Signs that your child may be gifted

Carolyn McWilliams, MA Educational Specialist, shares advice for parents on how to recognize the signs that your child may be gifted and how to best support them if they are
Signs that Your Child is Gifted
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Signs that your child may be gifted

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If your child is gifted, you might not be the first person to know. To you, he or she is just your child and you might think that's just the way all children are. You may begin to have people say things to you like, "How old is she?" or "Does he always ask those kinds of questions. That's probably the first time you might start to think that something is going on. First of all, enjoy your child. Explore their passions with them and their curiosity and follow their lead. However, if you want confirmation that your child is gifted and may have special needs that you want to address, an educational psychologist is someone who can do actual testing, to let you know if your cognitive profile, their learning style, and exactly the special needs that you need to address that being gifted represents.

Carolyn McWilliams, MA Educational Specialist, shares advice for parents on how to recognize the signs that your child may be gifted and how to best support them if they are

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Carolyn McWilliams, MA

Educational Specialist

Carolyn is currently an educational therapist and educational consultant helping students, parents, and schools meet the challenges of gifted students with learning challenges through her offices in Santa Monica, California. Carolyn also does general consulting with schools on topics from curriculum development to teaching study skills to interpretation of student test scores.

Carolyn began her educational career in Santa Barbara, California, where she received her B.A. and M.A. and became a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Administration with an emphasis on Curriculum and Instruction. She served as a supervisor of student teachers and taught courses across the educational curriculum during her eight years at UCSB.

After completing her studies, Carolyn moved to Los Angeles where she served as the head of Adat Ari El Day School in Valley Village and as a consultant on issues of learning and instruction to Jewish day schools across the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Spectrum, as well as to elementary and secondary schools of all types. During this time she also served on the faculty of California State University at Northridge.

The parent of three highly gifted daughters of her own (one with learning challenges), throughout her career, Carolyn has designed innovative strategies, as well as unique programs to help gifted students achieve life success. She established the Johns Hopkins Center for Academically Talented Youth (CTY) Summer Commuter Program held at the University of California Los Angeles and served as parent liaison for the CTY to the press and larger community. She was the founder and head of Bridges Academy, which serves a population of twice-exceptional students in grades 6-12, from 1994-2003 (bridges.edu).

Carolyn has been a classroom teacher in both Goleta Union and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. She was LAUSD Teacher of the Year, was one of five finalists for California Teacher of the Year, and was given an Outstanding Educator Award by the Los Angeles Times. She has published curriculum and articles in the areas of special education, social studies, English, educational computing, ESL, multi-cultural education, study skills, and classroom organization. She regularly presents at conferences and schools on topics related to curriculum, instruction, classroom organization, gifted students, and special needs populations. 

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