Education of the Special Populations of the Gifted

Gifted Students from Low Socio-economic Status Families

Gifted children who come from low socioeconomic families are often left unidentified and underserved.  The effect that poverty has on all children can be observed by educators.  Low SES families do not often have the resources to maximize their children’s learning experiences.  A gifted student from a low SES family may be overlooked because of the lack of background experiences.  A trained educator would be able to recognize the gifted traits.  Click on these links for more information:

• Socio-economic and Educational Disadvantage Matrix
• GIFTISM MATRIX:Stereotypes in Gifted Education
• Social Implications of the term “Disadvantaged" and Characteristics of the “Gifted Disadvantaged”

Gifted Students from Diverse Family Structures

Family circumstances can affect academic achievement.  Understanding that diverse types of families have both strengths and weaknesses, teachers need to be aware of what is “normal” for these gifted students. Some examples of diverse family structures that gifted students may come from are divorced parents, one parent household, homelessness, parents with no income, grandparents as parents, etc.  Click on the following links to learn more about them.

• Diverse Family Structures and Pressures Matrix
• A Challenge for Culturally Diverse Families of Gifted Children
• Diverse Family Structures and Circumstances That Impact Gifted Students
• Structured Interview for the Parent of a Gifted Child from Special Populations