Coping for Capable Kids.

Reviewed by Marion Porath, at the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia and a Contributing Editor for Roeper Review.

Coping for Capable Kids L.M. Cohen and E. Frydenberg Waco, Texas: Prufrock Press 1996 362pp. $27.95 ISBN 1-882664-23-X

I looked forward to reviewing this book for several reasons. First, since I had read and enjoyed the book immediately after having received it from the publisher in 1996, I was looking forward to the opportunity to review it. A second reasons is that the book offers very important information for professionals who have interests in the psychological and social aspects of giftedness. A third reason is that I had seen previous work of the authors and was very impressed. And finally, the unique nature of the book provides a double resource for the reader.

The first thing one notices about this book is that it is actually two books in one: Coping for Capable Kids: Strategies for Parents, Teachers, and Students, and Coping for Capable Kids: Strategies for Students. Approximately 70 percent of the book makes up the Adult Section (side A) covering 253 pages, while the Kids' Section (side B) is made up of 109 pages. Side A includes five chapters entitled: "Some definitions, "Giftedness", "Coping with Problems Common to Gifted Kids", "Teaching for Coping" and "Family Functioning and Coping." The Kids' Section (Side B) includes four chapters: "Dealing with Concerns and Worries", "Coping Strategies Used by Capable Kids", "Is This like You" Case Studies of Capable Kids", and "Some Tried and True Activities to Develop Your Coping Skills."

This book was written in an effort to help gifted young people develop effective coping skills. The authors explain that "gifted young people rely on only about six strategies to help them cope (although these are most often the most productive strategies), while their normal peers typically use about nine." (P. 11). They would like this book to help add to the young peoples' repertories of coping skills. In addition, the book is intended to help both the young people and adults in their lives "do what we do better." (P. 12)

This book has several strengths that as both a person who works in the same profession as the authors, and as a parent, I can appreciate. The first strength I noticed when reading the book was the clarity of writing; I found that I could read quickly both for pleasure and comprehension. Another strength of the book is the level at which each half is written. Clearly the authors targeted the reading level to fit the readership. To that end, numerous examples are used, often drawing on the works of gifted children and teachers. A third strength is the serious effort made by the authors to provide references for the reader. Many outside readings can be located through the perusal of the extensive reference sections. A fourth strength is the book's thoroughness. This is particularly noticeable in the adult section of the book. Some of the topics discussed are based on the most up-to-date research available.

The authors are to be commended for writing a book that has the potential to help so many different groups of people. Through their hard work and thoroughness, many gifted children will be better able to deal with situations unique to their group.

Reviewed by Tracy Cross, Director of the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities, Professor of Educational Psychology, Ball State University, and Contributing Editor of the Roeper Review.