The social challenges of being a gifted student
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 12:33 PM

According to Albuquerque NBC affiliate KOB, Ethan Elmore corrects his mom's pronunciation of dinosaur names. The 4 year old may seem like your average kid, as his room is full of T-Rexes and plenty of pictures, but the little guy has a lot more to him. In fact, Ethan has an IQ of 146, which has earned him the title of genius. Not only that, but the score puts him in the top 99.9 percentile for kids his age.

For Ethan, who has never known being anything but intelligent, knowing facts about all the planets and pronouncing hard words easily is just a part of life. However, Ethan's mom is often amazed. According to the source, she said reading a bedtime story with her son is a humbling experience. While she's proud of Ethan, Karla Elmore does have some concerns. Chiefly, she worries her little genius won't fit in with other kids his age.

"I believe the biggest challenge is helping them live in a world where other kids and people don't learn the same way, be accepting and be a good friend, and be socially accepted," Julianne Hancock, a psychologist who has administered thousands of IQ tests, told the source. 

Learning empathy
Children have to learn empathy the way they'd develop any other skill. That means that initially, kids believe everyone sees the world the same way they do. Unfortunately, this can create a barrier between gifted students and their peers. Students with an average IQ see math homework at a certain challenge level while gifted kids just understand it. Encountering someone on a different level can make understanding that person hard.

Parents of gifted kids can help teach their children empathy. For starters, address your child's emotional needs. Whenever your child is feeling left out, let him or her explain their feelings. Also, look for opportunities to point out the feelings of others. You might say "When you say that, you make me feel sad. Remember when you were sad about school? You didn't like that feeling, right?" This allows your child to connect his or her feelings to yours. Ideally, your gifted student will be able to exercise empathy when having social interactions with students who many not grasp concepts as quickly. 

Teach confidence
When your child talks about high-level concepts, he or she thinks it's perfectly normal. However, other students could label him or her as a "know-it-all." Your child shouldn't dumb him or herself down just to fit in, so teach confidence. Remind your child that being smart is a good thing. Remember, though, that confidence should not become arrogance.