There's been studies about intellectual giftedness, and to specify, in this case I'm only talking about the type measured by I.Q. tests. I was actually going to post a thread about this because It was on my mind after reading an article about the social problems of intellectually gifted children in the paper.
Apparently there are a few studies about the correlation between high IQs and success in later life and they found that out of the children with a moderately high IQ 60% did well in life whereas children with very high IQs had a proportionately higher risk of social problems and failure in school and work. People with IQs starting from 120 experience similiar problems which are exasperated the higher the IQ.
I find that some of the problems you mentioned, like a strong dislike to repetitive learning, are typical to intellectual giftedness.
I found a very informative booklet for teachers describing these problems online in this address:
https://www.asep-suisse.org/joomla/
[MENTION=4982]Reverie[/MENTION] - This was quite an entertaining read...oh man, if only this booklet were available to my teachers and parents when I was a child. There were so many things in this booklet that corresponded with my childhood years at school! I was finally tested for learning disabilities in the Fourth grade, and big surprise, there weren't any...but my IQ was just above 130...I had a High School reading level and comprehension...my Math was always the lowest as I never had any reason given to me as to why it was important to know...it was just consistently shoved down my throat and told it was "just something you have to learn". Which is why I ended up throwing my Math book in the garbage in the 3rd grade and telling the teacher I lost it....far too much repetition for me...it was so frustrating to do the first 5 problem...which would be correct...then have a whole page of 25 more problems to do...it was torturous to me! I was eventually sent to a "Magnet School" in the 5th grade which was supposed to have an accelerated program but which also proved disastrous for me because it had the same learning methodology only at an accelerated pace...I wanted reasons why I needed to learn things and those reasons were never explained to me. I probably would have tried a bit harder in math if for example I clear reason and/or goal was presented. Still I could never stand the repetition! That just wasn't how I leaned. The same continued through middle school and into HS. I would often become friends with my teachers as I loved talking with adults, but I would also consistently get poor grades. I would sporadically get A's on certain subjects and papers where I was able to think outside of the box or use my imagination...and there were one or two teachers who actually recognized this...and I still correspond with them to this day. In HS I even got an F in art of all things, something I love and love creating because the class was too structured for me, the projects had too many boundaries....you had to create "art" this way and only this way and if you didn't do it that way you failed. I spitefully created a final project to purposefully piss my teacher off even I remember. We had to create something practical out of ceramics. Which made me angry, it was art class for christ sake, I wanted to create a sculpture, or something abstract, something beautiful not something practical...how stupid it seemed to me! I made a coffee mug....but not just any mug...I covered it with spikes so completely that it would be impossible to pick up much less drink out of....lololol. I got an F, but it was soooo worth it! The thing was is that I DID, if the teacher really paid attention, I followed all the correct ways of making something out of ceramics...like cross-hatching the attachments together.....lolol....she just didn't get it.
My Senior year in HS I went to my counselor and made up the bullshit reason of insomnia and asked to be put on independent study...which is where you go to school once a week and meet with a teacher for 3 hours, turn in your work, take your tests, discuss certain things about it, and then take your work for the next week to learn and complete at home on your own. They didn't even ask me for a Doctor's note...they just took my word for it.....lolol. It was the best thing I had ever done! I loved the freedom that it gave me to learn at me own pace...to discuss the subject matter with the teacher on a more personal level. My teacher even let me choose the next subject matter...from a list of course...but it was still so much better than normal school! I didn't miss the social interaction of HS in the slightest bit either! College was a little better, as they leave the learning up to you more than in regular school. I would excel easily in the subjects that interested me (as has always been the case) and I would often go way beyond the required amount of work if it was something I was passionate about....lolol...I remember I had to write a 10 page persuasive essay for my writing class...I wrote mine on "Why there is no Hell" Mostly because I had a lot of evangelical type classmates that were constantly espousing their views and trying to shove it down everyone's throat in the class....so while they decided to write theirs on "Abortion" or "Evolution"...I wrote mine on Hell...and why it doesn't exist from a Theological and logical (at least as logical as religion can be) standpoint....it ended up being 30+ pages...we had to read them to the class....oh God! If you could have seen their faces! I t was so much fun...I even had 5 people ask me for copies....lolol....one of them said he needed to go speak to his Pastor about my essay as he has a lot of questions I brought up for him....lolo...it was a glorious moment! lol And college also provided the opportunity to choose more freely your subjects, which also helped me do better....I breezed through the classes that interested me without much studying or prepping, much to the distaste of my classmates.
My point it...that I fully agree based on my own years of education that there all children who slip through the cracks...I wish I could go back in time and give this little booklet to my teachers and parents.....I think I would have done better if I was allowed a less structured and open learning environment.
Thanks for your response!
Knowledge is empowerment. I've been able to reframe lots of my experiences as a tragic misunderstanding and miscommunication. It helps me view past experiences with more dignity and compassion.