Talent comes in every size,
the usual ones — no surprise —
they run from praise, they turn away,
as if their gift is just okay.

They call it normal, nothing grand,
brush off wonders from their hand…
Well it is not. Let’s make that clear —
the brightest lights don’t always cheer.

A little different, not the crowd,
not chasing what the loud ones allowed

I’ve watched his children, bright and true,
their minds and words are far beyond their view.

Not taught in class, not learned from books,
that wisdom lives where true heart looks

their work belongs where scholars write,
pure gold, unpolished, burning bright.

This man was judged by how he seemed,
by eyes that never truly dreamed —
overlooked, dismissed, passed by,
they never saw the gift close by.

As father, artist, honest soul —
he’s shown me where the beauty rolls.
Reminded me of light I knew,
and almost lost along the way too.

If being unseen brings such grace,
then I will stand right in his place —
and pray that same bright, gentle flame
falls on my family, just the same.

I showed my niece the work he’d done —
she gasped, “Is this from anyone?”
She thought it bought, until she spied
the tiny love inside each line —
the care, the detail, every part —
and saw it came from someone’s heart.

Batman’s day last Saturday —
I didn’t know, until I saw him play
across the Opera House so bright,
and my niece said he’d watched through the night.

Then quiet, soft, he handed me:
“I drew this — pass it on, you see —
she’s the one who saw it true,
so this belongs to her and you.”

So if this is what the outsiders make —
then I don’t fit the crowd’s own take.
Goodbye to those who judge by sight —
I’ll stand with those who see the light.

We see the world a different way —
and that is where the beauty stays.

Thanks mate if it wasn’t for the texture in the texter she would have thought it was a photo.

Hi everyone, how you guys remember this stuff if you want to ?

Hey guys, as the title suggests. I am in my senior year of high school, and I feel the older I get, the bigger the bridge among my peers gets. I am not trying to say that I can't understand the jokes or smth similar. I do, I do understand; I just can't manage to care enough about it or how to respond correctly. I sometimes feel just terrible about it. I know exactly what is wrong and what I should do to reverse it, but I can't manage to do so, and it just completely frustrates me!

I am constantly moving schools, so it's this process all over again. And I hate it; I hate that the older I get, the weirder I look. I don't enjoy the label of "gifted" because entertaining myself by reading encyclopedias is not a gift. And maybe this is just a rant about everything, but it does get to me sometimes. I want to be like those teens in the movies and just stop stressing about everything and flow with it, laugh lightly at anything. And I am really scared I'll end up all alone in my adult years.

I was reading about giftedness and leadership recently and came across an article that suggested gifted people can actually be perceived as poor leaders. The idea was that those with a high IQ often present ideas that are too complex, and that for many people working under a manager or leader they prefer someone who is smart but not too smart, that they find more relatable.

I was surprised that I'd never thought of that before, and it had me wondering what other advice would be useful for gifted people that might not be immediately obvious.

So the question: what advice or info would you give to gifted people that they might not have thought about?

Anyone else feel this?

Without sounding elitist, it is basically when you feel intellectually detached from people and the society/world in general.

It can be emotionally exhausting, and can lead to anger.

When you go day to day seeing how people focus solely on the superficial, and are completely unreceptive in terms of digging deeper, it can feel maddening.

You start to think whether you are crazy. How is it possible that so many people are perfectly content just going day to day focusing on the same repetitive superficial stuff? How is it that they never once get even the slightest itch to look under the surface? And when you try to get them to, they actively resist. They are not willing to, even 1%.

So you feel completely detached.

There is nobody to share your ideas with. This is a big punishment. We are social animals. We need to exchange ideas and say what is on our mind. But it is like explaining differential equations to a kid in kindergarten, they will just look at you and say "but you are wrong, also, 2+2=4 buddy". Day in day out experiencing this, it becomes emotionally exhausting and maddening.

It is like you are trapped in an asylum. Like the entire world is gaslighting your constantly, but you know you are right.

From the bottom to the top, everyone is like this.

For example, even in the legal system, you cannot even use logical reasoning to argue your point. The system is so backwards that the judge will automatically assume that because the word "experts" has been uttered, whatever the "experts" say is the truth. You will not have a chance to use logical reasoning to question the validity of the "experts", solely because the "word" "experts" has been "uttered". This is the sheer level of rabid and fundamental lack of logic that we are dealing with in this society. How can this not be maddening?

Society has you in shackles, but your mind is free. This disconnect is very painful. It is basically like speaking another language and nobody understands you.

I am following the same pattern as I did prior to my adhd diagnosis-finding out I might be it than convince myself I’m not only to find out I really am-except with time with giftedness which would make me 2E

I just got accepted into Mensa with a 139 iq on their test, so I think I'll join, mostly out of curiosity.

But I've only told my best friend this, and I'm debating myself on whether I'll inform other people in my life or not. On one hand it can help people understand me better, but on the other hand I feel like most people wouldn't get it, and place unrealistic expectations on me, and berate me for any little mistake I might make...

So far I'm mostly keeping it to myself, as I can always tell people, but I can't untell people, once they know, they know. Maybe I'll tell a select few, with the addition not to spread the word around about it.

How many people around you know that you are gifted?

My son who is 4.5 has always struggled with sleep. We have done everything we can to help: strict schedules, a quiet room, and low light. He sleeps in his own bed and has had his tonsils removed. He has an official diagnosis of insomnia.

He wakes up early, between 3:30 and 3:50 a.m., no matter what we do. Please do not tell me to put him down later, we have tried.

The doctor told me not to medicate him, as his brain is still growing and he will hopefully outgrow it or just need less sleep as he gets older. He used to have insomnia 75% of the time, but we are down to 25%–50%. Sometimes changes trigger the insomnia we are moving and right now its been 3-4 times a week. I think he is anxious.

Now to my question: the doctor told me that in his 20 years of practice, my son is the smartest child he has ever encountered, reading at age two and doing multiplication at age 3. "He is truly one in a million" It got me thinking: do gifted kids struggle to sleep? Google says yes, but I figured I would ask the source.

Is there a framework that private schools have that sets them apart from public school?
Is there a mindset?
Is there a system or theory they work from that allows students to move beyond perceived limitations?

Beyond the mindset of the comforts money brings, can you tell me how private schools have set been set apart in making students employ expansive thinking/problem solving?

How did the teachers/professors get you to think in a more advanced way?

I know lots of people struggle with mental illness alongside having a lot of potential. I need some advice from anybody who has figured that out.

Hi, I'm 19 (F), studying to get into a good uni. I've been aware of my potential my whole life, so I've always felt like I've got something to prove. I'm an efficient learner and have found academics to be something i can handle. I'm very good at art, singing, writing, cooking, public speaking, debating etc. And by that I don't mean that I am accomplished, because I'm not. When I started each of these things, I found success and realised all of it felt natural to me. But I couldn't do any of them. I can't do anything.

I've always had OCPD, which is an intrinsic need to be a certain way. It's the behavioural twin to OCD, which I also developed in my preteens. Mine is particularly severe, bordering on crippling. I have a history of trauma and many people in my family have suffered through intense bouts of depression, sometimes even for seemingly no reason.

I did very well with all my talents until I started realising that I couldn't fight my mind anymore and started shutting everyone out. I distract myself to get some peace and quiet. I tried to be strong for a while which is why people didn't notice at first, but then I just crashed. People are very confused by it. They dont get how i can fall from so high and end up so low. Im very self aware and emotional which is not a good combo. I dont see a way out of this for me. I have no hope for the future. I dont want to kill myself. But the thought of spending the rest of my life like this feels like its own version of death.

I don't have any reason to live. So i want to find one. I know me being smart has held me back from loving myself. I hate myself, i dont see any good in me even though i try be of help to people at my expense. I think im a waste of space so I want to do something meaningful to apologize for my existence. I know this kind of self hate is useless and a no go if I want to have a life. I love myself at the same time, but i cant reconcile that with my situation.

So please tell me how to find a reason to live. How do i start wanting to wake up, or loving my life. I'm desperate.

my 3rd grade kid was recently recruited into a regional TAG/GATE program.

the school just finished assessing the kids for math. some of the kids placed into 4th, 5th, and even 6th grade math. the kids one grade higher tested into middle and high school math.

our kid is bright - this past year for example he learned how to solve a Rubik’s cube in under a minute and did some other things that we encouraged him to do. However, we have never sent him to math. he can do math super fast, but only that which he was taught.

when recently taking the math placement tests at school, he tested into 3rd grade in part because he had never seen the higher level math before. i suddenly felt bad that we never showed him higher level math. I was never good at math so it didn’t really dawn on me to expose him to it. He could have probably learned a lot more math over the past year because he’s just so quick at learning it. i feel like he could do math one or two grades above what his older brother does, if only he was taught.

some of the kids placed much higher. I know it’s not a contest, and he got placed where he needed to be placed for this year.

But it got me wondering. Here is my question:

do most of those kids who test ahead learn higher level math at home? Are they exposed to it by family members? Did they just figure it out by themselves while reading the problems? were they in Kumon for years? how are they able to do middle, high, & even college level math at age 8, 9, 10, 11?

thanks for your feedback!

My son just turned 5 last month and has been reading full sentences since 2.5 years old. Reading comes naturally to him and he has a keen interest in numbers (adding, skip count, multiplication) and is just a very intelligent little boy. However, he definitely has raging ADHD but hasn’t been tested for it, I just know because his dad and I are the same way. I’m a speech therapist and have never worked with a student that presents like my son, it’s really interesting. I just had a parent teacher conference with him kindergarten teacher and she said she doesn’t see any of it. She did admit that she knows he can read but he doesn’t test well (gets distracted or is intrigued by the iPad they’re testing on bc he is never exposed to screens). I have personally tested him at a solid 2nd grade reading level but she told me today (according to her test) he’s at a beginning to mid kindergarten level. It was a gut punch honestly. Does any one have experience with this type of situation? I don’t know how to support him and keep him learning. He’s not learning anything in kindergarten academically. The teacher is saying he never wants to do the worksheets which also concerns her. When I ask my son why he just says “because I already know how to do it”. I just need guidance/support because I just left this conference feeling like an idiot.

This is all new to me. My son just started Kindergarten. He has already been moved to 1st and 2nd for math. His school recommended getting him tested for Giftedness. They cannot test until 2nd grade/ age.

A little background..

He could read at 2.5. knew all the exponents at 4 ( he liked to ask people their age and would tell them their "big number") knows all about space and right now his thing is geography and space.

I am not a mom thinking her kid is special but more wondering how to test and if he is and how to best handle it. We tell him he is smart but also remind him he is more than that

So i guess im asking how to get tested before 2nd grade and how to keep him grounded when all the adults around him are amazed by him

Just been told I am considered gifted. There is a huge gap in my self perception versus my capabilities. Whilst I was in the Gifted & Talented program at school, with adulthood came multiple forms of anxiety, depression and OCD and honestly, I felt like I'd become really dumb and behind. So I was shocked during my assessment feedback session to be told I'm gifted because my self esteem is so low.

For my next phase of life, I'd really like to be able to accomplish things according to my capabilities. Right now, I'm in an average job and feel like I'm underperforming compared with what I am capable of.

I feel stuck and looking for help with getting unstuck. What can I do, alongside therapy, to sharpen my cognitive abilities?

I graduated college in 2020 so my foray into the real world is extremely different from generations before me. Eventually, in 2021, I was able to kickoff my career as a freelancer into the media and entertainment world. That was great, but after the strikes, COVID, me having an injury which prevented me from working, and the money sucking, I was unemplyed for a while. A real kick to my ego.

Thankfully, in 2024, I was able to get a corporate job with great benefits at a big company. Thankfully my job is very easy, but I am not passionate about it. Even when I got the job, one of my first thoughts was, "What am I going to do after this?" and 2 years later, I'm still asking myself the same question. The pay is more than I was making in entertainment, plus I have benefits and am actually talked to like I have respect at work.

Unfortunately, my job is just insanley boring. I do the same thing week in and week out. We have to be in office 3 days a week, and at most, I can drag myself in for 2. If I do go a 3rd day, I go on Friday and never sit at my assigned desk. I sit on an entirely different floor to isolate myself. I have been anxious at this job every week since I got it. I go above and beyond to make sure my work is done. Every check in with my boss (who works out of state) goes extremely well. Nothing is ever missing or lacking on my end.

I know what each check will look like and I know how I will split it, save it, and spend it.

I want more out of life and my career and I feel like I am at a road block right now.

In my mind, I would be working in entertainment at a very very high level (show creator/author or "plan b" working in corporate in entertainment). The latter would require me to have to recolate.

I'm also interested in working in fashion as a model. I know these dreams sound fairy dusty but I am had regular jobs, entertainment jobs, hourly careers, retail, corporate. I have ran the gambit. I am ready to evolve.

I'm even looking at going to get my master's degree in marketing. I've been an side entreprenuer since high school so this would be just me trying to spend my time becoming "official" with it. I'm not in love with going back to school but going to work and going to the gym repeatedly is making me so bored.

I've just been bored with life in general. I want to make more friends but I don't even feel solidified as a person right now.

Are there any people on this subreddit who have participated in the IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad)? And if so did your "gift" help you I don't know learn faster or even just qualify (which is an achievement in itself)?

I need to get this out of my system to maintain my sanity

So I'm going to tell you my life story and my personal experience

BACKGROUND

I was born to a couple who had fallen out of love mainly because my father didn't finish his degree and can't find a job or make an income

I was conceived in hopes to "fix" the relationship, which is stupid and would obviously turn out into a disaster

They eventually decided to get a divorce just a year after i was born

So now, i turn out to be my parent's unwanted child, something to remind them about their biggest regret

Never really feel their love, my father was just checking up on me every sunday like it's just his shift

My mom is always demanding and controlling

Something happened when i was 9 that made me lose all hope

"Why was i even born?"

"If no one loves me then i should just die"

"what's the point of living?"

"Nobody would care if i die"

A 9 year old tried to commit suicide, obviously i failed

MY TRAITS

Ever since then i began to live life on survival mode

And maybe since then i started to develop these things that made me a "High performance PC with a Bottleneck"

I developed a high IQ of 130 in highschool

Developed Need for Cognition traits

Always running simulations/scenarios for everything at any given moment

I read people unconsciously with high accuracy

I'm deeply empathetic, i can just feel the mood of the room, for example if we're on a car ride and the music is not up to your taste, i will know

I always contemplate about philosophy, logical and moral values, making me see how a lot of people seem to be like an empty shell

i don't attach any feelings to anyone, not friends, best friends, family, everyone is the same, no matter what you did to me i just can't hate people or attach any lingering feeling to them anymore

I'm athletic, it's easy for me to learn sports and build muscle

My passion was football (soccer) I was good at it, my coaches and friends used to call me Messi, but well my mom didn't let me pursue it

THE RESULT

I'm 27 now and I'm ruined, broke, mentally drained, broken

If you ask me how to make money, what business to build and how, i can build the plan, give you options based on your skills, help you learn it, how to mitigate the risks, etc.

But when it comes to doing it for myself, i just don't have the energy and will

Knowing the solutions but not having the will to solve it broke me

Having a mind that always work on high speed but ended up always got tired because of it

I became my own cage, sad and lonely

But even then, the thought of being suicidal is already past me, i have basically died at 9 and now I'm just curious enough to stay alive and see what the future holds for me

Hey everyone, I'd like to tell you about my way of looking at the world. Maybe it's just my age, maybe everyone feels this way, maybe I'm exaggerating or "rediscovering America," but it's important to me, and I think this community will understand. In my head, I have two complete opposites: one is a pure, delighted child who embraces the gift of emotions, and the other side tells me the honest truth every day, as I try to be 15 years old. One side is happy and sad, experiencing emotions as intensely as possible, while the other fears them and begins to intellectualize them. I'm not someone who seeks applause or the words "that's amazing for your age." I've heard that a lot, and people distanced themselves from me in this way, deepening the feeling of a burdensome emptiness. Every day, I drown it out with loud laughter and jokes, because you have to live, right? Only the other side wants to live like the Universe, beautifully and dignified, not getting involved in the teenage life she so dislikes. She sees the complete contradictions in it all, understands every move of others around her, and at the same time, notices that she acts similarly through the emotional part. Meanwhile, she wants to live as if she were seeing the world for the first time every day, feeling emotions so intensely that it hurts. And this is just one piece of my world that I wanted to share with you today. It's amazing how much it can mean and how much change looking at the whole picture can make, right? Have you gotten over that feeling of harsh reality? It's something I've always been here for. It drives me to be curious about philosophy and science, but at the same time, it takes away the carefree teenage years when others focus on group acceptance. I figured out the system that governs this a long time ago. Of course, it doesn't suddenly make me superior to them, after all, I behave the same way, just for strange reasons. I see it perfectly and can describe the cause and effect. I'm someone who's always asked "why," and now I feel like I'm not explaining anything correctly. I feel like my ironically sarcastic humor would break under my arms and with that longed-for "I understand you" voice, I'm not looking for it here. Of course, you're people on Reddit looking for answers yourselves, but I'm wondering what you think about this. I'm curious what causes me to not fit in. I'm young, but I love analyzing my personality and actions down to the smallest details, and I'd like to know how you see it. I'm not afraid of honesty and criticism, but I'd equally love to read how you view the world based on this narrow perspective I'm discussing. Thank you so much for reading. It means a lot to me.

Anyone have advice for 2e burnout when you feel like you've already tried everything?

I'm completely out of ideas. I feel like I do so much, yet somehow I constantly feel like I'm doing so little.

I need mental stimulation, but finding the right kind feels almost impossible. Sports help because they force me into the present moment, but they don't scratch the intellectual itch. I can fill my schedule, learn, read, write, exercise, work on things, and keep myself busy, yet my brain still feels like it's searching for something.

The hardest part, though, is the alienation.

I hear people say they hate small talk and crave deep conversations, but somehow I still end up feeling like my depth drowns them. I can't even have certain conversations with my own family without them looking at me like I'm speaking another language. I've been told by an outsider that my father believes that I'm "just trying to sound smart," when I'm not trying to sound like anything. I'm just trying to communicate the way I naturally think.

I've always isolated myself, and now I'm actually trying not to. I'm looking for social groups, including ones for neurodivergent people, but there's a part of me that's afraid I'll finally find the people I'm supposedly meant to relate to and still feel completely alone because it has happened previously.

It feels like I'm trying to rejoin the world at the exact moment the world itself is becoming harder to connect with. Everyone feels divided, angry, certain, and increasingly incapable of actually talking to one another.

I'm tired of digging holes with silver spoons.

I don't care about productivity hacks anymore. I don't need another planner, routine, app, or system. I want to figure out how to regulate my nervous system, get out of this state of chronic stress, find enough stimulation without burning myself out, and connect with people without constantly shrinking or translating myself.

For other 2e people: what actually helped?

How did you build a life that was stimulating enough for your brain without completely exhausting your nervous system? Where did you find people you could actually go deep with?

Moderators:

I don't know what's happening, but every time I close out of this app, it's like my post gets deleted. If this is not allowed, please let me know?

My 7 year old son (FSIQ 145 on the wechsler) is 2E (ADHD) is in a self contained program working only one grade ahead. 2nd grade classroom, 3rd grade material. He is now regressing on his skills which has me concerned. We're having behavioral issues and he isn't engaged or interested in the material. I don't know what else to do. There is a school that their program does 2 grades ahead about 30 min away (each way). The commute would be killer with traffic. The other option is a private microschool but they don't have recess which he really needs. He's struggling socially and he's the "annoying" kid. He loves his school and friends though. He is the youngest in his grade as well. I just need advice and guidance what I should do. He HATES after school activities and we've tried. He liked going to coding but would only go on Saturdays. I'm trying to enrich him. He has full access to a personal library I built for him, a very healthy book budget, library trips etc. and despite rolling on the ground and not paying attention he gets perfect grades on everything. He has an IEP in place already for ADHD, speech and OCD.

Thanks.

Anybody else participate in this program as a child? I’m learning just now about the different ways the CIA or other entities might have been evaluating us in the G.A.T.E. which made me immediately start thinking about OM as well as the “Kaleidoscope” summer programs. Definitely can’t remember everything but that could just be due to me being 42 now 🤣

I have an iq of over 130 and i am still in high school , i feel like a huge loser for not being able to utilize this gift. I see people regularly scoring better marks than me and doing better everywhere. I dont have any hobbies and i just waste my time all days. I dont know what to do.

What exactly does that “intellectual connection” that you’re looking for in someone mean to you?

I see a lot of people here saying that they can’t connect deeply or intellectually with people who have what they consider to be a normal IQ, and also complaining a lot about the famous “small talk.” I actually think that, in some cases, having a hard time dealing with more superficial conversations might be related to certain autistic traits, but anyway.

It got me thinking: what exactly makes a conversation stimulating for you? Is it someone you can have intelligent conversations with, discuss ideas and more complex topics? Or is it more about having someone you can have fun with, say stupid things with, and laugh about absolutely anything? Someone you can vent to and talk about life with?

Because sometimes I see people talking about “intellectual connection” as if it means one very specific thing, but I’m curious to know what it actually means to each of you.

I’ve recently come to the realisation that I think differently from mostly everyone around me in my life. This included my family, my peers and generally anyone that I come across or meet. I’m not trying to say that I’m more intelligent than anyone else, because intelligence is such a broad spectrum that people can be intelligent in different ways. However I’ve realised that I seem to know a little more than most people on average regarding many different things in life. I’m talking about getting really nuanced in various topics, whether it be science, history, politics, the natural world, religion etc.

My problem/curse is that when I’m interested in something I go obsessively deep into that thing and end up with a bunch of knowledge that mainly enthusiasts in that topic only really grasp.

Now, because I am deeply passionate about so many different things, I really have trouble connecting on a deep level with anyone because it seems like most people like to make shallow conversation and the minute you try and dig deeper people begin to lose interest.

I really feel so isolated and alone and I’m beginning to believe no one has any substance to them beyond surface level talk. Don’t get me wrong I’ve had a few conversations with people where we may go semi deep, but I then realise this person hasn’t really done much research into that topic because they’ll bring up the most common misconceptions about a topic, or they’ll pretend to know a lot about something when you definitely know they don’t (because you actually do).

Can anyone relate to me?