Students who are identified as gifted or talented often face different struggles than their same-aged peers. They likely experience different stressors associated with academic performance when compared to their same-aged peers. These may include difficulties with social interactions and perfectionism that, in turn, cause anxiety (Corson, Loveless, Mochrie, & Whited, 2018).
Students with high levels of intelligence are more susceptible to stress and anxiety (Haberlin, 2015). This susceptibility stems from varied sources; perfectionism, struggles fitting in socially, external stressors, and heightened sensitivity and over-excitability can all increase a gifted student’s stress levels (Haberlin, 2015). In the classroom, educators should work to encourage healthy habits in students and help to teach strategies that can alleviate stress, not simply focusing on fostering academic growth. Strategies for improving social-emotional wellbeing can be embedded within multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), through which gifted students can be directly supported.
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