title: Sensory sensitivities of gifted children.
abstract: Gifted children often display sensitivities to their environment that vary from those of the general population. Data were gathered on 6- to 11-year-old gifted children attending a public elementary school gifted program. Parents completed Dunn's (1999) Sensory Profile questionnaire regarding their child. Two primary analyses were conducted: (1) a comparison of the gifted children's sensory sensitivity with Sensory Profile norms and (2) an examination of the internal consistency of the Sensory Profile for the gifted sample. Gifted children were more sensitive to their environment and reacted with heightened emotional and behavioral responses than did children of average intelligence. Internal consistencies for the 14 Sensory Profile sections and the Sensory Profile factors for the gifted sample were found to be equal to the reported norms of the Sensory Profile. These findings further support that gifted children may have important sensory modulation differences and add to our understanding of gifted children.
authors.affiliation: Learning Diagnostic Clinic, Missouri State University, 901 South National, Springfield, MO 65897, USA. douglasgere@missouristate.edu
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gere
authors.forename: Steve C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Capps
authors.forename: D Wayne
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grubbs
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002672:Child, Gifted / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011340:Problem Solving; D012677:Sensation; D012917:Social Adjustment