Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Do our kids burn out?

When talking about IQ, the appropriate measure of ability is IQ.


No, it doesn't. It implies that normal distributions are normal. You responded with the absurdity that 1 in 1 billion mathematical talents show up at Los Angeles high schools every few years, validating my comment earlier that you don't seem to understand how distributions work.

Here is an article that alludes to the possibility of burnout in math competitions.
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Resources/articles.php?page=pc_competitions
(I'm still skeptical of the story that the OP's son's friends, mother's friend's son dropped out before college due to math competition burnout, and not a combination of other reasons. But anyway, the story prompts an interesting discussion.)

Like many things, there's a question of balance. Even with high ability, effort/training/preparation/practice can be important for achievement/success. Too much exertion can lead to burnout, and at the same time no amount of exertion can make up for a too large difference in ability. (I mean, only an idiot would think that 10,000 hours of practice could make them a world class golfer if they weren't already at an extremely high level.) In a competitive activity, sometimes instead of trying to be the best, you should be happy with your best. And it's okay to quit activities that are no longer rewarding.

Activities like gymnastics, chess, ballet, sport, music, etc. should be the right combination of challenge and fun. But very few make a career out of these. Competing in math contests isn't a career either (though it can help one). But while someone at the 99.9th %ile (of math ability) isn't going to make it at the highest levels of math competitions, someone at the 80th or 90th %ile can have a rewarding career that makes use of their level of math ability. It's a question of perspective.

My understanding is that the tail ends of IQ bell curves are fatter than expected with a strictly conforming normal distribution. Also, IQ may not be distributed normally in different locations. For example, it's reasonable to expect that people at the right side will gather in urban areas.

You're assuming there is a meaningful notion of maths ability that's independent of effort. I don't believe this. How could you possibly define, let alone measure, such a thing?

But this idea applies to literally everything (you can't measure ability to learn a language until you measure what a student can learn after a certain amount of effort). Yet we still have ways of estimating ability. IQ is one of them.

Actually, now that I thInk about it, brain scans may be starting to reveal some of this kind of information.

Right. The fact that some people are intrinsically more able that other people at certain things is just part of the way the world is. Just because a "thing" like ability may be hard to pin down, doesn't mean it's not a "thing".

As to be not clearly stating assumptions, okay, mea culpa. ColinsMum's and JonLaw's objections are legitimate, but it's just an internet forum, so I like to say things succinctly, and let people fill in the gaps.

As to Dude's objection to my statistics: Consider what the "I" in IMO stands for.

In??

-ternational.

Yes, gifted kids can burn out. Related topics may be perfectionism, underachievement, fixed mindset, existential angst, and differentiated task demands.

Antidotes may include:
- Developing internal locus of control.
- Receiving affirmation/validation.
- Developing a growth mindset (Dweck).
- Webb's book Search for Meaning

Regarding a parent who may mention a cautionary tale about a gifted kiddo's burn-out seemingly out of the blue, some may not think of this parent's actions as engaging in schadenfreude, but rather an act of outreach, an insider's acknowledgement that gifted kids are an at-risk population, and raising a gifted child may be like a wild roller-coaster ride with its ups and downs, hairpin turns, and life turned upside down at times.

I know this was a rhetorical question but I'm beginning to wonder if people in general are just as judgmental with stage moms or sports parents but most don't want to come out and say "you cannot live your dream through your child."

When they see an academically advanced child, I don't think the common reaction is, "Oh poor little child, her parents failed to get a tenured professorship so they are trying to live their dream through their child." They probably think they have overzealous parents who need to back off and telling someone to back off is easier than telling someone to give up their dream.