The consulting services available to Young Scholars are driven by the needs of the family. The relationship between the family and the Family Consultant is a partnership. The family and their Family Consultant will work together by e-mail and telephone to decide among the different consulting services available to best meet the family’s needs. Some common requests Family Consultants assist their families with are: discussing the educational options available to the family; providing resources to further develop their child’s areas of interest and talent; assisting with some of the common issues that may arise when parenting a profoundly gifted child; and how to successfully work with their child’s school.
Academic Support
Finding an appropriate educational setting for a student with extreme intellectual ability is one of the most difficult tasks parents can face. To make this task less daunting, the professionals at the Davidson Institute offer guidance, resources and information addressing the following options:
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- Grade Acceleration
- Subject Acceleration
- Assessment
- Enrichment
- Homeschooling
- Talent Searches
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- Distance Learning
- Independent Study
- Concurrent Enrollment
- Tutoring/Mentoring
- Early College Admission
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Educational Advocacy
Gifted education isn’t federally mandated, and it can be difficult to demonstrate that a child has a right to an appropriately challenging education without getting emotional. Working with a child’s school isn’t always easy and is often a lot of work. It is a team effort and how one approaches the school is key. Family Consultants help families learn more about the options that are available to them locally and how to approach the school. They also often work with schools directly as an outside voice to offer support.
Talent Development
Young people with extreme intellectual abilities often have multiple interests and a constant need for mental stimulation. Research indicates that talent development is a process that ebbs and flows throughout different stages of a child’s development. Family Consultants often assist families by providing enrichment materials, summer camps, resources on how to find mentors and more.
Child & Adolescent Development
Profoundly intelligent young people often have unique developmental trajectories, which can make parenting them quite a challenge. Since the Young Scholars program addresses the whole child rather than just their intellectual abilities, Family Consultants are available to help parents locate resources that address common developmental issues such as perfectionism, underachievement and peer relationships. The Davidson Institute may also be able to help parents find ways to address their child's learning-based exceptionalities and disabilities, such as ADHD, dyslexia and dysgraphia. Telephone consultations with pediatric specialists in these areas can be arranged.
The greatest gift of the Young Scholars program is our Family Consultant. She has provided our family with support and guidance through some difficult times and decision making processes and is always able to point us to helpful resources.
- Davidson Young Scholar Parent
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