What's the Big Deal with Affective Needs?

  • Many gifted individuals experience asynchronous development of intellectual, academic, emotional and social capabilities. These individuals may be quite advanced beyond grade level in one or more academic or intellectual domains, while lagging behind their peers in terms of emotional maturity and/or social skills.
  • Many gifted individuals experience high intensity in their passions and interests and oversensitivities to a range of physical or sensory stimulation. Learn More Here
  • Students may procrastinate, resist completing work or taking academic risks due to perfectionism, fear of failure or even fear of success. Learn More Here
  • Students may be drawn to interact with adults, and often have difficulty relating to their peers who can't follow the complexity of their ideas and conceptual connections. These traits (among others) are just part of the gifted package, but they can interfere with the student's academic and social success, lowering the child's self esteem. It is important that adults working with gifted students help them to acknowledge these traits are okay, while learning strategies so they overcome them to meet their own goals.
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)

SENG is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping parents teachers and students to support gifted individuals in meeting their best potential. To that end, they have compiled a comprehensive library of articles, audio and video resources, as well as offering structure for local parent support groups and online support groups. Membership is free, and a many resources are available on-line for free.


General Information Resource Library

Three students working together on a project

Gifted students blossom when working in a group with others who can think like they do, and follow their train of ideas. Research supports cluster groups of GT students for academic work, and heterogeneous groups mostly when working on social objectives.

Great Books for Gifted Kids

The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide-For Ages 10 and Under by Judy Galbraith, M.A. Published by Free Spirit Publishing


The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide-A Teen Handbook by J. Galbraith, M.A. and J. Delisle, Ph.D. Published by Free Spirit Publishing


When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers by J. Delisle, Ph.D. and J. Gablbraith, M.A


And one for the adults who live with them: Living With Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults by Susan Daniels (Editor), Michael M. Piechowski