Acceleration for gifted children | Alan D. Thompson | Life Architect

Acceleration is a strategy that allows a student to progress through school at a faster than usual rate and/or younger than typical age. It has been a proven necessity for high-ability children since at least 1925.
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Alan D. Thompson is the founder of Life Architect, a renowned international life coaching practice supporting exceptionally high-ability families. As a world-expert on high performance, he has worked with Royal London and Bolshoi ballerinas, young potential Olympic athletes, chess masters, child prodigies, and other brilliant humans. He is also a founder of the Australia-Asia Positive Psychology Institute. In 2017, Alan became a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching, affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Alan sits as Chairman of Mensa International’s Gifted Youth Committee, and has served the organisation for close to a decade. Alan advises international media in the fields of giftedness and coaching, consulting to the award-winning series Decoding Genius for GE, Child Genius for Warner Bros, and appearing with the then-Prime Minister of Australia on Making Child Prodigies for ABC.
Prior to his career as a coach, Alan worked with many high-performing young celebrities, including Disney princess Lea Salonga (Aladdin, Mulan), the Australian Billy Elliot, Nikki Webster, and the cast of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats in Asia.
He has published dozens of books and articles in the gifted and high performance space, including Best, Welcome, Bright, and the pioneering picture book for gifted toddlers People like me.
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[@jenniferhoffman6920]

I have a 4 year 10 month old that has a WPPSI IV of 125 her birthday is 20 days past the cut off to start Kindergarten her in the US. My husband is concerned of the social issues that go along with being younger/youngest in class if accelerated. She currently has attends a Montessori and they offer Kindergarten but her director is concerned as well for "Do you want her to be a leader? She needs to be older and wait another year for Kindergarten." I feel she would flourish with the advancement. I do not know why people are so against it. This is a great video for another way to explain it! Thank you!

[@Farlo7]

Amazing video, as a parent in Australia of a potentially 9 year old gifted child this has provoked me to do something about it. I will be visiting and testing my son's IQ with a child psychologist. "Releasing the brakes" is an excellent way to put acceleration. Love it! Thank you Dr Thompson!

[@HigoWapsico]

I wish gifted children specialized classes existed when I was a child in Israel... instead I got a lifetime hall pass, and permission to check out any book I wanted from the library. So, I was left to identify all the dysfunction I emerged out of, without any guidance on how is it that what I was see in my head, was impossible for anyone else to along... so, I was a drug user on-hold. Finally, at 40 I found ways to cope which weren’t destructive, but I have earned the title wasted potential fair and square

[@0rangebanana]

My parents would have said “to be accepted in society”. I respect their point of view but I don’t agree with it.

[@747puppyfat]

I know that with one of my children accelerating was the best choice. Early on in school she was not accelerated and was profoundly unhappy. Once accelerated 2 grades she was happier, even being the youngest. Outside school she now does a college math degree syllabus at 11. If she hadn’t done anything she would be unhappy. As for what we want? Just for her to be happy. If she likes doing this stuff, great. If not, then I’m sure she can find something else to enjoy. She is 160 FSIQ (that is the max of the test, and we didn’t do the extended sections.