Recommended Reading

This section provides a list of books that members have found of interest over the years. Additional resources can also be sourced through the CHIP Foundation website which has CHIP e-guides available for purchase.

The following books are available for loan to members. Simply email your request to the CHIP Centre and we’ll see if we can get them to you at the next workshop.

Losing Our Minds – Gifted Children Left Behind (Deborah L. Ruf, Ph.D)

Wouldn’t it be a disgrace if we lost the brightest students now attending our nation’s schools? Dr. Deborah L. Ruf established that there are far more highly gifted children than previously imagines, yet large numbers of very bright children are “never discovered” by their schools.

Using 78 gifted and highly gifted children as her examples, she illustrates five levels of giftedness their child fits by comparing their own child’s developmental milestones to those of the children described in the book. This book contains practical advice for parents, including how to find a school that works for your child.

Some Of My Best Friends Are Books – Guiding Gifted Readers From Pre-School to High School, A Guide For Parents, Teachers, Librarians and Counselors (Judith Wynn Halsted)

Books can be wonderful bridges for communication on feelings, values, and decision making. The extensive indexing makes it easy to select appropriate books that are interesting to a particular child. Each book contains characters with which a child can easily identify.

Some Of My Best Friends Are Books” describes: background information on the emotional and intellectual needs of children of high ability; Typical reading patterns, the need for reading guidance, and how to discuss books with young readers; an annotated bibliography of almost 300 books carefully selected to promote intellectual and emotional development of high ability youngsters from preschool through grade 12.

Smart Girls – A New Psychology of Girls, Women, & Giftedness (Barbara A. Kerr, Ph. D)

Smart Girls provides practical information on: bright beginnings, adolescent gifted girls, gifted college women, extraordinary talents, barriers to achievement, gifted minority girls and women, what research tells us, eminent women, self-actualisation, guiding gifted girls.

Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults – ADHD, Bipolar, Asperger’s, Depression and Other Disorders (James T. Webb, Ph. D et al)

Some of our brightest, most creative children and adults are being misdiagnosed with disorders such as ADHD, ODD, Bipolar, OCD, Autism, or Asperger’s. Many receive unneeded medication and inappropriate counselling as a result.

This book provides information on: Diagnoses commonly given to gifted children and adults; Characteristics of gifted children and adults; Traits of diagnoses incorrectly given to gifted children and adults; guidelines to avoid mislabeling gifted children, parent-child relationship problems; Issues for gifted adults; Advice for selecting a counselor or health care professional.

http://www.chipfoundation.org.au/

Government Resources

• Gifted and Talented Education (For Parents)
• Gifted and Talented Education (For Teachers)
• Government Gifted Resources
• Parliamentary Inquiry into the education of gifted and talented students  [PDF]

Information Websites

• Victorian School of Languages
  • Language classes: While this is not a CHIP activity, you may be interested in language classes for your child, offered through the Victorian School of Languages (VSL). This is a government school that runs from Matthew Flinders GSC in Geelong (other sites exist across Victoria too).  Courses on offer in Geelong, include: primary and secondary classes in Spanish, German, Italian and Chinese plus Japanese at secondary level. Adults can also join secondary classes too if they are not full. It only costs $70 for the whole year and classes run during school terms on a Saturday morning (9am – 12:15pm). Let them know if the language you prefer isn’t offered because courses are demand-based.
• Raising Children Network
  • This site has a number of useful articles on giftedness, including articles that focus on preschoolers and teenagers.

Our first MicroCHIP playgroup began in February, 2014 with great excitement and success – not just for  the children, but the parents too because the experience of raising a CHIP is “one of life’s greatest challenges” (Silverman, L) and requires support for parents as well as for children themselves.

Support groups are normally established via the Maternal Health network around 6 weeks after birth. These “mum’s groups” often grow into regular playgroups where parents get to observe and learn from other children of a similar age. But what happens when CHIP act at a different level to their age-based peers?

The bonus of having a MicroCHIP playgroup is that similarly minded children will get a chance to play together. Plus parents of MicroCHIPs (who are likely gifted themselves) require likeminded and similarly experienced people to debrief with. A place where they can feel free to speak out loud the achievements and idiosyncrasies of these children.

When and where do I go?

Sessions are held on the first Monday and fourth Friday of the month, 10am – 12pm at different locations across Geelong.,

How much does it cost?

Zip. Unless the group chooses to meet at a play centre, in which case the cost is the entry fee.

How can I join the MicroCHIP playgroup?

Do I need to be a CHIP member to join in?

My child is very curious and bright, but how can I tell if he is intellectually gifted or not?

Our psychologists can quickly tell if your child has special needs. The simple checklist below can help you decide if you need further information. Not all children will meet all of the criteria, so it is important that you seek the advice of a professional.

Does your child exhibit one or more of the following:

• Intensity (very curious, strong interests, social justice, emotional sensitivity)
• Strong powers of reasoning (flexible thinking – they quickly get relationships between ideas, objects, or facts and have excellent problem solving skills)
• Good attention span (learns quickly with less practice and repetition than others)
• Imaginative (original thinking, well developed sense of humour)
• Excellent memory

My child has autism, can they be gifted?

Children can be gifted and have learning disabilities at the same time. A low IQ in one area doesn’t preclude a child from having exceptional skills in other areas. In fact there is a high relationship between dyslexia and giftedness. These children are referred to as being ‘twice exceptional’.

Do you do testing at the CHIP Centre, Geelong?

Yes, psychologists who have expertise with gifted children are part of our team.

What type of testing do you recommend?

• Cognitive (IQ) testing (WISC IV): Children perform this test individually. The report is very detailed and outlines the strengths and weaknesses of your child’s cognitive function.
• Screening testing can be performed either individually or to a group (e.g. group testing is done for schools). This test is not as detailed as psychometric testing, but it will indicate whether a child is average, above average or in the upper extreme. This information is useful for teachers who can use the information to guide individual teaching plans.
• Educational testing (WIAT II): is used to gain knowledge about a child’s attainment. Teachers use the information from this test to develop individual teaching plans.

How do I organise a test?

Please contact The CHIP Centre for advice and to find out the timetable for the next assessment session to be held in Geelong.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has a useful e-book on “Making a Difference for Young Gifted and Talented Children” which provides a great introduction to all things CHIP.