The Challenges of Parenting a Child with a High IQ
Since I started homeschooling Jude I’ve been observing his educational development. As we entered into this homeschool thing I didn’t have much understanding as to where he stood educationally. I didn’t know what he knew or how he learned.
After his full psychological evaluation we learned that he has an above average IQ but not just across-the-board above average. Parts of his IQ sky rocketed to the top of the charts while other parts were moderately above average and this was ultimately the reason he struggled with school. After doing a bit of research I learned that all of the “problems” we were having with Jude were a direct result of his high IQ. I never would have thought that a high IQ could pose problems in school.
I’ve since learned that people with a high IQ tend to be independent, lack social awareness, hyperactive and often present other behavioral challenges. It seems weird to me, and probably others, that having a high IQ could present so many challenges. I always thought having a high IQ was some grand achievement but IQ has very little to do with what we know but is more about how our brains our wired.
Jude is a very quick learner. He remembers things with extreme ease, especially if there is a visual or physical component. I’m also learning that he requires a great deal of mental stimulation. (He always needs to be doing something productive.) And he works very quickly. He completes most of his school work within a 1-2 hour time period after which he wants more mental stimulation. He doesn’t want to complete his school work so he can mindlessly watch TV, he wants to play educational apps on my iPad, build structures, draw detailed plans for his imaginary buildings, solve puzzles, etc…
Having this insight into how his brain works and having worked one-on-one with him over the past several weeks has been very eye-opening. Most of the work we’re doing is review for him. At this point he doesn’t need a lot of instruction from me and he is just flying through his workbooks. We are almost half-way through some of our subject books and we’ve only been doing school for about 3 weeks. At this rate we’ll be done with most of his curriculum by Christmas.
Not all children are wired the same and it took us a long time to figure out what makes Jude tick. We’re still working with him to find a plan that gives him the opportunity to display and strengthen his skills. Parenting Jude has it’s challenges but ultimately I am so blessed to have such a creative, bright and gifted son. It can be overwhelming to parent a child like Jude but it’s important to highlight his strengths and be reminded of just how blessed we are to have him as our son.
