Gifted, But Different

How to Parent a Gifted Child

By Anne Leverette-Sanderlin

The parent who thinks their child may be gifted must decide if their child should be tested or not. "I suspected that my son might be gifted when he started reading at the age of 3," says Regina Hubbard, a first grade teacher and mother. "Here we had a child reading and yet he'd get mad and punch his older sister in the stomach when she took away his favorite toys. I didn't want to look like any of the pushy parents I've dealt with as a first grade teacher myself."

Hubbard and her husband had their son tested by a psychologist certified to administer various tests. "We decided to have him tested," she says. "I knew that many school programs put a child in a program that goes with their weaknesses rather than strengths."

Today their 3-year-old son is now a 23-year-old man and a college graduate working in the forestry industry. "For us it was the right choice," says Hubbard. "I really had to think long and hard about having him tested and push for programs geared to his advanced intellectual development. We always remembered that despite his intellectual level he was at the same level of social and physical development as other children his age."

Want to see more?

• Raising Creative Kids Series
• Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?
• The Gifted Child: Better off? Or Branded?
• Talk about it!