Psychology In Seattle Podcast Gifted Children (2013 Rerun)
Jul 29, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Lisa Erickson, a clinical director specializing in gifted individuals, explores the unique challenges faced by gifted children. She highlights the complexities of identifying giftedness and the emotional struggles that often accompany high IQs. The conversation addresses common misconceptions and misdiagnoses, emphasizing the importance of understanding overexcitabilities. Lisa also critiques societal perceptions of giftedness and advocates for a broader view of intelligence that encompasses diverse talents.
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Overexcitabilities in Gifted People
- Gifted individuals often have neurological differences called overexcitabilities (OEs) affecting their intensity and perception.
- These OEs can be misunderstood and misdiagnosed as disorders like ADHD by clinicians unfamiliar with giftedness.
Misdiagnoses from Giftedness
- Gifted children often get misdiagnosed due to boredom or high energy being mistaken for learning disabilities.
- Their intelligence combined with needs for stimulation requires different educational approaches than typical diagnoses suggest.
Giftedness as a Hidden Identity
- Society often stigmatizes giftedness, causing gifted individuals to hide their identity similarly to minority groups.
- This cultural resistance leads to misunderstandings and unfair pathologizing of giftedness as arrogance or narcissism.
