We deal with this very same issue at our house, too. I have to say that I have come to realize how complex an issue it is. There are so many reasons (and any combination of them) that could lead to a child withdrawing from challenge. I think our challenge as parents is to figure what the obstacles are and address them as best we can. It seems that you all have touched on a number of the issues. Mind if I make a list?
Reasons a GT child might avoid challenging work:
1. The challenge is not right for the child: Sensory integration based therapy uses an approach of "the just right challenge" in treatment. This means that the task has to be structured and set up by the therapist to give the child the "just right challenge" in terms of task demands for mastery or practice and the ability for achievement or success. I think this is very true of everything any child faces. No child wants to face a challenge that is just too hard to succeed at - too much work means withdrawing from the challenge. Too easy means there is no challenge and therefore no learning. We have to find the "just right challenge" for the child no matter what the task being mastered is; physical, mental, emotional, etc. It means finding a balance between what the child already knows and a little bit of a stretch for new learning.
2. Learning difficulties: these can take the form of many different obstacles. A child might have processing issues, visual spatial or language based disorders, motor dyspraxia, etc. There is quite a list of specific learning disorders which can influence a child's willingness and ability to face a challenge.
3. Medical issues: vision deficits, CAPD, neurological conditions, ADHD, etc. I believe you should always rule out any suspected underlying conditions when looking at behaviors that don't make sense.
4. Personality style: perfectionism, competitiveness, easy going and couldn't care less, highly sensitive and embarrassed, and so on. Some GT kids can, at a very young age, get the idea that they can and should be first and best at everything. Nature and nurture both play a role in this. Some kids are just naturally highly motivated to master everything in their path. Others are put off by the daunting task of "working" to master anything because everything has come so easily. It was pointed out to me that it is vital to praise the essence of the child, not an ability or skill that could be lost. There is research that was recently published about praising kids for their effort being more influential on later success than praising them for being smart. The research showed how the kids internalized that working harder equaled success and so they were more willing to put effort into learning something new or taking a test that was harder. Interesting stuff.
Please add to the list if I've left anything out. I find the discussion very helpful!
