Forefront Families

CASE STUDY 1

Five-year-old Belinda was the cutest thing you ever saw: She had long golden curls, dimples and freckles. Everyone told her how cute she was. She had won the local baby beauty contest and was starring in TV commercials. The family’s life revolved completely around Belinda, and she knew it.

Star Points

	All kids want to be accepted and they thrive on positive feedback.
	Kids need to feel valued for themselves and as part of a family, not purely as a great piano player, or swimmer.
	One child should not be given value or attention to the detriment of other family members.
	All children within a family need to have responsibilities and other interests so they have a balanced perspective on their own significance, and are socially adept.

CASE STUDY 2

Eight-year-old Jared was an excellent guitar player. Nobody could believe he could play so well, and he had already appeared on national TV. While his parents were very proud of Jared, they were concerned about keeping him grounded with a sense of normalcy in his life to balance his reputation as a musical genius.

Jared knew he was gifted and felt a lot of pressure to perform to perfection all the time. He began to feel like people only saw him as a set of fast fingers and nothing else.

Star Points

	Parents with gifted children have a special responsibility: To encourage the greatest potential in that child while ensuring each child is an equally valued part of the family. One way this may be achieved is by all family members being given similar levels of household responsibilities, as well as recreational and social time.
	Parents need to pay similar attention to each family member, even though this can be very difficult at times with the demands for practice and performance schedules of a gifted child.
	Parents need to give themselves some time to maintain their own sense of balance and to be a good example for their children.

CASE STUDY 3

Sixteen-year-old Natalie was born with mild mental retardation. She attended special education classes and became a good reader. She could express herself very well verbally and on paper. She could fix simple cold meals, care for her cat, make her bed and follow simple instructions.

When she was fifteen years old, she could be left at home while her mother worked. Because her mother was not a good housekeeper, Natalie wasn’t either. Her mother did not like cooking and Natalie never learned to cook. Natalie’s mother had no real expectations for her, no foresight that she could become independent.

Natalie became lazy and overweight. Her mother talked about her mild retardation in front of her, confirming Natalie’s disability rather than affirming her abilities. Natalie was a talented teenager whose talents and abilities were totally either undiscovered or under-utilized . Natalie had no hope of ever becoming independent.  Her mother had created a prison for Natalie.

Star Points

	No matter what the circumstances, a child can, and should, experience the feeling of accomplishment.
	Children should not be handicapped by lack of expectation.
	Positive rather than negative attributes need to be emphasized, thus building a child’s self-esteem and the drive to achieve goals.
	Parents need to be effective role models.