Information for Parents of Gifted Children

Contacts and Websites for Gifted Resources in Australia

Feb 11, 2008

Raising a gifted child can be challenging. There are several Australian organisations that provide information and support for parents of gifted children.

Gifted and talented programs are wodely used in Australian schools, however parenting gifted children goes beyond school hours. Teachers and parents can contact several Australian associations for access to general information, resources, social networks and advice related to the education and support of gifted children. While these are predominantly located in the capital cities, there are local networks that can provide more hands-on support and encouragement.

Formed in 1985, this association affiliated itself with the state Gifted and Talented associations in 1995 to better serve as an advocate for gifted and talented children and their families and teachers nationally. Their website provides information for parents on identifying gifted children and working with a child’s teacher and school in a positive way to provide for such a child’s specific needs.

The AAEGT publishes the Australasian Journal of Gifted Education twice yearly and parents can subscribe to this for a small fee. The journal covers recent research in Australia and Asia and upcoming events in Australia and New Zealand relevant to gifted children.

The website also has links to resources for parents and teachers as well as many fun and useful links for children.

State Associations for Gifted and Talented Children

Each state has an organisation focused on providing support and information for families in that particular state. They provide resources, publications and support networks.

Based at the University of NSW in Sydney, this unit provides training seminars for parents and teachers in various locations throughout Australia. They hold 2-day workshops for gifted children each January, providing the opportunity for enrichment across a range of interesting topics and themes. Short information seminars for parents are generally run concurrently.

TalentED

Based at the School of Education at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW, this group provides a website with material on the education of the gifted and talented. It provides links, education resources, information about upcoming events and general information about what is happening in the world of gifted education.

Australian Gifted Support Centre

This group is co-ordinated by Helen Dudeney, who has been involved with the NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children for many years, including 8 years as the Association President. The support centre provides face to face or phone counselling for parents of gifted children and runs one-day enrichment programs for gifted children on a variety of themes.

Gifted Education Professional Development Package

Funded by the Federal Government and authored by several GERRIC personnel including Prof. Miraca U.M. Gross and Stan Bailey, who is also associated with the TalentEd site listed above. This collection of documents aims to provide teachers with resources to identify and understand the nature of giftedness and the varying ways in which it presents. The documents are available for download by the general public in pdf format.

There are a variety of websites and organisations that aim to equip Australian parents with the information they need to encourage and support their gifted children. Each of the organisations listed offers a range of services and links to other useful sites, both in Australia and internationally.

The copyright of the article Information for Parents of Gifted Children in Parenting a Gifted Child is owned by Susan Whelan. Permission to republish Information for Parents of Gifted Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.