Isn't it sad that the child who acts out due to abuse gets services and lots of compassion(which they should!) but the gifted child who acts out in the same manner is expected to suck it up?
It is sad, seems unreasonable, really. I agree that your story as a whole is worrisome, for one thing, it seems possible that there are other gifted kids out there whose behavior is attributed to abuse. What if there isn't really abuse?
Conversely what if it's the giftedness that's leading to abuse - that the parent is being pushed beyond what they can handle. I could see that being more likely with a step-parent.