VIBES LEARNING ACADEMY

For The Gifted & Neurodivergent

2025-2026 School Year

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Gifted Education Strategies

Differentiated Curriculum—The general curriculum includes the knowledge and skills that most students are taught and expected to learn. Teachers modify the curriculum to match the abilities and interests of gifted students and allow them to progress. This is known as providing a differentiated curriculum.

The two most common strategies used to differentiate the curriculum for gifted students are acceleration and enrichment. Acceleration refers to speeding up the pace of instruction to match the child's ability. For example, fourth-grade gifted students may be taught fifth-grade mathematics skills.

Enrichment refers to introducing new or more complex ideas or activities. For example, gifted students studying science concepts may work on developing their own inventions. 

Giftedness, often viewed as a form of neurodiversity, involves unique brain structures and functions that lead to cognitive, sensory, and emotional differences, requiring tailored learning approaches.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Neurodiversity and Giftedness:

Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in human brains, leading to differences in cognitive, sensory, and emotional processing. Giftedness, with its heightened abilities and unique learning styles, is considered a form of neurodiversity, and the pathways leading to it are enormously variable. 

Intensity and Overexcitability:

A key characteristic of neurodiversity is intensity, and giftedness can be understood as a particular type of intensity. Polish psychiatrist Kazimierz Dabrowski referred to giftedness as overexcitability, identifying five areas of overexcitability: intellectual, emotional, sensual (sensorial), psychomotor, and imaginational. 

Learning Needs:

The pathways leading to giftedness are diverse, and so are the resulting learning needs of children. Gifted children may display neurodivergent traits without being neurodivergent, but parents and educators should be willing to assess gifted children for potential neurodivergence. 

Twice-Exceptional:

Some individuals are "twice-exceptional," meaning they are both gifted and have a learning disability or neurodevelopmental difference, such as autism or ADHD. 

Unique Learning Styles:

Gifted individuals often have unique learning styles, and it's important to recognize and cater to these differences in education. 

Importance of Inclusive Education:

An inclusive approach to education that affirms individual differences and focuses on matching a child's environment and education to their emotional and learning needs is crucial.

Social-Emotional Differences:

Giftedness is also associated with social-emotional differences, and it's important to understand and support these challenges. 

Burnout and Support:

Masking neurodivergent traits can lead to burnout, so it's important to provide proper support and understanding for gifted neurodivergent children. 

Strengths-Based Approach:

Focusing on strengths and helping individuals align with their strengths can lead to greater success and well-being.

Behavior Coaching Infused