Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Changes after the age of 12?

The first time I read the study on the relationship between IQ and cortex maturation was a long time ago - before my daughter was tested. Now I re-read it more carefully, knowing better what IQ group my child falls into.

1) that study implies that with her IQ of 134, her cortex probably peaks at around age 12 (which is now) and will start rapidly thinning only after that
http://www.bic.mni.mcgill.ca/~jason/reprints/Shaw2005Nature.pdf

2) another more recent article (2013) suggests that "Cortical gray-matter thinning is associated with age-related improvements on executive function (EF) tasks"
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929313000467

So if cortical thinning in the highly intelligent doesn't start until 11-13, does it mean attention/executive function status in children is related to IQ, and for the smartest the onset of EF maturation only occurs after 11-13?

A study on a group of gifted children shows 26 points of difference between VCI and PSI (statistically) and the WISC-IV normalization data shows 13 points. Does it mean that it is not that the gifted children are average in WMI/PSI, but it is just their EF only matures later and catches up with the other scores?
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.508.8089&rep=rep1&type=pdf

If the gifted group scores low on PSI/WMI, then I assume there must be a group that scores high on those but more average on the rest, proving the point that children with more average IQ mature faster and therefore have a much more robust EF compared to more intellectually gifted at a certain age?

How can IQ scores be stable over time if the FSIQ includes EF measures and it might change so significantly between IQ groups? A very recent study shows a much lower test/re-test correlation between PSI/WMI scores (0.69) compared to VCI/PRI/GAI (.88), even going as far as suggesting that GAI is more stable over time than FSIQ. They also showed that only 57% of children scored in the same error band for PSI or FSIQ after two years, compared to almost 73% for GAI.
https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:39021

Does anyone have older gifted children here who have seen a child improve visibly in terms of EF after the age of 11-13?

I keep hoping that all my daughter needs is some support now and she might grow out of the inattention issues on her own. Do you think there is a reason in these studies to think that? Any input would be great!

Sorry if it is long!

There is another pool of data (a little more extensive) on frontal lobe maturation in children diagnosed with ADHD, which finds that they are about 3-4 years behind NT children. Anecdotally, I do find that functional improvements follow a similar pattern. In my adolescent students, quite often children with EF delays appear to have EF skills "kick in" in the latter half of high school (just as their long-suffering parents were about to despair!). I conceptualize this as the difference between having the EF skills of an 11-year-old (elementary school equivalent) when you begin high school, and thus being way out of your depth with regard to managing multiple classes, long-term assignments, and independence, and having the EF skills of a 14-year-old (high school equivalent), and thus being able to handle those demands, despite ongoing delays.

It's not exactly that their ADHD resolves, but that EF becomes good enough. These are kids who may always be a little scattered, and should definitely aim to become so successful that they can hire a personal assistant, but at some point, they often reach the point where it's not an obstacle anymore. Then there are others who actually appear to normalize, but very late (like in their 30s).

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/scienc...in-adhd-but-follows-normal-pattern.shtml

(The link above has some nifty animations. Your kids, in particular, might enjoy seeing what happens in the brain during development. Note: the animations are in color, which some research has suggested is more convincing to cognitive neuroscientists than black-and-white brain imaging. Really.)

Anecdotally, I feel like I had an EF nadir as a child at around 10-11. I had a lot of trouble forgetting completed homework or books I needed at home. My friend had a similar experience with her GT son at 10-11 apparently having more problems keeping track of assignments and things that needed to be taken to school or practices. I don't know if this was a true nadir or just lagging behind increasing demands in EF, but in both cases it dramatically improved in a year or two. Maybe this corresponded to the 12 yo time period you are proposing?

BTW, do remember that the citations you linked used very small study populations (32 and 36, respectively).

I think most, if not all, studies on gifted children are more like anecdotal evidence, because these kids are difficult to find, too different to compare, a lot of times have co-morbid issues that disqualify them from study participation and may not be super stable over their lifetime.

Another huge reason for the lack of data (or little data) - no interest from the government agencies or Big Pharma companies, as studying these children doesn't reduce traffic fatalities or help sell another pill or cure a disease (those are much more important issues). So, not surprisingly, the most interesting studies with 200+ kids are either foreign (Canadian (McGill) and the French on the IQ stability) or from Princeton/Harvard that have certain independence in their research topics. I have yet to see one from the US department of education or CDC on this topic, that would be a lot broader and more reaching if it ever happens.

Unfortunately right now, this is all we have....