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Without adequate assessment, gifted children are all too likely to languish unnoticed and underachieve in educational environments that fail to meet their special needs.  Since gifted students are generally capable of performing at least one or two grade levels ahead of their age peers in their areas of talent, they are seldom challenged to perform in accord with their true potentials.  In fact, these capable students may be considered underachievers even when they get "good" grades.

Treating underachievers all alike just doesn't work.  Specific patterns of underachievement need to be differentially identified and dealt with

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It may be outside the scope of this publication to present specific strategies to help prevent these patterns of underachievement from occurring.  However, regular study times and realistic, positive expectations – jointly, calmly, firmly, and consistently conveyed by both parents and teachers – can help to foster academic achievement in children.  Parents’ involvement in their children’s schools also appears to  help  children  achieve.  However, doing children’s homework for them does not.

In addition, parents need to show love and appreciation for their children.  While a parent of the same sex as the child needs to serve as a role model for achievement, a parent of the opposite sex needs to provide simultaneous validation of the child’s competence and desirability as a member of the opposite sex.  This is true for children of both

sexes.  However, in the absence of such validation from their fathers, girls may more easily succumb to inhibiting, and sometimes even stunting, social and sexual pressures.  They may, therefore, underachieve in efforts to meet their emotional and social needs.

Don't be too hard on yourself if your child is an underachiever.  Patterns of underachievement can be changed, with professional help if not without it.  The recommendations included in this publication are based on a synthesis of the research on underachievement and clinical experience.  In implementing these recommendations, it is very important to make clear distinctions between children as people and their behavior, as well as to precede and follow constructive suggestions with positive and encouraging comments. 

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Behavioral contracts may help, but rewards may be ineffective. 

Establish regular study times in a well-organized, quiet place, alone; and make sure these limits are observed.

Avoid nagging and verbal reminders.  Instead, use lists and consequences for non-compliance. 

Calmly and consistently enforce stated consequences for non-compliance, without anger, until required tasks are completed.

Avoid doing for these children what they can and should be doing for themselves. 

Limit passive forms of activity and entertainment.

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Teach coping strategies to bolster personal resources (e.g., study skills and how to divide daunting tasks into manageable segments).

Usually wants to achieve to please authority figures.

Encourage and reinforce signs of independence and self-sufficiency.

Model and teach assertive communication skills.

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Help the child understand that his/her reactive rebellion is a sign of dependence rather than independence.

Provide acceptable choices to foster appropriate decision-making and independence.

Set clear and reasonable expectations with calmly and consistently enforced consequences based on the child's behavioral choices.

Highlight the child's abilities, and provide positive verbal reinforcement of desired behaviors directly or within the child's hearing.

Provide ample opportunities for creative expression to foster positive self-definition.

Respect the child's dreams.

Try to understand and validate the child's creatively uncommon ideas and perceptions.

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Has experienced and/or fears social isolation.

Support pluralistic attitudes, and affirm perceived needs to develop dual (e.g., racial) identities for effective social integration.

May need more than one group of friends.

Help develop a more internal locus of control and sense of personal security.

Provide achieving role models and mentors for him/her to emulate.

Confront any differences between expressed attitudes toward achievement and efforts expended.

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