This OE theory really has a ring of truth to it. I was hoping anyone who has a deeper understand of this theory, and giftedness in general, would comment on the following lunchtime speculation of mine:
Our DD7 was identified as gifted and clearly has multiple OEs (emotional, imaginational, and intellectual). Assuming I can even make this distinction, I believe her brain, considered outside these OE forces, is otherwise normal or slightly above average in its ability to retain, organize and process information.
She demonstrates no inclination to pursue any particular body of knowledge or obvious talent for it when instructed to, despite her endless thinking and questioning, which we have often felt was more a reflex, even a burden to her, something she could not help just like her emotional OE. Those OE forces alone, I suspect, acting moment by moment from birth upon an otherwise normal or above average brain, forced her into higher functioning levels in certain areas (in her case language arts) at an early age.
But another child, whose brain can better retain and organize information (e.g. �smarter�), when imposed upon by these OE forces, gains a powerful tag team which often results in a child who is highly or profoundly gifted. And another child, who has a �smarter� brain but no OE forces, could with proper motivation and instruction achieve gifted levels in some areas.
So does any of this reflect current theories on giftedness or has my uneducated paddling landed me in the deep end with no water wings?
