Challenges In Managing The Behaviour Of Gifted Students

The behavior of a gifted child is sometimes confused with attention disorders such as ADD and ADHD.

Children with either disorder generally show an inability to concentrate for long periods of time, regardless of the task. In contrast, gifted children become immersed in a task when interested, focusing for long periods of time; however, they may become bored while waiting for other students to grasp concepts that they already understand.

When not engaged, gifted children often develop negative patterns such as daydreaming, doodling, excessive talking, and failing grades.


Many school systems are developing assessment tools and special programs to address the needs of gifted students because research has shown that these students thrive when placed with students of similar ability.

When given an opportunity to engage in challenging learning environments, many gifted children not only perform at a high level, but also feel more accepted and confident.

Teachers trained to deal with the needs of gifted students can help avoid power struggles and provide adequate stimulation in their classroom.


In the wrong setting giftedness can be as paralyzing as a learning handicap.

Many gifted students become chronically frustrated by the constraints of ordinary classrooms and their abilities go unnoticed, masked by indifference and hostility toward the system of education.

As a result, gifted students are not necessarily those who bring home the best report cards, but may well be the students at the back of the classroom who are not standing up to claim their gift.