Barbara Klein, Ed.D.

Summer Rapidly Approaches

Don't wait until the end of summer to deal with any important issues. If you need help, please call now to make an appointment.

Q. People tell me not to push my gifted child. How do I avoid pushing her?

A. Be smart yourself: Ask yourself if the activity is for me to show off or for my child to have fun. Remember, children deserve a childhood no matter how advanced she may be in science, mathematics, art, music, or athletics. Every child needs to learn social skills. Make time for your child's friendships. If she ever complains about being "pushed," then set goals together that are easy to achieve.

Q. What happens when a gifted child is not parented with special attention to their learning highs and lows?

A. Gifted children who are ignored by parents or teachers become adults who are frustrated because they are unable to reach their potential.

From the current (April) issue of Working Mother magazine:

Helping your bright child flourish by Susan Gerstenzang

At preschool pickup, you've noticed your child uses a lot more words and complete sentences than her peers. On the way home, she runs your mind ragged with questions and wants to know how to do everything. And oh, that wild imagination! Precocious, yes, but is it more? If you suspect your child is gifted but think it's better not to make too much of it, you might want to rethink your stance.

When you find out a bright child is gifted, you can manage her life and learning in a way that helps her thrive, says Barbara Klein, PhD, the author of Raising Gifted Kids. And if, like some gifted kids, she's anxious or hyper due to intense feelings or bored due to lack of stimulation, early testing can help you understand and accommodate these behaviors. "Try to have a child tested by age five," advises Dr. Klein. "Early testing may be more accurate since the child hasn't been in a formal school setting where she might have begun downplaying strengths to fit in."

Be sure to have your child assessed by a psychologist who specializes in testing gifted children. Ask your pediatrician or preschool director for recommendations. The test will not only identify strengths, it will also reveal weaknesses—kids can be gifted in some areas and not others. "Knowing what your child is good at and also where she might need support helps you plan her education," Dr. Klein says.

If you're worried that identifying your child as gifted will turn her into a social outcast, Dr. Klein suggests the opposite may be true. "Many gifted children get along well with peers, while some have trouble making friends because of their maturity or intensity." If interactions are a problem, testing your child can lead to her being placed in programs or schools with peers more like her, and that will foster interaction.

To flourish, a gifted child needs to be in the right school. "Her originality must be cultivated so she can develop into her true self," says Dr. Klein, who recommends parents search for preschools and elementary schools in which children learn not through conformity but through independent and group projects. This project-based-learning approach keeps talented kids engaged and relating to others through shared activities.

With a gifted child, you may be in for a wild ride of heightened emotions and perfectionism. So don't go it alone. Busy as you are, find and join a gifted-children parenting group to share ideas and offer support. Like every child, yours needs to be embraced and nurtured for who she is, so she can explore the depths of her talents and abilities.

Educators Savings Week / Book Signings at Borders

Save 25% off of books, music and CD's from March 22nd through March 27th.

Book Signing!
Thursday March 22 at 7 PM
Borders Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
LA, CA 90067
310.552.1411

Another Book Signing!!
Saturday March 24 at 2 PM
Borders El Segundo
710 Sepulveda
El Segundo, CA 90245
310.607.9196

If you can't reach me today it is because the phone company is switching my line from one office to another, and not doing a good job of it. Try email instead. Please be patient.

New Suite

On February 12 I will be in a new office (thank you Nando, Toni, and Janice). If you go up the stairs from Weyburn, just keep going an extra flight. 

So your child wants to be a star?
'American Idol' and other reality shows fuel kids' (and parents') dreams
BY LIZA N. BURBY / Special to Newsday / January 14, 2007

    With all the hype about the new reality show "Grease: You're the One That I Want" and another season of "American Idol," not to mention the Disney factory that unflaggingly churns out preteen stars, it's no wonder that many kids and teens get that starstruck gleam in their eyes and announce, "I want to be a star."
    But you only have to read news of child stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Mary-Kate Olsen to return to earth, because with few notable exceptions, stardom and childhood don't mix.
    "Children usually want to get involved in Broadway, TV and movies because they see it as fun," says Barbara Klein, author of Raising Gifted Kids: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Exceptional Child Thrive (AMACOM Books). "They don't have all the adult reasoning powers about what it really means, like not going to school with their peers, putting after-school activities on hold, maybe missing out on college, not to mention spending time in situations that may be too adult for them. The worst thing a parent can do is put a child onto center stage before they're emotionally ready. They may be talented, but may not have the social skills to deal with celebrity."
    The first thing to accept is that whether your child is attending dance, voice or acting classes -- or all three -- or traveling into the city for auditions, it's a commitment that affects the entire family.  Which is one of the reasons it's important to be clear about whom you're doing all this for, says Dr. Barbara Klein. "In many cases of child stars, they did it because the parents wanted them to," she says. "A parent has to know when to set limits, and any time it becomes overwhelming for the child, or you sense the child is doing it to please you, take a step back. Your child's pursuit of fame shouldn't be the focus of family life."

Read the entire article here:
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/localguide/kids/ny-lskids0114,0,3293336,print.story?coll=ny-explore-kids-heads 

READ WORTHY: HOW-TO BOOK OF THE WEEK
by Kristin Taveira / Newsday.com / December 4, 2006

Raising Gifted Kids: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Exceptional Child Thrive
by Barbara Klein, Ph.D.

Purpose:   How to avoid the pitfalls of the pressure to achieve, while helping your child make the most of special talents.

Author’s credentials:   Klein has doctorates in both clinical psychology and early childhood education. Her private practice is dedicated to assessing, counseling and assisting with the special educational needs of gifted children. She has raised two gifted children of her own.

Excerpt:   “Parenting is a challenge for all parents. But parents of gifted children face more challenges and have a greater opportunity to raise children who will really make a difference to our complicated, modern world. Specifically, you face serious challenges helping develop your gifted child’s potential.”

Effectiveness:   Klein’s devotion to the emotional and social plight of gifted kids and their parents is evident from page one. She pleads with parents to remember that a child is still a child, no matter how advanced, and still needs sensible, caring guidance. Her passion [is clearly evident]. Numerous case histories reassure that you’re not alone, and are excellent indicators of how decisions might play out.

CAG’s 45th Annual Conference in Santa Clara

I am presenting How to Find the Right School for Your Gifted Child

Sunday, March 4, 2007, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

    There is no one-size-fits-all school for gifted children. Finding the right school for your child can be an
enormous challenge. Insight and strategies for selecting the right school will be presented. Family stories will
be used to demonstrate the possibilities in school choice.