I'm a former "gifted" kid, tested in the 99th percentile at age 10, with perfect scores on the math and spatial reasoning sections. I was also fairly tomboyish as a kid (and still have many male-typical interests and talents), and have some "autistic" traits. I'm in my mid-thirties and so am fortunately too old for the contagion, but I see myself in a lot of the kids who've gotten sucked in ... especially the "gifted" ones.
I did quite a lot of research and recently published an essay trying to unpack why so many former "gifted" kids are getting diagnosed with autism/ADHD and/or coming out as transgender, from a lens of neuroscience, brain development, and Western history. No lack of curiosity here :-) but I've been waffling on whether or not to try to share my observations / research with this community because I think some of it will be hard to read.
Please know I'm not coming at this from a place of judgement, I'm just trying to piece together a puzzle and these observations reflect broad patterns and criticisms of a culture, not individuals within it. At the end of the day, I want to help your children.
"socially awkward, slightly autistic, and profoundly gifted kids. The ones who were reading at age two. The ones who memorized all the dinosaur names, but couldn’t remember who sat next to them on the field trip. The ones who took advanced math but never got birthday invitations. The ones on the edge of the social circle but too awkward to form their own band of misfits."
I really sympathize with this as this described my youth almost exactly. Had I instead grown up now (as opposed to late 90s-early 00s), I probably would have been consumed by this destructive ideology. Although I had a conservative upbringing - and private school up until high school - I really pushed against it as a way to prove I was smarter than everyone else (not that it was very convincing). But when I got to college and saw how over the top the performative virtue-signaling was, I went full circle and became a reactionary. I think I escaped all this nonsense at just the right time - now I'm well-adjusted, gay, and in a loving, stable relationship. I feel terribly sorry for all the people whose lives have been ruined by this, like you say, bullshit.
"the connection between being profoundly gifted and having gender dysphoria has not been formally studied, although some clinicians are acknowledging it."
Littman noted gifted participation in ROGD at a 19X rate (2018).
But it's true, there is not a lot of research specifically into the IQ-GD connection, which is disappointing since it seems so obvious to onlookers.
Here's one starting point to go looking for some. I find the author's position too trans-friendly, but you have to start somewhere.
Dunne, O. (2023). Gifted and LGBTQ: A Review of the Literature. SENG Journal: Exploring the Psychology of Giftedness, 2(1), 57-66. https://doi.org/10.25774/VNTA-S564
My autistic son was reading aged two and attends a school for gifted children. I can see how desperate he is for connection with his peers, and why transgenderism holds such appeal for kids like him. It still baffles me that they can be so intelligent on one level, yet seem unable to apply critical thinking skills to this issue.
Thank you for writing this. This is my son. ‘Captured’ & gone by the age of 23. Still, for such a bright & promising individual I am dumbfounded at how he has chosen this over his parents, family, morality, common sense. Rationality doesn’t seem to come into it, but perhaps that is part of their ‘condition’. I see vulnerability, quirkiness & over sensitivity validating a false identity by what can only be described as evil…be it doctors, psychiatrists, groomers, educators, politicians…a tragic waste & destruction of minds
I hope your plead goes places. People with some influence, networks and connected are more able to reach where it matters. The problem is that American society does not encourage knowledge and intelligence, society label the children and everything, so if you are smart and like to understand things and study hard you re a "nerd" and it is ok if you are "Asian" because they have to be "nerds" but what about the others, who is the sport kid? or the hard worker kid? And if they dare not to live up to their stereotype, he or she become an outcast. So now you are a "nerd" and nobody wants to go to Prom with you and Prom is important because how do you will miss Prom?, and the programming continue through movies and shows that endocrine us how we must live, and if we do not follow the "instructions " we are "emo" so we have to live it up and dye our hairs black and have tattoos and listen to punk music. That is the problem, we do not raise children in freedom of mind, we tied their minds to a materialist view of the world and we don't take care of their souls. The system is rising "consumers" in a plastic world with children that are not looking around and to others, but with their faces fixed in their cellphones. I have two gift kids and didn't let them use cellphones until they started driving, and I wasn't alone in this, the parents of that time understood the danger of this "commodity." I believe in discipline, without discipline a child doesn't know what he or her are capable of, children need struggle and be taught responsibility, also independent minds know how to use critical thinking. Humans to blossom need interact IN PERSON with another human being, not to have "virtual" friends, or "virtual" teachers or "virtual" action through video games, they need to experience life first hand, play and get hurt emotionally and physically, and deal with it without the intervention of an adult, we have to let them be children and go naturally through their natural development and overall we must stop sexualizing our children, American children are exposed too much to the adult world, and sadly a very confused one. A child do not have the maturity to have sex at 17, less than that age becomes extremely dangerous for their psychological development. They need to be free of the worries that sexual activity brings ruining the lives of many, specially the more economically disadvantage. We must change the course or we will be living in a virtual world with a virtual life and life is sacred, we must take it seriously or the suffering will be endless.
LovingMother, I appreciate your ideas and response. I agree that it’s time academia stays in its lane with so many blurred lines about what constitutes inclusion, kindness, equity, and on the flip side-bullying.
I agree that institutions are being forced by legislation to comply with woke ideologies at the moment.
Our best efforts should be channeled on the legislative and pop culture fronts.
I believe a documentary film would be extremely helpful in influencing public opinion and changing the tide.
If anyone has a story they’d like to tell, I’d love to hear from you. Maybe I could connect the right people to make such a film happen.
LovingMother, I’m sorry your feminine daughter has been pulled into gender ideology. My son has also, though he is on “pause” for the moment.
Thanks for your thoughts. I’m trying to determine the best path forward for affecting societal change so our brilliant children have more opportunities to get their needs met.
Maybe one day, we’ll look back on this gender ideology chapter with the horror it deserves, with the realization of its effects and costs to our society. Until then, we parents need to be the whistleblowers.
My bright, gifted, son with autistic traits, got derailed at university in NY at 18. He then dropped out of college. In his late 20s, he is now just trying to piece his life back together. He has a part-time job that isn't food-related or retail and he's a budding craftsman trying to keep afloat. He wants to go back to college for the same degree he left it for at 19, because, I believe, of this ideology and mental health issues. Scholarship wasted. Parents college savings wasted. I hope he can reclaim his life, his goals, and realize his dreams. I believe he can. He is trying, slowly, and he knows we love him.
My heart goes out to kids who are autistic in middle school on up. I am Austistic , although I was diagnosed way into adulthood. I felt like an Alien most of my childhood and really didn't even enjoy the company of my own peers, although of course I wanted friends. There were years that my main friends were my cats at home. I wished I could have stayed home and read and learn on my own. But then it wasn't an option. So in highschool, I decided to take the half day option - where I left at lunch time and then went to work in an an ice-cream shop. Even though in highschool the kids were kinder - I hated the sensory environment of school. Each day I left I felt this weight lift off of me - and a euphoric sense of Liberation- Hallelujah Free at last! Until I returned the next morning🙃
I often wonder why parents do not opt to homeschool their autistic children 12 on up. Most school districts have arrangements with online educational services where children can learn remotely. Speaking as an autistic person - school is a torture in ways BEYOND the social BS - our sensory symptoms are bombarded with loud bells, kids shouting, horrible overhead lighting that hums; we are either too cold or hot in class with no way to adjust the temperature. The type of kids mentioned in this article LOVE learning but going to school is LITERALLY torture for them. If you only knew how horrible an experience it is for these kids - you would be yanking them out of school Pronto. And now this Trans nonsense is even MORE reason to have kids homeschooling. And NO a child does NOT need to be supervised 24-7. At 12 on up - high functioning kids are fine alone. Make their lunch, do a face-time check up on them during your lunch time. And come home at dinner. They can still make friends through local homeschooling groups or through shared online activities, or through taking lessons - and having parents arrange meetings with friends they make through activities. But autistic kids for the most part PREFER to do their own thing on their own UNLESS they do have kind friends.
I now work as a Coach with autistic and adhd folks to improve their inner life experience and holistic health. Helping young people and asukrs- live a beautiful life in a world not set up for them is my mission.
I agree. Thank you for sharing this.
I'm a former "gifted" kid, tested in the 99th percentile at age 10, with perfect scores on the math and spatial reasoning sections. I was also fairly tomboyish as a kid (and still have many male-typical interests and talents), and have some "autistic" traits. I'm in my mid-thirties and so am fortunately too old for the contagion, but I see myself in a lot of the kids who've gotten sucked in ... especially the "gifted" ones.
I did quite a lot of research and recently published an essay trying to unpack why so many former "gifted" kids are getting diagnosed with autism/ADHD and/or coming out as transgender, from a lens of neuroscience, brain development, and Western history. No lack of curiosity here :-) but I've been waffling on whether or not to try to share my observations / research with this community because I think some of it will be hard to read.
Please know I'm not coming at this from a place of judgement, I'm just trying to piece together a puzzle and these observations reflect broad patterns and criticisms of a culture, not individuals within it. At the end of the day, I want to help your children.
Here's the essay:
https://thecassandracomplex.substack.com/p/the-drama-of-the-gifted-children
"socially awkward, slightly autistic, and profoundly gifted kids. The ones who were reading at age two. The ones who memorized all the dinosaur names, but couldn’t remember who sat next to them on the field trip. The ones who took advanced math but never got birthday invitations. The ones on the edge of the social circle but too awkward to form their own band of misfits."
I really sympathize with this as this described my youth almost exactly. Had I instead grown up now (as opposed to late 90s-early 00s), I probably would have been consumed by this destructive ideology. Although I had a conservative upbringing - and private school up until high school - I really pushed against it as a way to prove I was smarter than everyone else (not that it was very convincing). But when I got to college and saw how over the top the performative virtue-signaling was, I went full circle and became a reactionary. I think I escaped all this nonsense at just the right time - now I'm well-adjusted, gay, and in a loving, stable relationship. I feel terribly sorry for all the people whose lives have been ruined by this, like you say, bullshit.
Interesting.
"the connection between being profoundly gifted and having gender dysphoria has not been formally studied, although some clinicians are acknowledging it."
Littman noted gifted participation in ROGD at a 19X rate (2018).
But it's true, there is not a lot of research specifically into the IQ-GD connection, which is disappointing since it seems so obvious to onlookers.
Here's one starting point to go looking for some. I find the author's position too trans-friendly, but you have to start somewhere.
Dunne, O. (2023). Gifted and LGBTQ: A Review of the Literature. SENG Journal: Exploring the Psychology of Giftedness, 2(1), 57-66. https://doi.org/10.25774/VNTA-S564
My autistic son was reading aged two and attends a school for gifted children. I can see how desperate he is for connection with his peers, and why transgenderism holds such appeal for kids like him. It still baffles me that they can be so intelligent on one level, yet seem unable to apply critical thinking skills to this issue.
Bravo…👏👏👏
Now please somebody listen to all this.
Exactly! Totally agree. Not only are they stunting their IQ they are sterilized permanently most of the time.
🤯
I love Jordan Peterson and am enjoying this interview so far. Thank you, LovingMother!!
Thank you for writing this. This is my son. ‘Captured’ & gone by the age of 23. Still, for such a bright & promising individual I am dumbfounded at how he has chosen this over his parents, family, morality, common sense. Rationality doesn’t seem to come into it, but perhaps that is part of their ‘condition’. I see vulnerability, quirkiness & over sensitivity validating a false identity by what can only be described as evil…be it doctors, psychiatrists, groomers, educators, politicians…a tragic waste & destruction of minds
Agreed, LovingMother. Thanks for the information and documentary reference. Glad your daughter is doing ok. Sending love! XO
I hope your plead goes places. People with some influence, networks and connected are more able to reach where it matters. The problem is that American society does not encourage knowledge and intelligence, society label the children and everything, so if you are smart and like to understand things and study hard you re a "nerd" and it is ok if you are "Asian" because they have to be "nerds" but what about the others, who is the sport kid? or the hard worker kid? And if they dare not to live up to their stereotype, he or she become an outcast. So now you are a "nerd" and nobody wants to go to Prom with you and Prom is important because how do you will miss Prom?, and the programming continue through movies and shows that endocrine us how we must live, and if we do not follow the "instructions " we are "emo" so we have to live it up and dye our hairs black and have tattoos and listen to punk music. That is the problem, we do not raise children in freedom of mind, we tied their minds to a materialist view of the world and we don't take care of their souls. The system is rising "consumers" in a plastic world with children that are not looking around and to others, but with their faces fixed in their cellphones. I have two gift kids and didn't let them use cellphones until they started driving, and I wasn't alone in this, the parents of that time understood the danger of this "commodity." I believe in discipline, without discipline a child doesn't know what he or her are capable of, children need struggle and be taught responsibility, also independent minds know how to use critical thinking. Humans to blossom need interact IN PERSON with another human being, not to have "virtual" friends, or "virtual" teachers or "virtual" action through video games, they need to experience life first hand, play and get hurt emotionally and physically, and deal with it without the intervention of an adult, we have to let them be children and go naturally through their natural development and overall we must stop sexualizing our children, American children are exposed too much to the adult world, and sadly a very confused one. A child do not have the maturity to have sex at 17, less than that age becomes extremely dangerous for their psychological development. They need to be free of the worries that sexual activity brings ruining the lives of many, specially the more economically disadvantage. We must change the course or we will be living in a virtual world with a virtual life and life is sacred, we must take it seriously or the suffering will be endless.
LovingMother, I appreciate your ideas and response. I agree that it’s time academia stays in its lane with so many blurred lines about what constitutes inclusion, kindness, equity, and on the flip side-bullying.
I agree that institutions are being forced by legislation to comply with woke ideologies at the moment.
Our best efforts should be channeled on the legislative and pop culture fronts.
I believe a documentary film would be extremely helpful in influencing public opinion and changing the tide.
If anyone has a story they’d like to tell, I’d love to hear from you. Maybe I could connect the right people to make such a film happen.
LovingMother, I’m sorry your feminine daughter has been pulled into gender ideology. My son has also, though he is on “pause” for the moment.
Thanks for your thoughts. I’m trying to determine the best path forward for affecting societal change so our brilliant children have more opportunities to get their needs met.
Maybe one day, we’ll look back on this gender ideology chapter with the horror it deserves, with the realization of its effects and costs to our society. Until then, we parents need to be the whistleblowers.
My bright, gifted, son with autistic traits, got derailed at university in NY at 18. He then dropped out of college. In his late 20s, he is now just trying to piece his life back together. He has a part-time job that isn't food-related or retail and he's a budding craftsman trying to keep afloat. He wants to go back to college for the same degree he left it for at 19, because, I believe, of this ideology and mental health issues. Scholarship wasted. Parents college savings wasted. I hope he can reclaim his life, his goals, and realize his dreams. I believe he can. He is trying, slowly, and he knows we love him.
My heart goes out to kids who are autistic in middle school on up. I am Austistic , although I was diagnosed way into adulthood. I felt like an Alien most of my childhood and really didn't even enjoy the company of my own peers, although of course I wanted friends. There were years that my main friends were my cats at home. I wished I could have stayed home and read and learn on my own. But then it wasn't an option. So in highschool, I decided to take the half day option - where I left at lunch time and then went to work in an an ice-cream shop. Even though in highschool the kids were kinder - I hated the sensory environment of school. Each day I left I felt this weight lift off of me - and a euphoric sense of Liberation- Hallelujah Free at last! Until I returned the next morning🙃
I often wonder why parents do not opt to homeschool their autistic children 12 on up. Most school districts have arrangements with online educational services where children can learn remotely. Speaking as an autistic person - school is a torture in ways BEYOND the social BS - our sensory symptoms are bombarded with loud bells, kids shouting, horrible overhead lighting that hums; we are either too cold or hot in class with no way to adjust the temperature. The type of kids mentioned in this article LOVE learning but going to school is LITERALLY torture for them. If you only knew how horrible an experience it is for these kids - you would be yanking them out of school Pronto. And now this Trans nonsense is even MORE reason to have kids homeschooling. And NO a child does NOT need to be supervised 24-7. At 12 on up - high functioning kids are fine alone. Make their lunch, do a face-time check up on them during your lunch time. And come home at dinner. They can still make friends through local homeschooling groups or through shared online activities, or through taking lessons - and having parents arrange meetings with friends they make through activities. But autistic kids for the most part PREFER to do their own thing on their own UNLESS they do have kind friends.
I now work as a Coach with autistic and adhd folks to improve their inner life experience and holistic health. Helping young people and asukrs- live a beautiful life in a world not set up for them is my mission.