The pain of giftedness

In this non-fictional biography, Helga Thieroff relates the life of her gifted son Kai from his birth up until his suicide at the age of 21. She not only gives a vivid account of the various stages of Kai‘s life from the perspective of a mother who experiences a rollercoaster ride of emotions in accompanying her child; she also describes the "different" nature of gifted children and adolescents from a professional viewpoint and outlines the problems and misunderstandings these young people encounter at school and in society at large. Helga Thieroff studied educational science, psychology and general linguistics in Bayreuth and Berlin. Motivated by her experience with her own gifted son, she founded the "Children‘s Club", the first preschool project for gifted children in Berlin, in 1990. Since her move to Rhineland-Palatinate in the mid-nineties, she has operated a specialised psychological and educational practice for gifted children. In 2000 she founded the "Children‘s College" in Neuwied (Begabtenzentrum Rheinland-Pfalz), an extracurricular support facility for gifted children and adolescents, which she has since managed. Helga Thieroff was awarded the Order of Merit with Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011 for her longstanding commitment to gifted people. "We hope this book about Kai‘s unusual life journey can give orientation and help to other gifted young people who are searching for their place in this world, and to their parents." (Prof. Franz J. Mönks)