Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings [Paperback]

Christine Fonseca (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2010

Designed to provide support for the difficult job of parenting and teaching gifted children, Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings provides the resource parents and teachers need to not only understand why gifted children are so extreme in their behavior, but also learn specific strategies to teach gifted children how to live with their intensity.

Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students uses real-world examples through case studies and role-plays that show parents and teachers how to interact with gifted children in a way that teaches them how to recognize, monitor, and adjust their behavior. Worksheets, tip sheets, and checklists are included to help parents, teachers, and the students themselves learn to cope with the explosive feelings that often accompany giftedness. Specific strategies for stress management, underperformance in school, perfectionism, and social anxiety make this a must-read for anyone wishing to make a positive lasting impact on the lives of gifted children.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"She does give you a manual and it is a very good one." - Gifted Education Communicator

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Prufrock Press, Inc. (October 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593634900
• ISBN-13: 978-1593634902
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs

More About the Author

As an author of both nonfiction and YA novels, I have dedicated my life to helping people of all ages find their voice in a noisy world. In fiction, I craft psychological thrillers and sweeping romances that will take the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride through through the darker aspects of humanity, exploring themes that include sacrifice, love, and madness. My titles include the Gothic romance, Lacrimosa (part of the Requiem Series), and the Phantom of the Opera Inspired psychological thriller, Transcend (part of the Phantom Chronicles).

In nonfiction, I draw on my training as an educational psychologist and address the issues of emotional intensity, resiliency, and giftedness, writing books for children, teens, parents and educators. My titles include Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students and 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids and the much awaited The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World, releasing in April 2013.

I live in Southern California with my husband and daughters. When I am not working with children or hanging out with the family, I can be found sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at my favorite coffee shop as I write my next book or play around online. For more information at me or my work, visit me at http://christinefonseca.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life Changing Book November 20, 2010

By Sherrie Petersen

Format:Paperback

I love the small school that my children attend, but we don't have a GATE program. As a result, I know very little about what it means to be gifted. It would have been really helpful information, especially since it turns out I may have a gifted child in my house.

Even as a toddler it was obvious that my child was different than other children. I searched numerous books on parenting, looking for answers. I read about ADHD, autism and indigos, trying to figure out how to be a better parent, sensitive to this child's needs. But none of the scenarios or definitions fit what we were experiencing until I read this book. Finally, this makes sense. This is what I've been looking for.

Most people saw only the highly intelligent, cooperative child that my child can be. They thought I was crazy to think something was wrong. They didn't see the erratic mood swings, the random hyperactivity, the inflexible viewpoint on issues, or the relentless drive for perfection that kept my child from trying new things. After I read the first chapter of this book online, I almost cried. I wasn't crazy. And neither was my child.

Amazing how a book can change your life.

While many of the parenting strategies found in EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN GIFTED STUDENTS would be useful in any home, what really impressed me were the tips for helping children (as well as parents and teachers) recognize emotional triggers. Once kids and parents learn to see the signs building, they can work together to prevent outbursts and find ways to relax before negative emotions overtake the entire family. Useful tip sheets, checklists and worksheets throughout the book offer practical guidance for working through various issues. The final third of the book helps parents learn how to better communicate and "coach" their children through difficult scenarios.

This book is written in a conversational tone, making it incredibly readable. The author has managed to give her readers real insight into what it means to be gifted and clearly illustrated the internal struggle that children might face as a result. Anyone who works with kids can benefit from reading EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN GIFTED STUDENTS, but if you have a gifted child in your home, you won't regret making this book your guide.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One Parent's View of Emotional Intensity October 15, 2010

By ljconrad

Format:Paperback

Being a parent in today's world is a difficult job. Being the parent of an emotionally intense gifted child can be the most draining experience of your life. Emotional outbursts in public, nightly fights over homework, struggling to get your child to school in the morning, the dreaded phone call from the principal - sound familiar? Where do you turn for advice? Traditional parenting handbooks are of little use. A gifted child's parent must fight the feeling of helplessness and of not knowing who to trust for information on dealing with their child. That is ... until now!

Speaking as the mother of two gifted teens, author of Gifted Parenting Support blog, and a counselor to gifted parents for the past 15 years, I believe that Christine Fonseca's Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students is a once in a generation answer to the most pressing questions being asked today by gifted parents. It was a bittersweet read for me ... so wishing it had appeared 19 years ago ... but one I will highly recommend to parents of younger gifted children and their teachers.

A school psychologist and gifted parent, the author shares her unique perspective on the subject of emotional intensity as she draws information from her professional development, personal experience, and some of the richest sources in gifted education today. Her depth of knowledge and understanding has produced a powerful framework for those parenting gifted children.

Emotional Intensity offers specific strategies and techniques to assist parents and teachers as well as students. In each chapter, these strategies are applied to three different types of gifted children making it extremely useful and reader-friendly. Ms. Fonseca reminds her readers that, "These children can be easily overwhelmed by their environment, reacting in ways that are difficult for parents to manage. Stress from their need to perform at a top level, the frustration of feeling out of control or inadequate, and a general lack of tools in their emotional toolbox to manage these stressors all contribute to their negative feelings until they finally explode." Throughout the pages of this book, parents are given hope that they are not alone. It enables parents to see what their child can become - successful, well-rounded, and happy adults - rather than just what they can achieve.

Simply put, buying and reading this book will be one of the best investments a parent or educator can ever make as they guide the gifted children in their care.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Parents, Teachers, you need this book October 3, 2010

By Julie R. Fedynich

Format:Paperback

Your child is the smart one, the one who gets bored in school or refuses to do homework, the one who is bullied or has difficulty making friends. Your child has a heart the size of Mount Rushmore, and can inexplicably grasp concepts and emotions that should be impossible for him or her to understand.

Your child is in this book.

Christine Fonesca, in her book, Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings, deals with problems that we as parents and teachers of gifted and talented children face each day. She explains in compassionate and easy to understand verbiage why our children are like they are and what we can do to help them grow into amazing adults.
Ms. Fonesca debunks commonly held myths about the gifted and gives you the tools you need for better parent-teacher relationships, better parent-child relationships, and most importantly makes you realize that there is hope for this group of misunderstood children.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. Ms. Fonesca's understanding, compassion, and enthusiasm for gifted and talented children shines in this easily understood read. Her amusing and sometimes heart breaking examples explain the frustration and brilliance of the gifted in a way I've never seen before. Parents, Teachers, you need this book.