One of the top reasons families give for turning to homeschool for their child’s education is the ability to tailor the education to their child’s needs, especially if they present with any exceptionalities. Parents of children with exceptional skills or above average ability in any task often find that, while parenting brilliance sounds to most like a dream, it also presents with its own set of challenges. Many find their brilliant child’s giftedness doesn’t look like what society expects as brilliance. This challenge mainly happens because children with exceptional abilities typically have areas in which they are delayed or average as well. We call this asynchronous development and it can be the absolute nemesis of parents raising brilliance. Examples of this may look like:
- The seven year old with the academic vocabulary score of a high schooler, but a filter that is delayed because of ADHD wiring or other neurodiversity.
- The child who hyperfocuses/ perseverates on their special abilities and ‘wows’ others by their ability, yet struggles in relating to their peers.
- A neurodiverse teenager who has an ability in a specific area well-beyond their years, but cannot articulate emotions at a developmentally appropriate level.
- A child who completes academic tasks such as reading and writing, at the level of a highschooler, yet is not able to organize or complete work at a developmentally appropriate rate.
All of these things can make schooling and socializing difficult. Finding “your people” who understand these challenges can be difficult, especially when giftedness is included in the mix because just sharing that your child is gifted is so often thought of as bragging. In fact there are most certainly challenges you need to have a chance to voice to an audience who understands. I get it. I’ve been there.
If you would like guidance in how to structure you homeschool for your gifted or twice-exceptional child, contact me at deanna@deannawestedt.com I would love to guide you on this journey of homeschooling!
Deanna Westedt 