As a former ‘gifted kid,’ I’ve realized that giftedness is more complex than many believe. It’s a label that often comes with its own set of challenges, expectations, and misconceptions.

Gifted is a label that I personally reject.

Being branded as ‘gifted’ in school was a double-edged sword. The label, once affixed, raised the bar of expectations to an unattainable height, doing more harm than good.

Like many NeuroDivergent People, I have a ‘spikey strengths and abilities profile.’ This means that the contrast between my strengths and weaknesses is more pronounced than for the average person.

I have high aptitudes in a few areas, such as reading, writing, and art, but I also have noticeable limitations in others, like social interaction, struggling to adapt to changes (at the speed expected of me), memory, sensory tolerance, and cognitive organization.

For example, I self-published a best-selling business ethics book, but I struggle with speaking cohesively and linearly (unless I’ve prepared what I must say in advance and have “bullet points” handy to keep me on track).

I also struggle to pick up on unspoken social cues (like facial expressions and body language), and I tend to take people literally and at their word by default (but I am learning I need to question more because doing so has gotten me into trouble in the past).

Sometimes, I need more time than others to adapt to and process new information. Sometimes, I freeze up and shut down. Other times, my emotions get the best of me, overflowing onto everything and everyone around me.

In school, I struggled to sit still and quiet (a skill my peers seemed to master with ease).

Because I had been labeled as “gifted” (thanks to my reading scores being higher than the school’s reading test could account for), every struggle I had was overshadowed by that label (gifted).

“The kid is highly gifted. They know what they’re doing!”

“The kid’s reading scores are off the charts; they obviously understand what’s going on.”

Because I was good at reading, I was expected to be equally good in all my subjects (even the things I wasn’t good at like spelling, math, and history). When I struggled, my needs were overlooked (and denied). Because I was “gifted,” I was labeled “stubborn,” “difficult,” and “lazy” for not having the “well-rounded” abilities other people expected me to have.

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– Lyric Lark Rivera