Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Parents of GT kids are isolated, too

That's a great article. Everytime I hear another set of stories, I just cringe inside. Your son was fortunate to have a mom who loved him deeply.

Edit:

I think the identification and tracking of gifted kids needs to start with the medical profession because they are the first to be able to see a child's advanced skills - which show up long before school starts.

Right now, in the US, there is a standard for identifying at-risk kids during checkups. By at risk, I mean developmentally delayed.

But, pediatricians and their staff are also in position to screen for precocity and then to inform and counsel parents on giftedness. The medical interest lies in the fact that not providing the proper environment for GT kids leaves them open to mental health issues.

In our own case, our Pediatrician came right out and told us our DS was "a little advanced" and then "he is very advanced" at his checkups. But, that was all she said.

It would be very easy to insert a few classes into Pediatric Nurse and Pedatrician inservice seminars on this along with suggested handouts. Such handouts should cover the relevant issues along with parental loneliness/difficulties.