Supporting Children with High Learning Potential - Advice Sheets

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Potential Plus UK has a wide selection of advice sheets covering many of the issues likely to face parents and carers of a child with high learning potential.

Family members can access all of our family and children’s advice sheets and download them free of charge by logging into the members area and visiting the Family Member Resources page. Non-members can download a selection of General Advice Sheets for free and other advice sheets are available to purchase and download at £3.60 each.

See our Parent Advice Sheets Page  for more advice sheets on subjects such as: assessments, education and social and emotional issues. For a quick way to identify our parent advice sheets visit the Parent Advice Sheets – Alphabetical Index

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PA501a – Young High Learning Potential Children at Preschool or Nursery (England)

Parents are often concerned about their young high learning potential child at preschool or nursery. On the one hand, the child is excited by learning and may be looking forward to being able to learn with others in an educational environment. On the other hand, they may have difficulty relating to their age peers or may have sensitivities that the parents fear could be overlooked or mishandled. This advice sheet guides parents through these issues and possible ways of resolving them, with specific reference the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.

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PA501b – Young High Learning Potential Children at Preschool or Nursery (Scotland)

Parents are often concerned about their young high learning potential child at preschool or nursery. On the one hand, the child is excited by learning and may be looking forward to being able to learn with others in an educational environment. On the other hand, they may have difficulty relating to their age peers or may have sensitivities that the parents fear could be overlooked or mishandled. This advice sheet guides parents through these issues and possible ways of resolving them, with specific reference to the Scotland Curriculum for Excellence.

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PA501c – Young High Learning Potential Children at Preschool or Nursery (Wales)

Parents are often concerned about their young high learning potential child at preschool or nursery. On the one hand, the child is excited by learning and may be looking forward to being able to learn with others in an educational environment. On the other hand, they may have difficulty relating to their age peers or may have sensitivities that the parents fear could be overlooked or mishandled. This advice sheet guides parents through these issues and possible ways of resolving them, with specific reference to the Welsh early years curriculum.

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PA501d – Young High Learning Potential Children at Preschool or Nursery (Northern Ireland)

Parents are often concerned about their young high learning potential child at preschool or nursery. On the one hand, the child is excited by learning and may be looking forward to being able to learn with others in an educational environment. On the other hand, they may have difficulty relating to their age peers or may have sensitivities that the parents fear could be overlooked or mishandled. This advice sheet guides parents through these issues and possible ways of resolving them, with specific reference to the Northern Ireland early years curriculum.

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PA502 – Young High Learning Potential Children at Home

The home is the place where much of children’s formative years are spent and parents are their first teachers. This advice sheet provides guidance to parents on giving young children with high learning potential the best start at home.

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Dad having words with his son

PA503 – Behaviour of Young High Learning Potential Children

Many parents and carers struggle with the behaviour of young high learning potential children, from difficulties relating to their peer group to complex behaviours related to anxiety. It is important to understand these behaviours so that they can be dealt with in the best way possible. This advice sheet explores the kinds of behavioural issues seen in young high learning potential children and the reasons for them, and gives some indication about how best to approach them.

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PA504 – Inspiring Young High Learning Potential Children

Young children with high learning potential may have strong passions that naturally lead them into areas of learning, or to enjoy doing many different things. This advice sheet will help parents to nurture their children’s interests and inspire them to learn something different.

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Photo of a mother ona bed holding her daughter above her in a flying position

PA509 – Parenting High Learning Potential Children

Parenting a child with high learning potential can be daunting. When a young person knows more than most adults in some areas, caregivers can feel uncertain about how to ‘parent’ positively. However, although these young people may be advanced intellectually, in terms of life experience they are beginners and greatly in need of guidance in order to flourish.

This advice sheet uses the term ‘parenting’ to include all adults who care for a child, their wellbeing and mental stimulation. It gives guidelines for understanding the child in your care and their individual challenges, as well as areas of high learning potential. It also suggests positive discipline techniques and resources to allow the maturation of a resilient and well-balanced young person.

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PA511 – Introversion and High Learning Potential

Extraversion is one of the “Big 5” broad personality traits that many psychologists agree on and have been supported through research. Each of the five personality traits represents a range between two extremes, therefore Extraversion represents a continuum between extreme introversion to extreme extraversion. Whilst personality traits can change through life and are contextual, it has been noted that a higher proportion of high learning potential people have traits of introversion than do the general population. This advice sheet is an introductory guide for parents of high learning potential children who show traits of introversion and it will help them to understand what introversion is and how to work with it.

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PA513 – Creativity and High Learning Potential

People who can think and express themselves creatively lead more fulfilling lives since they experience life by seeing connections, being flexible, wanting to innovate and having a desire to change things for the better. This advice sheet offers parents practical advice on the importance of creativity, how to recognise natural creative talent and how to encourage children to develop their creative thinking skills.

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PA514 – Asynchronous Development

Asynchronous development, whereby a child appears to be ‘wise beyond their years’ but in many ways is still very immature, has been described as the defining characteristic of high learning potential children. This advice sheet explores the issues relating to Asynchronous Development in children with high learning potential and provides useful strategies and clear guidance on how to support children who are developing asynchronously.

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Young girl looking up very happily to the sky

PA515 – Supporting Successful Profile High Learning Potential Children

In 1988, following extensive research in gifted education, Maureen Neihart and George Betts proposed six profiles of children with high learning potential. The profiles have been widely used in supporting high learning potential children and have recently (2010) been revised based on the authors’ experiences since they were developed. This advice sheet is aimed at parents and carers wanting to find out how to support a successful profile high learning potential child.

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PA516 – Supporting Creative Profile High Learning Potential Children

In 1988, following extensive research in gifted education, Maureen Neihart and George Betts proposed six profiles of children with high learning potential. The profiles have been widely used in supporting high learning potential children and have recently (2010) been revised based on the authors’ experiences since they were developed. This advice sheet is aimed at parents and carers wanting to find out how to support a creative profile high learning potential child.

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Child in headphones

PA517 – Supporting DME Profile High Learning Potential Children

In 1988, following extensive research in gifted education, Maureen Neihart and George Betts proposed six profiles of children with high learning potential. The profiles have been widely used in supporting high learning potential children and have recently (2010) been revised based on the authors’ experiences since they were developed. This advice sheet is aimed at parents and carers wanting to find out how to support a Dual or Multiple Exceptional (DME) profile high learning potential child.

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PA518 – Supporting Underground Profile High Learning Potential Children

In 1988, following extensive research in gifted education, Maureen Neihart and George Betts proposed six profiles of children with high learning potential. The profiles have been widely used in supporting high learning potential children and have recently (2010) been revised based on the authors’ experiences since they were developed. This advice sheet is aimed at parents and carers wanting to find out how to support an underground profile high learning potential child.

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PA519 – Supporting At-Risk Profile High Learning Potential Children

In 1988, following extensive research in gifted education, Maureen Neihart and George Betts proposed six profiles of children with high learning potential. The profiles have been widely used in supporting high learning potential children and have recently (2010) been revised based on the authors’ experiences since they were developed. This advice sheet is aimed at parents and carers wanting to find out how to support an at-risk profile high learning potential child.

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young boy studying a map

PA520 – Supporting Autonomous Profile High Learning Potential Children

In 1988, following extensive research in gifted education, Maureen Neihart and George Betts proposed six profiles of children with high learning potential. The profiles have been widely used in supporting high learning potential children and have recently (2010) been revised based on the authors’ experiences since they were developed. This advice sheet is aimed at parents and carers wanting to find out how to support an autonomous profile high learning potential child.

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PA521 – What To Tell Children About Their High Learning Potential

The issue of what to tell children about their high learning potential is one which is often fraught with differing opinions and potential pitfalls. This advice sheet is written for parents, carers and others supporting children with high learning potential. It explores what experts in the field and research say about whether or what to tell children about their high learning potential. It also covers the question of effective praise to support children with high learning potential.

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PA522 – Executive Function Skills

Executive Function Skills are a group of important skills developed through childhood and into early adulthood. They enable us to plan and accomplish tasks and achieve long-term goals. Weaknesses in executive functioning impact on our ability to apply cognitive skills such as working memory, flexible thinking, attention, planning and organisation. Developing executive function skills requires practice; however, many high potential learners may fail to develop these skills in line with their abilities. This advice sheet explores the topic and suggests ways to help children to mature their executive function skills.

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