Kate Bachtel argues that inclusive communities proactively prevent bullying by addressing behavior, not labeling people. She outlines clear definitions, workplace parallels, and five measures—communication protocols, investigations, protection from retaliation, bias education, and celebrating upstanders—while noting social media’s dual power to connect and harm.
Bright, intensely sensitive and idealistic children and adults can envision possibilities but may suffer frustration, perfectionism, disillusionment and existential depression. Supportive relationships that offer understanding and nurturance help prevent isolation and foster their idealism, which is essential for creating a better world.
Gifted children often have fewer friends not from lacking social skills but due to personality and shared interests. Friendships can be intense; introverts may prefer fewer close peers. Parents can support friendships by fostering opportunities, teaching social skills, modeling compassion, and encouraging group participation.
The post recommends using children’s books to address gifted students’ social and emotional needs. Reading shared stories lets adults and children discuss issues like feeling different, introversion, perfectionism, and relationships. It guides selecting suitable books, developing thought-provoking questions, and facilitating open-ended discussions in school or home settings.
Gifted children often face teasing and bullying that can cause serious distress, anger, or withdrawal. Parents should recognize signs, validate the child’s experience, teach problem-solving and assertive responses, and work with schools to enforce zero-tolerance policies and provide counseling.
Discusses how existential dread affects gifted adolescents and how adults can help. Advocates team approaches—parents, teachers, and peers—to provide social nourishment, emotional acceptance, and philosophical guidance, recognize developmental ambivalence, teach social skills, and offer mentorship to reduce isolation, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Clinical cases show intellectually gifted children can lack age-appropriate social skills. Parents can teach social intelligence through clear rules, modeling, empathy conversations and coaching. Early intervention and specific techniques—setting limits, teaching etiquette, tolerance, and how to handle teasing—improve peer relations and reduce behavioral problems.
Deborah Ruf examines why Baby Boomers and later generations seek counseling compared with the G.I. generation, using interviews with highly gifted adults. She discusses incidence of abuse, counseling uptake, emotional development, Dabrowski’s theory, and personal narratives illustrating struggles with identity, authority, and growth.
Sharon Lind urges respect for individual differences and explains gifted introverts are often misunderstood. Introversion differs from shyness: introverts recharge through solitude and process internally, while shy people avoid perceived threats. Introverts may be sociable or shy; they need time alone and understanding from others.
This report summarizes Australian research showing that children’s friendship conceptions develop through five stages—from play partners to intimate ‘sure shelter’—and that intellectual (mental) age, not chronological age, predicts stage. Gifted children reach advanced friendship stages earlier, raising implications for acceleration and ability grouping to reduce social isolation.
