Supporting Students that Don't Quite Fit the "Intervention" Threshold: The Overexcitable Child

In my last post, I listed writing a book as one of my goals for this year.  The desire to do this comes from several places.  First, it's on my bucket list.  I would love to publish a book even if no one reads it.  Secondly, I've been in a reading rut.  While everything I have read is fantastic, I sometimes feel as though I'm not learning anything new.  Thirdly, my colleagues and husband have been urging  me to write a book over the past few years.  I've got a fantastic support system and I should get over my fears of taking the first step and just jump in. This should be the push I need to get it done, but, as you may recall, I'm still a rebel and haven't found the perfect set of circumstances to sit down and start.  As a matter of fact, I'm really struggling to settle on a topic.  So, hopefully this blog will help  me process my ideas and find a topic that feels right. Thanks for your feedback, support, and sharing this journey with me. 

About 10 years  ago, I added Gifted Intervention Specialist to my certificate.  I am also the mother of two fantastically gifted children.  However, despite my education and experience,  I've struggled to find reader friendly books that help me understand and support my own children who have overexcitabilities that tend to make them less than endearing to their peers and often times frustrating to their teachers. 

At this point, I have to pause and give a shout out to my kiddos' teachers. They truly do take the time to get to know them as individuals and work very hard to support them in every way possible.  However, the fact remains, gifted children are like little bananas.  There is a short window of time that they are "ripe" and ready to learn and finding that window is an art in itself.

OK, back to the topic, overexcitabilities.  Gifted guru, Kazimierz Dabrowski, developed a list of five overexcitabilities, areas of extreme intensity, common to many gifted children:  Psychomotor, Sensual, Intellectual, Imaginational, and Emotional. 

The problem with overexcitabilities is that they are not severe enough to cause major behavior or academic concerns, but they do interfere with their academic and social behaviors just enough to cause parents sleepless nights from time to time.  Also, they are not commonly known to parents of gifted children.  As a matter of fact, it is not well known to parents or teachers that the "gifted badge" often comes with "baggage" and these fascinating little humans need to be supported much like some of their academically challenged peers.

I can not tell you how many times I've heard Gen Ed teachers deny a child's giftedness because he doesn't produce straight A work.  Over the next few days, I hope to break down each overexcitability with personal anecdotes both from my home and classroom in an effort to better support these children.  Hopefully, I'll be able to help others along the way.