Profoundly Gifted

There are many different levels of giftedness. Profoundly gifted kids are so advanced that they may have a very difficult time finding intellectual peers. These high-functioning young people often skip several grades and/or begin college before they enter adolescence. This group of students makes up a very small portion of the population and resources are difficult to find. Here are some that you may find helpful:

• To better understand various levels of giftedness, read What Is Highly Gifted? Exceptionally Gifted? Profoundly Gifted? And What Does It Mean? Carolyn K. helps us better understand the meanings of each of these terms.
• Exceptionally and Profoundly Gifted Students: An Underserved Population by Miraca U. M. Gross explains the developmental differences of this group of young people and the pressures they feel. She also provides recommendations for addressing their academic needs.
• Raising a profoundly gifted child can be a real challenge. In Profoundly Gifted Guilt, Jim Delisle discusses the frequent concerns of parents of profoundly gifted children.
• In Tips for Parents: Helping Parents Understand Their Profoundly Gifted Children, Barbara Clark applies brain research to profoundly gifted children and recommends ways to work with them.
• The Davidson Young Scholars program provides free services designed to nurture and support profoundly gifted young people. Students and their parents receive assistance through consulting services, an online community, annual get-togethers, the Ambassador Program, and guidebooks.
• Texas Parents for the Profoundly Gifted offers both online and in-person support to families of profoundly gifted kids.
• PG Retreat: A Gathering of Families with Profoundly Gifted Children helps to form connections and friendships and to share resources and experience. PGR organizes the annual retreat, informal local gatherings around the country, listservs, and web forums to support its members.