'Gifted' children deliberately perform poorly to avoid bullying

The research cited that gifted children may be greatly susceptible to the dangers of bullying and often hide their abilities to try and fit in. File Picture: PA

Academically gifted children have admitted deliberately doing badly at school in order to stop themselves being bullied at school.

More than 40% of gifted adolescents admitted to researchers that they were bullied either face-to-face or through cyberbullying.

Some simply hoped the abuse would stop or even tried to "blend in better", including doing badly at their schoolwork.

The study looked at a sample of 195 gifted teenagers and found many had been the victim of false rumours or excluded from activities, while a smaller number were threatened or physically harmed.

The findings were presented by Derek Laffan of the National Anti-Bullying Centre in the DCU Institute of Education at the Psychological Society of Ireland annual conference.

Alongside his colleague Mairéad Foody, experts at the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland and from Goldsmith’s University in London, he looked at the Prevalence and Impact of Bullying and Cyberbullying Among Gifted Adolescents in Ireland.

The research cited previous studies showing gifted children can develop specific aptitudes, including an unusual alertness and deep and intense feelings and emotions, but also that they may be greatly susceptible to the dangers of bullying and often hide their abilities to try and fit in.

Of the 195 children, the average age was 15 and 60% were female. Of the study sample, 56% said they were heterosexual and 22% said they were bisexual, while 11% said they were asexual and another 11% said they were homosexual.

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Of the sample, 53 said they had been the victim of traditional bullying, with six admitting to bullying and four saying they were both bully and victim.

Almost one-third agreed that "I was called mean names, was made fun of, or teased in a hurtful way". 

Almost a quarter agreed that "other students left me out of things on purpose, excluded me from their group of friends, or completely ignored me", while 14% said "other students told lies or spread false rumours about me and tried to make others dislike me".

As for cyberbullying, 36 people said they had been the victims, eight admitted to bullying someone online, and one said they had been bullied and had bullied others.

Just over a fifth said "someone spread rumours about me online" while 15% said "someone posted mean or hurtful comments about me online". In addition, 13% said they had been threatened online and 8.5% said "someone pretended to be me online and acted in a way that was mean or hurtful to me".

Overall, 40.5% of the sample had been victims of both traditional bullying and cyberbullying and 30% said they believed it was because they were gifted.

As to how they dealt with it, while 32% told a parent about the bullying, 29% just hoped it would stop, and 24% "tried to blend in better". Almost 19% told a friend, but 7% performed badly at their schoolwork.

The study concluded that 'hiding' giftedness by performing worse in school is a well-known protective behaviour but is problematic for the school system.

Mr Laffan said many schools would not have definitions for giftedness and it was also something not always covered in teacher training, while it would be beneficial for schools to incorporate giftedness in their anti-bullying policies.

• tacklebullying.ie
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