.

Author and educator Temple Grandin sees the advantages that she and others with the disorder bring to the table.

Silicon Valley, she says, is practically run by "Aspies," as she calls those with Asperger's syndrome.

By Scott Barry Kaufman. 'What does it mean to be gifted in the United States? A national survey in 2011 found that the predominant method of assessment, by far, is the administration of IQ tests and standardized academic tests. At least 34 states, including California, consider such tests an indication of giftedness; they are mandated by at least 16 states. In contrast, only nine states require the use of tests that measure "creativity" and even fewer require the assessment of leadership, motivation or a talent for the performing arts.'

The vintage Apple commercial also applies to Steve Jobs and so many multitalented creators:

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

"About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward."

Follow link to see videos of the commercial and the Commencement Address by Jobs.

Being highly talented and exceptional can engender a complex mix of feelings about your self and how you relate to your advanced abilities, and to the world.

Mary-Elaine Jacobsen writes about clients “coming to grips with his or her giftedness, and what that means when re-discovery unlocks feelings of guilt, remorse, regret, anger, and fears about expectations.”

As an example of a “newly-identified gifted adult” she quotes a former client: “All these years I thought being so sensitive, picky, emotional, and driven was something to be ashamed of..."

President Obama "mused about fictional galaxies at a star-studded gathering in the East Room of the White House. Lauded were Lucas and eight New Yorkers — Kushner, Elaine May, Joan Didion, Renee Fleming, Frank Deford, Robert Silvers, Anna Deavere Smith and Camilo Jose Vergara."

Linda Silverman says the book Enjoying the Gift of Being Uncommon provides a blueprint for mobilizing one’s gifts to accomplish one’s goals.

She writes in the Foreword: "It does not seem to matter how much success a person achieves—hardly anyone is comfortable saying, “I’m gifted.”

"Willem Kuipers bypasses the problem by coining a much more palatable term: eXtra intelligent (Xi). And, if someone has a knee-jerk reaction to that idea, Xi can also stand for eXtra intense."

Neural connectivity associated with intellectual functioning is particularly receptive to enriching intellectual experiences in childhood and early adolescence, but neural wiring is still receptive to training and experience throughout the lifespan.

The Gifted-High Ability Daily, by Douglas Eby: updated automatically with a curated selection of articles, blog posts, videos and photos.

"As much as the world has benefited from the contributions of gifted individuals, it is disturbing, to this writer, to realize that the population least likely to learn and achieve its potential is the highly gifted. 

"Statistics show that 85% of public school educators agree that more needs to be done for gifted students.  And many are doing the best job possible given the hand they’ve been dealt.  So one might wonder, why then aren’t they—teachers, students, parents, communities—getting the support we need?"