Intelligence, Giftedness --- More complicated than we thought?

What is "INTELLIGENCE"?   It is becoming more and more obvious that it is NOT what we "think":

• Neuro-Diverse People (Can be Highly Emotional, Have High Logic Skills, and Have Difficulties in One or More Areas of Executive Functioning), and
• More Perceived Neuro-Typical People (often not as far from that Neuro-Diverse Person as they might want to think) 

"GIFTED" and The Principle of Least Effort

​When "Gifted and Talented" as a concern in EDUCATION started it was largely perceived to be an UNQUALIFIED GOOD -- and it probably still is in the general public .

BUT the father of "Giftedness" Theory --- introduced this concept of "Over-Excitabilities" and that Gifted People had this tendency to EMOTIONALLY CRASH --- "POSITIVE DISINTEGRATION and PERSONAL GROWTH."

• "Individuals with strong developmental potential tend to experience frequent and intense crises (positive disintegrations) that create opportunities for the development of an autonomous, self-crafted personality." ​ 
  • ​This is spun about as "POSITIVELY" as you can, but why are these people having so many CRISES?
  • I would submit it is because they have Lower Executive Functioning in one or more areas and they are needing to pull in more Sensory Information ---
  • BUT that can lead to OVERLOAD and a MELTDOWN.
  • ​You do become a more independent thinker because you've had to be --- there are a number things you may not be able to do on AUTOMATIC.
  • On the other hand, if you and the society believe that there are NO LIMITS if you just TRY HARD ENOUGH --- you may be headed for a DISASTER.  

​

​The PROs and Cons of Where We Seem to Be Headed

​Pros

• We're starting to recognize "this" is more COMPLICATED than we thought (that hardly ever happens, right?) ​
  • ​That is exceedingly important --- because the MAP I was given of "giftedness" has NOT MATCHED the TERRAIN I have travelled -- and I don't think I'm the only one that got "LOST."
• "Gifted" People are NOT some STANDARD of PERFECTION --- that's important for everyone to know.

​Cons

• We are Half-Way Down the Road to Defining ​"Intellectually Gifted People" OUT of our category of "Intelligence"--- which would be HILARIOUS if it weren't so SAD and DANGEROUS.​
• We are starting to recognize the COMPLICATED NATURE of "Intelligence" --- in the EXTREMES but we haven't been able to take it MAINSTEAM.
  • ​MEANING --- these issues are NOT JUST in the "GIFTED" Population --- BUT it may be easier to see in the EXTREME.

How our "TRADITIONAL WRONG ASSUMPTIONS" play out in the person with a Neuro-Developmental Disorder involving Executive Functioning and Psychiatric Disorders.

All people with High Intelligence Have High Executive Functioning
I Have High Intelligence
Therefore, I must have High Executive Functioning

But you're saying that I don't have High Intelligence
because I don't Have High Executive Functioning . . .

BUT I DO HAVE HIGH INTELLIGENCE

[That person is grandiose and doesn't really have too much of a connection to reality]

​Kirk, Spock, Scotty and McCoy OUTWIT the Androids

Why Gifted Kids Are Actually Special Needs

I really like this Psychiatrist but I don't buy into this idea that all that is going on is -- gifted kids didn't have to exercise those "study skills."

I think it is much more complicated than that.

AND the point I'm trying to make with the PRINCIPLE of LEAST EFFORT is quite different than the point above.

My take on it is ----

• the reason you may have done well in school and/ or identified as "gifted with a lot of potential" was that you had access to a lot of SENSORY INFORMATION --
• BUT WHY did you have access to more SENSORY INFORMATION?
• I would submit at least in part it was to fill in some gaps in MORE AUTOMATIC EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING --- that's a BIG RANGE.
• What were you using that SENSORY INFORMATION for ----- to REASON ---- TO FIND PATTERNS.
• BUT your BODY & BRAIN wouldn't have done that to the DEGREE that "they" did ---if you had had access to that AUTOMATIC FUNCTIONING.
• Further --- more gifted educators are RECOGNIZING that many gifted kids do have executive functioning issues --- and I think that is much more DEVELOPMENTAL than we've been willing to acknowledge.