Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Does your tween *act* gifted?

DD10 was tested at age five with the WJ-Cog, and tests in the upper HG range (99.9%). She's in CTY (verbal) and in the gifted pull-out at her school. She's an amazing artist and can draw better than most adults. But, other than major sensitivities, to the point where I sometimes wonder if she's got mild Asperger's, I feel like she doesn't act like an HG kid. If I let her, she'd just watch YouTube videos of IHasCupQuake all day, with the occasionally foray into whatever current craft obsession that she also learned on YouTube (right now it's needle-felting).

I'm wondering if I have done something wrong as a parent, but she just doesn't seem to have much curiosity about the world. Has school done this to her? Is it puberty? Is it mid-August doldrums? Should I be exposing her to more?

Sigh.

At this age, DD mostly "acted" gifted in these brief flashes. Mostly, she was a moody adolescent girl first, and a PG person second. But it was always in there, and it's the foundation of who and what she is, and what drives her.

Obsessive interests are how it usually came out during the tween years-- she'd BINGE on information. Sometimes it wasn't what I wished she'd binge on. Pokemon and online RPG, for example-- but the rate at which she attained mastery, that was still the "tell" for her high LOG.

It's just that she didn't have adult TASTES. LOL.

Awesome response, HK. Totally puts my mind at ease. The bingeing is right on.

Hi,mine started out curious about anything factual but after discovering animal jam,minecraft,and youtube videos about silliest things they could come up with,she has wandered there and stayed there,along with her gifted friend and not so gifted friends.I thought she would mature herself out of it,but those people who narrate the videos are a lot older.

Thanks, Atticat.

It's really reassuring to know that I'm not alone! Same stuff: Animal Jam, Minecraft, Club Penguin, YouTube... the only saving grace of YouTube is sometimes she watches instructional videos and not gameplay vids.

Two gifted tweens in this house: bingeing is the name of the game.

Then suddenly they'll surprise me by knowing something non-pop-cultural, and I think "whew!"

I recently discovered DS12 can pretty much label every country on the globe. No idea where he got that--he says he becomes curious about things and just "looks 'em up." Wouldn't be surprised if there is a connection to Minecraft in there, somewhere. I don't ask questions, just relieved they aren't completely vegetating.

I think that there's a stereotypical expectation out there re what highly intellectually gifted people/kids act like, but the truth is - every child, every person, is an individual. My teen ds has friends who are in programs where you have to test above 98/99th percentile, and there are very few examples among them of kids who approximate the stereotypical expectations. They are all charming and amazing and bright young people, but they are also in many ways simply typical teenagers. I've also met kids who seem to be extremely high IQ based on behavior... who aren't.

As the saying goes.. you can't judge a book by it's cover

polarbear

What a relief to hear these responses! DD10 is obsessed with Minecraft videos (Pat and Jen, anyone???), and learning about Microsoft, of all things. She knows more history about Microsoft than an employee of the place. She is really into old Apple info as well - loves old Apple advertisements!! Yesterday I found her poring over Youtube videos from a guy who experiments with destroying IPhones... I showed her the "Today I Found Out" site, and she does look at that occasionally so she is getting in some good stuff.

If binge watching icarley and a deep love of shoes makes you HG my nine year old is there;)!

If there's something wrong with fads of craft obsession via youtube, I don't want to be right.