Gifted students and behavior modification.
Gifted students rarely get ABA help—start small self-management plans early, especially for underachieving or culturally different kids.
01Research in Context
What this study did
P (1985) looked at how often behavior analysts study gifted students. The paper found almost no research. It calls for early behavior-mod work with gifted kids who underachieve or come from minority cultures.
The review is narrative. It does not run new experiments. It maps where the field was missing.
What they found
The field had almost zero behavior-mod studies on gifted learners. Most teachers rely on standard lessons. Gifted students who lose motivation or feel isolated get little ABA help.
The author says start early. Teach study skills, self-monitoring, and reinforcement systems before problems grow.
How this fits with other research
Sobsey et al. (1983) also used a narrative review. They showed that parent-training studies ignore generalization. Both papers flag the same flaw: behavior analysts skip long-term planning.
Payne et al. (2020) and Najdowski et al. (2021) push culturally attuned ABA. P (1985) makes the same point for gifted minority students. Together they say: adapt interventions to culture or they will fail.
Critchfield (2018) wants efficient graduate training. P (1985) wants earlier gifted services. Both want smarter use of behavior analyst time.
Why it matters
If you work in schools, screen gifted learners for motivation dips. Add brief self-monitoring charts or token systems to their advanced work. Track if skills last after the plan ends. Starting early prevents later referral crises.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research in the use of behavior modification with gifted students was conducted through computer searches and a review of the literature. The small number of studies using behavior modification with gifted students was noted. Among the various recommendations and conclusions made by the reviewer were that behavior modifications be used with gifted underachievers, the disadvantaged gifted, the culturally different gifted students, the maladjusted gifted students, and other academically gifted students in order to eliminate their maladaptive behaviors and to develop and strengthen their adaptive behaviors. Further recommendations were that behavior modification be used with greater frequency and at an earlier age with the academically gifted, that it be used to enhance the unique attributes of all the gifted, that it be used to teach research techniques to the gifted to make them more independent of low capability teachers, and that it be used with the culturally different to motivate them intellectually outside their hostile environment.
Behavior modification, 1985 · doi:10.1177/01454455850092002