Jade Skidmore, LPC

06/23/2026

What happens when giftedness and autism exist together?

For many people, one masks the other.

A highly intelligent autistic individual may develop sophisticated coping strategies that hide autistic traits. At the same time, autism-related challenges may prevent giftedness from being recognized.

The result?

Many gifted autistic individuals spend years wondering why they feel different, misunderstood, or out of sync with others despite obvious strengths.

Research suggests this population remains significantly understudied. Yet the existing literature consistently points to a profile characterized by deep interests, remarkable cognitive strengths, sensory differences, social complexity, and unique life experiences.

Supporting gifted autistic individuals is not about reducing their differences.

It is about understanding them.

When we recognize both exceptional ability and genuine challenges, we create space for people to thrive as their full selves.

Gelbar, N. W., Wehman, P., Callahan, K., & Sailor, W. (2015). Gifted students with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(7), 2022–2034. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2333-9

Tuncer-Gunay, B., & Saricam, H. (2021). The characteristics of gifted adults with Asperger syndrome: A case study. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 8(4), 196–208.

Neihart, M. (1999). The impact of giftedness on psychological well-being: What does the empirical literature say? Roeper Review, 22(1), 10–17.

Martin, L. T., Burns, R. M., & Schonlau, M. (2010). Mental disorders among gifted and nongifted youth: A selected review of the epidemiologic literature. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(1), 31–41.

06/23/2026

You earned the degree.

You got the promotion.

You met the goal.

So why does part of you still feel like a fraud?

Many gifted individuals grow up receiving messages that their value comes from achievement. Over time, that pressure can evolve into perfectionism, chronic self-doubt, and impostor syndrome.

Research suggests that self-esteem may play an important role in this relationship. When our worth becomes tied to performance, every mistake can feel like evidence that we are not as capable as others believe.

The truth?

You do not have to be perfect to be competent.
You do not have to know everything to be intelligent.
You do not have to earn your worth through achievement.

Therapy can help untangle perfectionism, build self-compassion, and develop a healthier relationship with success.

✨ Gifted minds deserve support too.

06/23/2026

Being identified as gifted in childhood can shape a person long after school ends.

In Summers’ phenomenological study of adults who were identified as talented and gifted as children, participants described both strengths and struggles connected to their gifted identity. Themes included growth, relationships, future direction, thankfulness, self-criticism, isolation, feeling misunderstood, intellectual insecurity, boredom with the status quo, career indecision, and pressure around achieving potential.

This matters because gifted adults often carry early messages like:

“You have so much potential.”
“You should be able to figure this out.”
“You’re smart, so this should be easy.”
“Don’t waste your gifts.”

Over time, those messages can become internal pressure, shame, perfectionism, or confusion about what it means to live a meaningful life.

Therapy can help gifted adults revisit the story they were handed, separate identity from performance, and build a life that honors both their abilities and their humanity.

— Jade Skidmore, LPC

Summers, K. (2010). The Lived Experiences of Adults Identified as Talented and Gifted in Childhood: A Phenomenological Study.

06/20/2026

For years, a common narrative has suggested that gifted individuals are more likely to experience anxiety and depression. But what does the research actually show?

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis examined 27 studies on anxiety and 15 studies on depression among gifted individuals. The overall finding? Gifted people were not significantly more anxious or depressed than their non-gifted peers.

That doesn’t mean gifted individuals never struggle.

Many gifted people experience perfectionism, emotional intensity, existential concerns, asynchronous development, or challenges related to ADHD, autism, trauma, or feeling misunderstood. The reality is far more nuanced than the stereotype.

Giftedness is not a diagnosis.

It’s a human experience that can look very different from one person to the next.

The goal isn’t to assume gifted people are struggling—or that they’re immune to struggle. The goal is understanding the individual sitting in front of us.

Have you ever felt that people misunderstood what it means to be gifted?

06/17/2026

This is one of the most common statements I hear from gifted adults.

Many gifted individuals grow up sensing that they think differently, feel differently, or experience the world differently than the people around them.

Research suggests that giftedness often involves far more than intellectual ability. It can include heightened emotional intensity, increased complexity of thought, deep curiosity, strong values, and a powerful drive to understand both themselves and the world around them.

Unfortunately, these same traits can sometimes contribute to feeling misunderstood, isolated, or disconnected from peers.

To cope, many gifted adults learn to adapt.

They become what others need them to be.

They hide parts of themselves.

They minimize their interests.

They silence their intensity.

Over time, this can create a painful question:

“Do people actually know me?”

Healing often begins when we stop trying to become less of ourselves and start creating spaces where more of ourselves can exist safely.

You were never meant to shrink to fit.

💬 Have you ever felt like you had to hide part of who you are to belong?

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

✨ RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Gifted Adults and Meaning in Life

Many people assume gifted adults naturally thrive because of their intelligence.

Research suggests the story may be more complicated.

In a study comparing intellectually gifted adults with academically high-achieving adults, gifted adults reported lower levels of subjective well-being and meaning in life. Researchers suggested that existential questioning and a search for deeper purpose may play an important role in the emotional experiences of gifted adults.

As a therapist who works with gifted and neurodivergent adults, I often see clients who appear successful on paper yet privately struggle with questions such as:

• “Am I living the life I’m supposed to live?”
• “Why do I still feel dissatisfied?”
• “Why does everything feel meaningful and meaningless at the same time?”

These experiences are often far more common than people realize.

Being gifted doesn’t eliminate emotional struggles. Sometimes it simply changes the questions people ask.

📚 Research:
Pollet, E., & Schnell, T. (2017). Brilliant: But What For? Meaning and Subjective Well-Being in the Lives of Intellectually Gifted and Academically High-Achieving Adults.

💬 Have you ever felt successful but still unfulfilled?

05/23/2026

Hi, I’m Jade ✨
I’m a mental health therapist, deep-feeler, over-thinker, problem solver, and firm believer that healing doesn’t have to mean becoming someone else — sometimes it means finally becoming yourself.

I work with gifted adults, high achievers, creatives, neurodivergent humans, and people who are exhausted from carrying the weight of being “the strong one.” My therapy style is compassionate, honest, collaborative, and grounded in real human connection. I care deeply about helping people untangle anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, trauma, identity struggles, self-worth, and the parts of themselves they’ve had to hide to survive.

Outside of therapy, you’ll usually find me:
📖 reading
🍪 baking
🥊 lifting weights or boxing
🎨 starting a new crafting project I may never finish
☕ drinking coffee while planning twelve projects at once
🐾 hanging out with my Scottish terriers, Cookie & Cricket
🥾 hiking in the mountains

I believe:
• boundaries are kindness
• healing and ambition can coexist
• softness is not weakness
• growth is messy and still beautiful
• people deserve spaces where they feel deeply seen and connected

If you’re looking for a therapist who balances insight with authenticity, structure with warmth, and depth with humor — welcome. 👋 I’m glad you’re here. 💛