Character Advising

[MUSE WITH ME]

Hey guys!

Thinking of making a new character here on The Devil You Know? Are you not sure it fits into the SPN-verse and need a little help? Well, I'm opening this thread for that reason! If you have a question, or want me to look at your application prior to posting it, then you may contact me here or via PM.

I'm also here to help with any grammatical problems you may have! I am not the best person in the world for grammar, but I can try to explain and link you to sites that will explain in further detail.

Also, I extensively research into demons, angels, mythology, and anything supernatural. If you would like an idea, or maybe a certain type of angel or anything, then I'm your girl.

Basically, I'll help you with anything that has to do with development. Anything.

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INDEX

Disorders
Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

Species

Other
Gifted Children

[mammon]

GIFTED CHILDREN

• What is "gifted"?
  
  Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average. It is different from a skill, in that skills are learned or acquired behaviors. Like a talent, intellectual giftedness is usually believed to be an innate, personal aptitude for intellectual activities that cannot be acquired through personal effort. Various ideas about the definition, development, and best ways of identifying intellectual giftedness have been put forward. Intellectual giftedness may be general or specific. For example, an intellectually gifted person may have a striking talent for mathematics, but not have equally strong language skills.
  
  Some gifted children may not be particularly high achievers in the classroom. These students may have problems with attention (which may or may not be related to ADHD), have poor organizational skills, or simply not "mesh" with the teaching style in the classroom, and therefore may be overlooked when it comes to selection of gifted program candidates.
  
  Gifted children may develop asynchronously: their minds are often ahead of their physical growth, and specific cognitive and emotional functions are often developed differently (or to differing extents) at different stages of development. One frequently cited example of asynchronicity in early cognitive development is Albert Einstein, who did not speak until the age of four, but whose later fluency and accomplishments belied this initial delay.
  
  Because of the key role that gifted education plays in the identification of gifted individuals, both children and adults, it is worthwhile to examine how that institution uses the term "gifted".
  
  
• What are the levels of giftedness?
  
  Mildly Gifted - IQ 115 – 129
  
  Moderately Gifted – IQ 130 – 144 ( between 100-130 is the AVERAGE human)
  
  Highly Gifted – IQ 145 – 159
  
  Exceptionally Gifted – IQ 160 – 179 (Along with "Highly" gifted, are the kids who are taken into Gifted Programs along with "Profoundly Gifted".)
  
  Profoundly Gifted – IQ 180+ (ONLY 2% OF THE HUMAN POPULATION. Is the true "gifted". Due to there being a lack of such people, the "highly" and "exceptionally" gifted children are added into the Gifted Kids Programs.)
  
  
  
  
• How can one tell if a child is gifted?
  
  As you've probably guessed, without proper assessment, there is no easy answer. There are no universally accepted traits that you can look for and no definitive signs that will tell you for sure whether your child is gifted. However, many gifted children share some common characteristics, and knowing these is a good place to start.
  
  Schools that have programs for gifted students are often able to identify gifted kids by using traditional screening methods like group IQ tests, review of achievement test scores and past grades, observation, and getting input form teachers and parents. So, when it comes to discovering if your own child is gifted, one option is to wait to see whether teachers or others at your child's school recommend testing for a gifted education program.
  
  Yet, you shouldn't be entirely dependent on the schools when it comes to identification. Keep in mind that many teacher training programs require little (if any) course work in giftedness, so some teachers and school administrators may not have all the information they need to recognize gifted children.
  
  Early testing and identification can be a controversial subject, but many advocates of gifted children believe that they should be identified as soon as possible so that their unique needs and talents can be acknowledged and nurtured right from the start.
  
  Early identification is also important when a young child is showing behavioral or social differences - not fitting in, being highly focused on unusual interests, appearing more distractible or inattentive than others of the same age - and parents want to understand the cause. These characteristics may be features of giftedness or may be signs of an emotional problem or such conditions as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) such as Asperger's Syndrome. Knowing a child's IQ can allow insight into a child's atypical development and help to avoid potentially harmful misdiagnoses.
  
  
• What are characterizations of a gifted child?
  
  Language skills
  
  Some of the traits of giftedness to look for when considering your child's language development in relation to others of a similar age include:
  
  • A highly developed vocabulary and the ability to learn new words easily.
  
  • The tendency to speak quickly.
  
  • The early use of longer, more complex sentences while using appropriate grammar.
  
  • Early reading, if given some instruction and opportunity. Many gifted children have already learned how to read before entering school.
  
  • Continually asking questions about what they see and hear, and wanting to receive thorough responses and explanations.
  
  • The ability to understand and carry out multi-step directions at an early age. (e.g., Go to the dining room, get the blue book on the table and put it back on the shelf in your room, then bring me the clothes on your bed so I can wash them).
  
  • The ability to understand and participate in adult conversations. Gifted children often pick up nuances or double meanings early on - so watch what you say!
  
  • The ability to change the language they use when speaking to different audiences. For example, a four-year-old gifted child might use more advanced words and sentence structure when speaking to adults or older children, and then talk in a simpler, more childlike way when addressing his three-year-old cousin.
  
  Learning Skills
  
  Many gifted children are natural learners who show some of the following characteristics:
  
  • The ability to learn quickly and efficiently - to pick up ideas and skills effortlessly.
  
  • A tendency to become highly focused on certain areas of interest (e.g., bugs, space, animals) and independently seek out information on these topics.
  
  • The ability to ask questions that show advanced insight or understanding.
  
  • A deep fund of knowledge - they know more about the world around them than you would expect.
  
  • Excellent memory and easy recall of what they previously heard, saw, or learned.
  
  • A tendency to read often on their own and to frequently prefer reading to more physical activities.
  
  • Little need for direction or instruction when beginning a new activity, learning a new game, or acquiring a new skill. They may also insist on doing things on their own, or in their own way.
  
  • Early development of motor skills involving balance, coordination, and movement. Gifted children may also be advanced in some purposeful fine-motor activities such as assembling small objects (e.g., legos, transforming toys, blocks) or putting puzzles together. However, other fine motor skills may not be advanced. Some gifted children are poor at handwriting - although this may be more related to a lack of attention to detail or impatience with the slow and tedious task of handwriting practice than to problems with fine motor control.
  
  • Pleasure in talking to older children and adults about topics that interest them.
  
  • An understanding of their own thinking and learning processes. They may have preferred ways of learning and resist using other methods suggested by a teacher or adult. They are able to sense how much and what kind of studying they need in order to master a skill or topic.
  
  • Creative thinking. Gifted children may enjoy coming up with their own ways to solve problems and take delight in complexity and making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas or concepts.
  
  • The ability to concentrate on a topic of interest for an unusually long period of time. However, gifted children may quickly shift their attention or appear unfocussed when doing something they perceive as unchallenging or uninteresting.
  
  • An inclination to see learning as fun. They take joy in discovering new interests or grasping new concepts.
  
  Gifted children are often more emotionally intense than others. They can also be more sensitive to others' feelings and circumstances and may display a great deal of empathy in situations where others their age appear indifferent.
  
  Other
  • A high activity level. Gifted children can appear to have an endless source of energy - constantly moving, talking, asking and exploring.
  
  • The tendency to think and talk fast. Because they may be trying to speak as quickly as they think, gifted children are often asked to "slow down" so the listener can understand them. They can also become frustrated when they feel that others are talking too slowly, or taking too long to "get to the point."
  
  • Strong leadership qualities. Gifted kids often make natural leaders who take charge and lead others in new directions.
  
  • Ability to relate to older kids and adults. Because their cognitive skills and interests can be advanced for their years, gifted kids have an easier time connecting with and learning from those older than themselves.
  
  • Enjoyment of alone time. While gifted children may enjoy spending time with others, including mental mates (whether their own age or adults), they can also enjoy spending time on more solitary activities such as reading, writing, daydreaming, observing, or just thinking.
  
  • Appreciation of natural beauty and art. Gifted children may particularly enjoy being around and pointing out trees, sunsets, flowers, the ocean, animals, and other things of inherent beauty. They can also show a deep interest in certain forms of art - paintings, sculptures, or music, for example.
  
  Some gifted children show only a few of the signs listed above, or show traits that are quite the opposite of what you'd expect. For example, some will start to speak late rather than early, some will be emotionally reserved rather than intense, and some appear to think and speak slowly rather than quickly.
  
  Also keep in mind that there are children who show gifted qualities when it comes to language or emotional traits, but who do not appear exceptional when it comes to learning or academics. While some of these kids may have a specific learning disability getting in the way of their performance at school, others may have learned early on to hide their abilities in order to better fit in with others their age, or to avoid the pressures of higher expectations.
  
  In addition, it's true that children can be gifted in one area (verbal skills, for example) but show only average ability in others (such as perceptual or nonverbal reasoning skills, which are important for math achievement). While these children's full-scale IQ score might not measure in the gifted range, they may still demonstrate some common traits of giftedness. For example, a verbally gifted child with average nonverbal reasoning skills may still be emotionally sensitive and have an excellent memory.
  
  
• What are the drawbacks to being gifted?
  
  Someone gifted may struggle in state school, getting bored quickly and having trouble focusing. A gifted child can lose interest because she is not challenged or motivated. Gifted children can be difficult to match with an appropriate class because, although they are cognitively ahead, they may be socially younger than their age peers, which can result in behaviour problems. These difficulties can lead to scholastic underachievement.
  
  Gifted kids are often mastery driven. If a gifted child is in violin lessons and he is inherently motivated to practice, this makes things much easier. He won't have to be reminded to spend time with his instrument because he is almost involuntarily drawn to it, captivated by the music in his head, and immersed in the will to recreate it with his hands. If, on the other hand, that same mastery-driven child can't proceed with the rest of his science homework because there is one question he knows he has answered incorrectly, he has been stymied by perfectionism. Gifted children who struggle with perfectionism set impossibly high standards for themselves and are prone to complicated, stress-related behavioral issues that are a challenge for parents to solve.
  
  A gifted child astounds others for their depth of thought. At the age of four, a gifted child may ask what would happen if the earth stopped turning, and where the universe ends. They are the only child in their grade one class who can play chess and their first words spoken were the names of the letters of the alphabet. Social struggles are a concern. A gifted child's intense behavior draws scorn from other children and he or she has trouble relating to them. A parent may know that he or she may some day contribute to society in a unique way, but meanwhile he or she has to survive years of school playground encounters first.
  
  Intensity of emotion is often matched by intellectual level. There are always exceptions, but generally the more clever a child is, the more emotional he can and will be. A child gifted with enough musicality to be moved to tears by a ballad may also suffer hurt feelings more easily than his friends. He may happily read a science magazine to his younger sister and explain to her in detail how mountains are formed, but then fly into a rage if she looks away or stops paying attention. The same sensitivity that enables him to acquire information and comprehend it at a different level from his age peers also makes teaching him to manage his reactive emotions much more difficult.
  
  Keeping up with the intellectual and emotional learning needs of a gifted child can be exhausting. She is hard to over-schedule and does not need as much down time as other children her age. She craves new cognitive input and drags you on a constant whirlwind of learning adventures and misadventures. Parents are much more exhausted than the average parent. Parenting a gifted child may be tiring, but it is never boring.
  
  IS IT GOOD TO BE GIFTED? (Worth reading)
  
  THE MANY SIDES OF BEING GIFTED(Worth reading)
  
  
  
• What do schools do to handle gifted kids?
  
  Schools must show the G&T child they are valued, giving them appropriate academic challenge and also chances to be together, to feel less isolated. The following strategies do work:
  
  • Acceleration – Students can be accelerated across the year or within subjects.
  
  • Differentiation – an over-used term, it means creating something to extend the child in your class; richer or more challenging tasks
  
  • Teacher-student matching – matching personalities as well as learning styles
  
  • Mentoring/cross age tutoring – matching younger or older students with similar interests/abilities to enhance learning of both
  
  • Independent Negotiated Programs – student interest and skills determine the scale and scope of the project, negotiated with staff regarding resources, etc
  
  • Competitions – individual, team, internal, external – there are heaps of them!
  
  
  
  Information gathered from:

[/center]

Psychology Today: Is Your Child Gifted? What to Look For and Why You Should Know
Just What is Gifted and Talented?


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[mammon]

INTERMITTENT EXPLOSIVE DISORDER

• What is IED?
  
  Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a behavioral disorder characterized by extreme expressions of anger, often to the point of violence, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand. It is currently categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an impulse control disorder. IED belongs to the larger family of Axis I impulse control disorders listed in the DSM-IV-TR, along with kleptomania, pyromania, pathological gambling, and others. Impulsive aggression is unpremeditated, and is defined by a disproportionate reaction to any provocation, real or perceived. Some individuals have reported affective changes prior to an outburst (e.g., tension, mood changes, energy changes, etc.).
  
  Road rage, domestic abuse, throwing or breaking objects, or other temper tantrums may be signs of intermittent explosive disorder.
  
  People with intermittent explosive disorder may attack others and their possessions, causing bodily injury and property damage. They may also injure themselves during an outburst. The individual may describe the aggressive episodes as "spells" or "attacks" in which the explosive behavior is preceded by a sense of tension or arousal and is followed immediately by a sense of relief. Later, people with intermittent explosive disorder may feel remorse, regret or embarrassment.

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[/li][li] What is the diagnosis for IED?

The DSM-IV criteria for IED include:the occurrence of discrete episodes of failure to resist aggressive impulses that result in violent assault or destruction of property, the degree of aggressiveness expressed during an episode is grossly disproportionate to provocation or precipitating psychosocial stressor, and, as previously stated, diagnosis is made when other mental disorders that may cause violent outbursts (e.g., antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, etc.) have been ruled out. Furthermore, the acts of aggression must not be due to a general medical condition, e.g., a head injury, Alzheimer’s disease, etc., or due to substance abuse or medication.

Diagnosis is made using a psychiatric interview to affective and behavioral symptoms to the criteria listed in the DSM-IV. The DSM IV-TR is very specific in its definition of Intermittent Explosive Disorder which is defined, essentially, by exclusion of other conditions. The diagnosis requires:
1. several episodes of impulsive behavior that result in serious damage to either persons or property, wherein

2. the degree of the aggressiveness is grossly disproportionate to the circumstances or provocation, and

3. the episodic violence cannot be better accounted for by another mental or physical medical condition.

[/li][li] What causes IED?

The cause of intermittent explosive disorder appears to be a combination of biological and environmental factors. Lives have been torn apart by this disorder, but medications can help control the aggressive impulses.

Most people with this disorder grew up in families where explosive behavior and verbal and physical abuse were common. Being exposed to this type of violence at an early age makes it more likely for these children to exhibit these same traits as they mature.

There may also be a genetic component, causing this disorder to be passed down from parents to children.

The majority of cases occur when the individual is between late adolescence and late twenties. There is some evidence that the neurotransmitter serotonin may play a role in this disorder.

Although the prevalence of intermittent explosive disorder is unknown yet considered rare, the disorder is probably more common than realized and may be an important cause of violent behavior.

Intermittent explosive disorder is more common in men.

[/li][li] How is IED treated?

Treatment could involve medication or therapy including behavioral modification, with the best prognosis utilizing a combination of the two. Group counseling and anger management sessions can also be helpful. Relaxation techniques have been found to be useful in neutralizing anger.

Studies suggest that patients with intermittent explosive disorder respond to treatment with antidepressants, anti-anxiety agents in the benzodiazepine family, anticonvulsants and mood stabilizers.

[/li][li] What else should I know about IED?

Typically beginning in the early teens, the disorder often precedes - and may predispose for - later depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorders. Nearly 82 percent of those with IED also had one of these other disorders, yet only 28.8 percent ever received treatment for their anger.

Most patients are young men and history will often involve frequent traffic accidents, moving violations and possibly sexual impulsivity. These patients may exhibit extreme sensitivity to alcohol. This disorder is a controversial category because some clinicians believe that it is only a symptom of other diagnoses rather than a disorder on its own.
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INFORMATION GATHERED FROM:

Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Psych Central: Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Psychology Today: Intermittent Explosive Disorder

[mammon]

OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER

soon.

[mammon]

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

soon.

[mammon]

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

[mammon]

OBSESSIVE COMPULSION DISORDER

[MUSE WITH ME]

NEPHILIM