The Gifted Teen Survival Guide: Smart, Sharp, and Ready for (Almost) Anything

by Judy Galbraith, Jim Delisle

Overview

Meet the social, emotional, and educational needs of gifted students with the fifth edition of this classic bestseller.

Support the social, emotional, and educational needs of gifted students with the fifth edition of The Gifted Teen Survival Guide, a one-of-a-kind book full of sage advice to help teens understand themselves, relate well with others, and reach their potential in life.
 
The fifth edition continues to be the ultimate teen guide to thriving in a world that doesn’t always support or understand high ability. Based on surveys from more than 1,400 teens, The Gifted Teen Survival Guide covers the topics that gifted teens want and need to know about. Full of surprising facts, cutting-edge research, revealing quizzes and survey results, step-by-step strategies, inspiring quotes and stories, and insightful expert essays, the guide gives readers the tools they need to appreciate their giftedness as an asset and use it to make the most of who they are.
 
The fifth edition has been revised to meet the needs of gifted students today, including:

• Updated information about changes in education and in society, such as:
  • the thinking about twice-exceptionality and multiple intelligences
  • terminology of autism spectrum disorder
  • equity in gifted programs and underserved gifted students
  • homeschooling
  • gender and sexuality
  • mental health
• New research findings about brain development in gifted teens
• A wealth of additional resources including books, publications, associations, programs, websites, and much more
• Sections on concepts such as mindfulness, meditation, introversion, and intensities
• Exploration into school-related topics, such as online schooling, taking a gap year after high school, going to college, and finding scholarships
• Up-to-date guidelines for socializing online and using social media

With more than a quarter million copies in print, The Gifted Teen Survival Guide is essential reading for gifted teens, their parents, teachers, counselors, and anyone who cares about smart, talented, curious young people.
 
Part of Self-Help for Teens®
Free Spirit is the leading publisher of learning tools that support teens’ social and emotional health.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631986789
Publisher:	Free Spirit Publishing
Publication date:	05/31/2022
Edition description:	Fifth Edition, Revised, 5th Edition
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,102,343
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Award-winning author and publisher Judy Galbraith, M.A., has a master’s degree in guidance and counseling of the gifted. A former classroom teacher, she has worked with and taught gifted children and teens, their parents, and their teachers for many years.

In 1983 she started Free Spirit Publishing, which specializes in Self-Help for Kids® and Self-Help for Teens® books and other learning resources.

Judy is the author or coauthor of several books, including the perennially popular The Gifted Teen Survival Guide, The Survival Guide for Gifted Kids, When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers, and You Know Your Child Is Gifted When . . . She has appeared on Oprah and has been featured in Family Circle and Family Life, as well as numerous other magazines, newspapers, and broadcast and online media.

Judy served for ten years on the Board of Directors of Search Institute, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing the well-being of children and adolescents. From 2007–2010, she was a member of Minnesota 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees. In 1996, Judy received the E. Paul Torrance Creativity Award; in 2004, she was named the Midwest Publisher of the Year; in 2006, she was Honored for Excellence in Independent Publishing by Independent Publisher Book Awards; in 2011, she received the California Association for the Gifted (CAG) Ruth A. Martinson Award for significant contribution to gifted education; in 2012, she was given the Friend of the Gifted Award by the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented for her sustained advocacy on behalf of gifted children; and in 2015, she received the NAGC Annemarie Roeper Global Awareness Award.

A popular speaker on the social and emotional needs of gifted students, Judy is available to conduct professional development workshops and to give conference keynotes. She is also available for classroom visits via Skype. Judy lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Jim Delisle, Ph.D., has taught gifted children and those who work on their behalf for more than forty years, including twenty-five years as a professor of special education at Kent State University.

He has taught students in elementary and secondary schools and, for the past six years, has worked part time with highly gifted ninth and tenth graders at the Scholars’ Academy in Conway, South Carolina. The author of more than 250 articles and twenty books, Jim is a frequent presenter on gifted children’s intellectual and emotional growth.

Jim and his wife Deb live in Washington, D.C., and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Table of Contents

Introduction

How & Why We Wrote This Book

About This Book

Chapter 1: Giftedness 101
Gifted: A Definition
Who Gets Left Out?
The “Gifted” Label: Burden or Benefit?
Gifted People Speak Out: “My Life So Far . . .” by Alicia Bierstadt
Maddening Myths
What This Means to You
Are You 2E? One Label, Many Facets
Expert Essay: “Can You Imagine?” by Mike Postma

Chapter 2: IQ & More
What Is Intelligence?
What IQ Really Means
When Tests Fail
EQ: What’s Your Emotional Intelligence?
SQ: How Likeable Are You?
Expert Essay: “It’s Your Charm That Matters (or Advice from the Fart Joke Writer)” by Chad Gervich
CQ: The Importance of Being Creative

Chapter 3: Brains on Fire
Meet Your Brain
How Your Gifted Brain Learns
You Can Mold Your Mind
Your Brain On Sleep
Gifted People Speak Out: “My Sleep Experiment” by Joel Oliver
Move Your Body & Your Mind Will Follow
We’re Not Going to Tell You What to Eat, But . . .

Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Your Life
Great Expectations
The Perfectionism Plight
Gifted People Speak Out: “Escaping the Perfectionist Trap” by Sarah Boon
Mindset: Are You a Born-Smart or a Try-Hard?
The Value of Mistakes
Gifted People Speak Out: “Off-Center & Smudged” by Amanda Martin
Managing Your Time On- & Off-line
Revolutionizing Your Study Habits
Being Assertive
Gender & Culture: What Are the Issues?
Expert Essay: “Start Seeing Gifted Hispanics” by Patty Rendon
Handling S-T-R-E-S-S

Chapter 5: Becoming Your Own Advocate in School
Who Is School For?
National Standards: Why You Should Care
Your Rights as a Student
What If Your Teacher Says No?
Expert Essay: “Be Disruptive” by Chad Anderson
Exploring Your Options: AP, IB, Early College, & More
Gifted People Speak Out: “Say It Out Loud” by Morgan Brown
Homeschooling: Can You School Yourself?
Gifted People Speak Out: “I Was a Teenage Underachiever” by Elizabeth Chapman
If You Don’t Like the System, Change It!

Chapter 6: College & Beyond
College Bound: A Prescription for Success
Does It Matter Where You Go to College?
Expert Essay: “Who Gets In & Why” by Danita Salone
Practical Considerations (Like, Uh, Money)
Gifted People Speak Out: “You Are Not You Yet” by Alec Bojalad
Multipotentiality: Life’s Ultimate Buffet
Alternatives to College: Your Road Less Traveled
Gifted People Speak Out: “My Gap Year” by Olivia Fauland
Welcome to the 21st-Century Job Market

Chapter 7: Relationships
Navigating the Social World
Gifted People Speak Out: “Transatlantic Ping Pong” by Yuval Berman
Finding Friends Who Are Right for You
Gifted People Speak Out: “Between Two Worlds” by Olivia Patrick
Dealing with Teasing, Bullying, & Cyberbullying
How to Be Net Smart & Web Wise
Raising Your Parents
Strategies for Successful Family Conversations

Chapter 8: On Being Gifted… and a Teenager

Understanding Adolescence (or Trying To)
Gifted People Speak Out: “Harnessing Your Passions” by Zach Ricci-Braum
A Guide to Intensities
Expert Essay: “Do You Have to Be So Intense?” by Susan Daniels
Gifted & Gay
Gifted People Speak Out: “Accept the Confusion” by Alex Menrinsky
More Than Teen Angst: Depression & Suicide
What Does It All Mean? Developing a Philosophy of Life
Life Lessons in a Flat World: Advice from Thomas Friedman
Gifted People Speak Out: “The Sky Is Not the Limit” by Jalil Bishop

Additional Resources

Books & Publications

Associations & Programs

Contests, Competitions, & Scholarships

Websites & Video Games

Index

About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

What an awesome book! This is a must read for every gifted individual, not just teens! IQ, EQ, CQ, 2e, intensities, and entrepreneurship? This book is the encyclopedia of gifted! Jim and Judy succinctly captured what every gifted individual needs to know to feel comfortable in their own skin, to feel validated, and to feel valiant enough to slay any invisible dragons!

Patricia S. Rendon

The Gifted Teen Survival Guide truly has something for every gifted teen, including personal accounts from gifted teens around the world in each chapter. The fifth edition offers today’s readers current information about how best to navigate the challenges and choices they encounter as they move forward in school and in life. Galbraith and Delisle have approached each key topic with supreme care and consideration for supporting the success of these exceptional young people, making the book a must-read for gifted students and those who spend time with them.

Colleen M. Harsin

My students have been able to relate to this guide’s straightforward, smart, and humorous writing style that explains what it's like to be a gifted teen. The new edition’s impact is punctuated by significant and meaningful student comments and contributions. Adults will appreciate this informal, comprehensive resource that feels like talking to a good friend as they strive to better understand the uniqueness of the gifted teens in their lives.

Terry Bradley

The Gifted Teen Survival Guide has done it again! This uniquely designed self-help guide shares what it means to be gifted by bringing the reader into the world of giftedness and showing how best to engage the creative, sensitive, highly cognitive mind of gifted individuals. Most impactful are the variety of gifted teen stories throughout the text that will resonate with the reader, helping them understand that it is okay to be who they are in a world that is sometimes resistant to their uniqueness. This book should be in the library of every school, in every home raising gifted learners, and in the hands of gifted teens everywhere going through this critically important time of their lives! Highly recommended.

Dr. Joy Lawson Davis

Teachers and parents of gifted adolescents will glean insight into social and emotional challenges faced by gifted teens as they explore this valuable resource.

Gifted Child Today

This new edition is the best yet! It has a fabulous format that is very appealing to teens. I consider it a ‘must have’ book.

Margaret Gosfield

This frank appraisal of the challenges and rewards of being smarter than your average bear continues to provide effective self-confidence-building advice on a broad array of issues . . . discussions of “intensity,” of being “2E,” and other specialized topics add a distinctive slant.

Booklist

This updated 4th version is better than ever, keeping the best themes from the older versions but in a readable new format, and including lots of new stuff, too.

Hoagies' Gifted Education Page

The Gifted Teen Survival Guide is chock full of useful information for gifted teens and the adults who care about them. In these pages you will find an open, honest discussion of what it means to be gifted, as well as all kinds of tips for relating to the world as you are and for taking yourself wherever you want to go! Galbraith and Delisle skip the platitudes, deconstruct common misconceptions, and get to the heart (and brain) of real issues for gifted teens.

Corin Barsily Goodwin

This new edition of the standard guide contains new information and updates for today’s gifted teenagers. Previous editions were titled, The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook. New survey information gathered from 1,400 teens forms the basis for this edition. In sidebars called, “The Survey Says,” students are quoted on subjects such as IQ testing, developing a philosophy of life, and what makes a great teacher. “Gifted People Speak Out” are essays written by adults about their experiences as gifted teens. Quizzes and lists of tips (e.g., “12 Tips for Making and Keeping Friends,” “10 Tips for Talking to Teachers,” “10 Tips for Combating Perfectionism”) provide specific suggestions for handling complex issues facing gifted students, and also provide means for directly engaging readers. The book is organized into nine chapters including information on questions such as: What is giftedness and intelligence? How do I experience the world and deal with intense feelings? How can I manage time and handle stress? How can I advocate for school changes that better suit my needs? What educational alternatives do I have (e.g., home schooling, online universities, virtual learning)? How do I choose a college and make decisions about internships and gap years? What should I do if I’m teased, bullied, or cyberbullied? When is it important to please (or not) my parents? What if I am gifted and gay, or twice exceptional (gifted and have a disability)? This guide is readable, engaging, and positive without being moralistic. It offers answers and suggestions that are not simplistic. In today’s financial climate, many programs for gifted teenagers have been cut, leaving students to act as their own advocates. This book can help them negotiate their way through the snares of being a teenager with confidence and success.

Florence Munat

Judy and Jim have outdone themselves with the 4th edition of their popular survival guide. This book is essential reading for gifted teens, as well as for their parents and teachers. It’s one of the most comprehensive overviews of the issues gifted adolescents face. Packaged in a lively and easy-to-read format, the book offers myriad practical tips for students.

Del Siegle

This book provides gentle, straightforward, and realistic advice to teens who find that their giftedness is not always simple. The tone indicates quite clearly that the authors have a deep understanding of gifted minds and gifted children. Gifted young people everywhere should have access to this book, and the adults who work with them will gain a better understanding of them from it.”—School Library Journal

“This frank appraisal of the challenges and rewards of being smarter than your average bear continues to provide effective self-confidence-building advice on a broad array of issues . . . discussions of “intensity,” of being “2E,” and other specialized topics add a distinctive slant.—Booklist

“This updated 4th version is better than ever, keeping the best themes from the older versions but in a readable new format, and including lots of new stuff, too.—Hoagies' Gifted Education Page

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

February 2012

 

Galbraith, Judy and Jim Delisle. The Gifted Teen Survival Guide: Smart, Sharp, and Ready for (Almost) Anything.  Free Spirit, 2011. 272p. $15.99 Trade pb. 978-1575423814. Index. Illus. Charts. Further Reading.

 

This new edition of the standard guide contains new information and updates for today’s gifted teenagers. Previous editions were titled, The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook. New survey information gathered from 1,400 teens forms the basis for this edition. In sidebars called, “The Survey Says,” students are quoted on subjects such as IQ testing, developing a philosophy of life, and what makes a great teacher. “Gifted People Speak Out” are essays written by adults about their experiences as gifted teens. Quizzes and lists of tips (e.g., “12 Tips for Making and Keeping Friends,” “10 Tips for Talking to Teachers,” “10 Tips for Combating Perfectionism”) provide specific suggestions for handling complex issues facing gifted students, and also provide means for directly engaging readers. The book is organized into nine chapters including information on questions such as: What is giftedness and intelligence? How do I experience the world and deal with intense feelings? How can I manage time and handle stress? How can I advocate for school changes that better suit my needs? What educational alternatives do I have (e.g., home schooling, online universities, virtual learning)? How do I choose a college and make decisions about internships and gap years? What should I do if I’m teased, bullied, or cyberbullied? When is it important to please (or not) my parents? What if I am gifted and gay, or twice exceptional (gifted and have a disability)?

 

This guide is readable, engaging, and positive without being moralistic. It offers answers and suggestions that are not simplistic. In today’s financial climate, many programs for gifted teenagers have been cut, leaving students to act as their own advocates. This book can help them negotiate their way through the snares of being a teenager with confidence and success.— Florence Munat.

“Judy and Jim have outdone themselves with the 4th edition of their popular survival guide. This book is essential reading for gifted teens, as well as for their parents and teachers. It’s one of the most comprehensive overviews of the issues gifted adolescents face. Packaged in a lively and easy-to-read format, the book offers myriad practical tips for students.”

 —Del Siegle, Ph.D., professor, University of Connecticut, and past president of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

 “This new edition is the best yet! It has a fabulous format that is very appealing to teens. I consider it a ‘must have’ book.” —Margaret Gosfield, acquisitions editor, Gifted Education Communicator

“The Gifted Teen Survival Guide is chock full of useful information for gifted teens and the adults who care about them. In these pages you will find an open, honest discussion of what it means to be gifted, as well as all kinds of tips for relating to the world as you are and for taking yourself wherever you want to go! Galbraith and Delisle skip the platitudes, deconstruct common misconceptions, and get to the heart (and brain) of real issues for gifted teens.”

—Corin Barsily Goodwin, executive director, Gifted Homeschoolers Forum, and author of Making the Choice: When Typical School Doesn't Work for Your Typical Child

“Teachers and parents of gifted adolescents will glean insight into social and emotional challenges faced by gifted teens as they explore this valuable resource.”—Gifted Child Today

From the Publisher

While gifted teens may seem to be best prepared of all adolescents to cope with life, this effort offers specific, often pithy advice for a sometimes-neglected group's special needs.

Many school systems now make some effort to identify students who are gifted, while not fully agreeing on what that term means. Beginning with a close look at how giftedness is identified, the authors move on to cover in detail how to deal with parents, friends and teachers, twice exceptionality (for example, Asperger's syndrome and giftedness together), how to make schools better serve unique talents, how to choose and prepare for college, how to deal with relationships and, finally, good advice on a variety of topics relevant for most teens: sexuality, depression and "existential crises." Sections of advice are interrupted by smart, sometimes funny essays by a variety of gifted people talking about their teen years. This is an updated, fourth edition of a work that was first published in 1983; it feels fresh and timely, with information about current topics such as online education and the distractions of and dependence on electronic media. A detailed table of contents will make it easier for readers to identify especially pertinent sections, if they don't want to read through the entire work.

An intelligent, entertaining look at the unique and not-so-unique issues that gifted teens face. (Self-help. 11 & up)

Kirkus Reviews