Today I Learned @lemmy.world I Cast Fist @programming.dev 2 wk. ago

TIL: Being intellectually gifted is a spectrum of neurodivergence and does not automatically mean the person is/will be a genius in anything

Other points:

it's not mutually exclusive with any other neurodivergence, in which case they're "twice exceptional";
In an environment with unprepared people and professionals, they may be wrongly diagnosed as having some other neurodivergence.
It's not just a high IQ score;
Gifted kids can be problem students and have low grades;
Homework feels like torture (this is true to any child, tho);
They're very likely to question authorities and point out perceived hypocrisy (emphasis here on perceived, because pointing something and being right are different things);
As kids, they may have weird quirks for executing tasks, such as wanting to hold pencils the "wrong" way, or wanting to press against a wall to do homework;

If you're Brazilian or can understand Brazilian Portuguese, this is the podcast I listened to - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apnuIIePeeA

Aos brasileiros que acabarem encontrando esse post, o podcast que assisti é o que linkei acima

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40 comments

- I like how vague some of these are. "ability to notice details", "pattern recognition"
  
  Not "heightened ability..." or "enhanced..." or any modifier. Does that mean average intelligence, neurotypical people can't notice details or patterns?
  
  I read it as being particularly good at it, since everybody does indeed do pattern matching and can spot details.
  
  That format of presentation - especially when the choice was clearly made to go for more points rather than more depth per point - is unsuitable for precise, detailed explanations, so expecting otherwise isn't exactly logic.
  
  As somebody who, judging by everything else in there matches that particular part of the spectrum (though never formally diagnosed) I've always had an eye for details and am big at figuring things out via pattern matching (I.e. notice that certain combinations of things tend to go along with certain other combinations of things or outcomes) which is also what powers the "skip" thinking (you can jump directly to a list of possibly explanations by recognizing that it shares a pattern with something else whose explanation I already have and then work backwards from there to confirm if indeed one of those possible explanations is the correct one).
  
  I've studied and worked in highly intellectual areas (Science and Technology) and have seldom come across others with a similar style of thinking so to me it makes sense that in that graph those things are there in the sense of more/better than most.
  
  Feels condescending right. Maybe euphamistic or backhanded? Giftedness language always sounds like that. Good intentions bad idea.
  
  Edit: dear gifted downvoters, no worries. I’ll explain below, as a gift.
  
  Oh yeah, buckle up.
  
  By bad idea I’m referring to the language and policies around childhood neurodivergence when I was young, and the term “giftedness” happens to be a tidy encapsulation of these shit ideas.
  
  I’m sure it was well-meaning meaning, maybe to bolster self-esteem, encourage effort, whatever. But that type of language cemented your identity around what you are rather than what you do. If teachers would just think about it in these terms, it should be a straightforward adjustment. For example, “you organized that project well,” “nice job working that problem,” “this argument was convincing” etc etc. Easy right? Alternatively, giving kids feedback about what they are is pointless and directing their program based on what they are, as they did/do, is cancer.
  
  Lots of kids in my generation drank the #gifted koolaid they were served, associating it with the most obvious thing: effort. Is something easier for you? Ha, #gifted. Then it went off the rails.
  
  Now if something took too much effort, of course, must not be gifted, at least not at that. Best to avoid those tasks then I guess. It’s not your “gift.”
  
  And everyone’s heard the stories. So now we’re like
  
  Why did all these #gifted people have zero stamina for long-form work? It’s needed for adult shit right?
  
  Why did so many #gifted people describe hitting a “wall” somewhere in college, grad school, or their early career?
  
  Why did so many #giftedz struggle with imposter syndrome, like they lost their shine or were broken?
  
  And separating the #gifted for special needs — apparently just additional work to keep them from being disruptive or wasting their potential smoking the devils cigarettes — was a great way to rob them of valuable experience socializing with NT kids. Better to form a crack ND squad. Iron sharpens iron. Gifteds will make each other more #gifted.
  
  Of course, the gifteds grew up and learned shit on their own, at least the ones who kept going and didn’t spiral or take the junkie offramp. They eventually reversed the unhelpful programming, swallowed lots of cum and a few difficult pills, like:
  
  Aptitude/IQ tests are useless. Maybe poison?
  
  Here are a few slices of a few super particular skills that roughly predict [standardized test] glory and will remain in your file.
  
  Better to never take those tests. If they force you and you find it’s too high, that’s the cosmos telling you to “waste some potential.” Party until it returns to a sensible godly range. (For the optimizers, the magic number for life success is estimated to be around 115 or 120, according to science.)
  
  There is no such thing as “a genius,” only genius work, “genius iq” was never a thing and the phrase is used only by cashy fart pumpers and the souls lost to MENSA. Oh and every “prodigy” is mostly the product of a fucked-up science experiment of a childhood.
  
  And finally, #giftedness is nothing more than a few diddled dials on your settings panel. Often the gifts are the kind you’d prefer to return for store credit. “Quirks” is probably more apt, since they’re not strictly favorable trades. If a #quirked kid lucks into a stat boost that’s actually useful, they usually have to trade off another.
  
  /gift

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