Title: 
Giftedness: How to Know If You Are Truly Exceptional

Word Count:
503

Summary:
This article features how stress and anxiety, in performance anxiety form, can affect the performance of gifted children.


Keywords:
Performance anxiety, stress and anxiety


Article Body:
Are you special?  Are you unlike everybody else?  If you want to know if you are truly unique, try answering the following questions.

1.	Are the words your child use more advanced than those of other children his age?
2.	Does he have the knack for answering logic-related problems with ease?
3.	Can he memorize bulks of information just by skimming of a book?
4.	In his leisure time, what does he usually do? Play with his toys or read books?
5.	Does he easily get bored with the usual things that are being presented to him in school? 
6.	Does he observe a lot, think a lot, and ask questions more frequently than his playmates?
7.	Whenever you limit the topics of his reading materials, does he usually complain about it?

	If all of your answers are yes, then you're rearing a gifted child. This group of children is described to have higher intelligence than their usual age. Medical experts say that the children's growth are described to be asynchronous – meaning that their mind, body, and emotion don't develop at the normal rate.  Gifted children are identified using a measuring tool that rates the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of a child.  The IQ Test classifies children according to their level of giftedness.  The classifications are as follows: Bright, having 115 and above IQ average; Moderately gifted, 130 plus; Highly gifted, 145 plus; Exceptionally gifted, 160 plus; and Profoundly gifted 175 plus IQ average. 

	With their “giftedness,” these exceptional children have a sharp memory, linguistic flair, and high  analytical capability. Still, their giftedness does not prevent them from experiencing stress and anxiety that is common in other children. A common dilemma among these children include performance anxiety --- an overwhelming apprehension to fail or to perform in public.  Their strong fear of not performing according to what is expected of them heightens their emotional scars and thus, causes disruption in their normal health and activities.  

	Depression, as result of performance anxiety, is also common among gifted children. Studies show that while gifted children continually excel in tests of reasoning, they fare exceptionally low in social and other participative activities in school. This causes them greater stress and anxiety since they are also expected to surpass expectations in terms of their social lives. This factor can intensify their being anxious, thus, affecting their usual activity and performance. 

	Another problem that may pose as a greater toll on their personal growth and development is perfectionism. Correlated with performance anxiety, gifted children tend to strive for excellence beyond what is usually seen in children of the same age.   Parents of gifted children are also responsible for some of the anxieties experienced by these young geniuses.   
	
	Stress and anxiety afflicts both the gifted and normal children. Even great geniuses experience their fair share of these emotional and psychological predicaments.  Their intellectual superiority does not afford them the privilege of having total emotional stability.  So the next time you meet an exceptional child, it may be considerate to know that that child too needs help and comfort just like any other child.


