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Diversity in Giftedness

Cheryl Ackerman

Updated: Jan 9, 2019

By Cheryl Ackerman.


“All cheddars taste the same.” Have you have heard this radio commercial for Vermont

cheddar cheese? Several ridiculously overgeneralized statements are made to a few

women, all of which MUST be false, like, “all women are the same.” While most people

would disagree with these statements, most would probably NOT disagree if presented with the statement, “all gifted individuals are the same.” Those of us in the field know that this is definitely not the case and that the diversity within the gifted population is enormous and something that is important to consider.


To start with a difference with which you may not be familiar, I am a “splitter,” not a

“lumper.” If you’ve never heard these terms before, they refer to people who either

prefer to lump things together in larger more holistic groups versus those who are more comfortable breaking groups up into smaller categories. Regardless of which you are, I am sure you will agree that when considering the individual differences within the gifted population, doing a bit of splitting can be helpful. For example, a gifted person might be male, an adolescent, and be very intense. Another gifted person might be female, an introvert, and have an attention deficit diagnosis. Each of these individual characteristics represents a different aspect of the individual that may need to be examined to help understand him or her. This is not to diminish the importance of looking at the whole person, but it is very difficult to find materials that will describe a complete person and all of his or her characteristics.


So, if you are interested in knowing more about specific characteristics, the SENG

website provides a wealth of reading materials that focus on different topics. There are

typically multiple articles that address each of the following areas, so please look

beyond those listed below as you explore the online articles library.

  • Highly gifted: Exceptionally Gifted Children: Different Minds by Deirdre V. Lovecky

  • Adolescents: Helping Adolescents Adjust to Giftedness by Thomas M. Buescher and Sharon Higham

  • Introversion: The Often Forgotten Factor Impacting the Gifted by Jill D. Burruss and Lisa Kaenzig

  • Male: Managing His Image: The Challenge Facing a Gifted Male by Thomas P. Hébert

  • Female: Social and Emotional Issues Faced by Gifted Girls in Elementary and Secondary School by Sally M. Reis

  • Intensity: Overexciteability and the Gifted by Sharon Lind

  • Attention deficit: Gifted Students with Attention Deficits: Fact and/or Fiction? Or, Can We See the Forest for the Trees? by Susan M. Baum, F. Richard Olenchak and Steven V. Owen

  • Depression: Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals by James T. Webb

  • Adult: Discovering the Gifted Ex-Child by Stephanie Tolan

SENG publishes materials that hold a Creative Commons license, which permits the noncommercial re-use of its content when proper ownership of the content is ascribed.  SENG’s materials that are provided to the public for free are freely available for copy, display, and distribution for non-commercial purposes under the following conditions:  (1) the content clearly ascribes the ownership of the material to SENG or other attributed organizations; (2) any logo may not be removed, obscured or modified that appears in any of SENG’s materials; and (3) a print or digital copy of the shared material is provided to SENG at inquiries@sengifted.org. The materials published by SENG may not be reproduced for commercial purposes, or profit, without the express written permission of SENG. 

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

The material and information contained in this website is for general informational purposes only. The resources and information contained in this site is not clinical, medical, educational or legal advice, is not intended as clinical, medical, educational or legal advice and should not be interpreted or relied upon as clinical, medical, educational or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified expert before making any decisions based on the content presented in the site. 

 

Any opinions expressed in this website are for informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SENG or constitute an endorsement of the information contained therein.  

 

While we have made every attempt to ensure the information contained in this site has been obtained from reliable sources and is accurate, SENG makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, fitness for a particular purposes, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services or related graphics contained in the website for any purpose. In no event will SENG, its related partners or corporations, or the partners, agents or employees thereof be liable to you for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this site or for any consequential, special, putative or similar damages. 

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