Sometimes the brightest minds are the quietest in the room. Not because they have nothing to offer, but because they’ve found psychological safety in doing so.
Gifted children — especially those who are twice-exceptional or developing asynchronously — may intentionally hide their abilities to avoid unwanted attention or to fit in with their friends. Such behavior, called “gifted masking,” often results in unfulfilled potential, missed learning opportunities, and students who don’t feel seen.
In this blog, we’ll explore what gifted masking is, why it happens, and how both parents and educators can help reveal a student’s brilliance.
Gifted Masking in Children & What it Means
What happens when it feels too risky to be yourself? You may find yourself acting like someone else.
Masking is the strategy gifted children use to protect themselves. They may do so consciously or without realizing it by hiding their strengths, softening their personality, or playing down their knowledge.
Gifted masking tends to be rooted in a fear of rejection, being misunderstood, and anxiety. For others, it’s driven by a need to curate a particular external perception.
Recognizing masking starts with looking for subtle cues in behavior and performance — patterns that aren’t always obvious to the untrained eye at first glance.
Signs a Gifted Child Is Masking
Before we can support a gifted child who’s masking, we have to notice it. That’s not always easy to do, especially when it might look like a “normal” social interaction.
Below are a few common examples of what gifted masking looks like in the classroom:
- Holding back in class discussions
- Underachieving on assignments
- Pretending not to understand concepts they’ve already mastered
- Avoiding advanced work altogether
To be clear, masking extends beyond academics; it also affects students socially and emotionally, such as:
- Not showing or sharing their excitement because others might not relate
- Hiding stress or exhaustion related to perfectionism
- Changing behaviors or attitudes to fit in with peers
- Downplaying their achievements in conversations
These shifting patterns can take a toll, leaving a gifted child unsure of who they’re “supposed” to be. Without awareness, these signs can fly under the radar, resulting in long-term consequences that affect emotional health and academic growth.
Implications of Being “Invisible” & Long-Term Effects
Gifted masking may feel like a short-term solution to social or academic pressures, but when the mask stays on too long, it can alter the individual’s sense of identity and limit their learning.
Emotional Consequences
- Loneliness: Children who mask their giftedness may feel disconnected from their peers and misunderstood by adults around them.
- Low self-esteem: Masking can lead a child to believe that their authentic self is “too much” or “not enough.”
- Misdiagnosis: The emotional strain of gifted masking can mimic or worsen conditions like depression, leading to inaccurate diagnoses.
Academic Impact
- Missed enrichment opportunities: Students masking giftedness may not be connected with enrichment programs.
- Lack of identification: If a student conceals their giftedness, educators may overlook students for appropriately challenging coursework or programs entirely.
Long-Term Effects
- Identity confusion: Years of masking can make it difficult for middle and high schoolers to know who they are apart from who they’ve pretended to be.
- Burnout: The constant effort to hide abilities can lead to exhaustion, mentally and physically. Moreso, the student may lose passion for learning or their personal goals.
Understanding these impacts is important, especially for students whose giftedness coexists with learning differences.
Why Masking Happens More in Twice-Exceptional Children
A twice-exceptional (2e) student is both gifted and has a learning difference — such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism — that affects how they process information.
For these learners, self-expression can be more complicated. Their giftedness may be hidden behind struggles with attention span, reading, or social communication, while their learning differences may be overlooked because they’re bright in certain areas.
This combination makes gifted masking more prevalent. For example, a 2e student with ADHD may not speak up at all to avoid blurting out an answer or being corrected for acting quickly.
Unfortunately, when a 2e student masks, it’s often misread as a behavioral problem or a lack of motivation. By recognizing how 2e traits intersect, educators and parents can better identify and support these students for the long haul.
Does ADHD Mask Giftedness?
It’s common for ADHD to mask giftedness because its symptoms (including inattention or impulsivity) may overshadow their advanced abilities. At the same time, those strengths may cover up the challenges ADHD creates. Think of this like “masking in both directions,” which increases the chances of parents and/or educators misunderstanding their needs.
Read more about why 2e students may struggle in school and how to help.
How Parents & Educators Can Support Unmasking
Now knowing all of this information, parents and educators can take precautions to address masking early, build safe environments at school and home, and prevent these outcomes. The goal is to replace the need for hiding with a sense of belonging, no matter if it’s gifted ADHD masking or another form.
Here are a few specific ways you can support a gifted child in lowering their mask:
- Encourage authentic self-expression.
- Normalize differences.
- Modify environments that reward conformity.
- Advocate for better identification practices.
Encourage Authentic Self-Expression
- Celebrate curiosity, creativity, and passions, even when they’re unconventional.
- Give students opportunities to share their ideas in different ways, such as art or journaling.
Normalize Differences
- Talk openly about how everyone learns and thinks differently.
- Model your own experiences or share examples of successful people who took pride in their unique strengths and challenges.
Modify Environments That Reward Conformity
- Create a sense of ownership/choice in the classroom.
- Build flexibility into assignments and enrichment activities.
- Create classroom or home spaces where experimentation and risk-taking are valued over “getting it right” the first time.
Advocate for Better Identification Practices
- Work with schools to ensure screening and identification include twice-exceptional learners.
- Encourage multiple measures for recognizing giftedness, not only test scores or teacher recommendations.
- Find a professional who specializes in working with gifted or 2e individuals.
From Masked to Seen
Every child deserves to be unapologetically themselves and feel safe doing so. When parents and educators understand gifted ADHD masking and other forms of gifted masking, they can help children unlearn the need to hide, ultimately nurturing self-esteem and revealing more academic opportunities.
See also:
- Why Gifted Students Need Specialized Education
- Twice-Exceptionality: A Resource Guide for Parents (Davidson Institute Guidebook)
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