Does your child show signs of giftedness? Whilst there are several areas in which a child can be gifted (such as in music, sport, or visual arts), we assess for giftedness in the area of intellectual / cognitive ability.
Some children who are intellectually gifted excel academically. Others may struggle in one or more areas. Sometimes, gifted children also have a Learning Disorder such as Dyslexia, or difficulties maintaining attention (e.g. ADHD) which impacts upon their academic performance. These children are considered ‘twice exceptional’. Other children who are gifted may underachieve for other reasons, including not wanting to ‘stand out’ from their peers, or not getting the right sort of stimulation in school.
Characteristics of gifted children may include the following:
- Exceptional reasoning ability
- Advanced vocabulary and ability to express themselves verbally (or in writing)
- Intellectual curiosity (strong desire to learn about different things), and seeking out of information on topics of interest
- Very fast rate of learning; they ‘get’ things quickly and show a high level of understanding, especially of more ‘abstract’ concepts
- Ability to make connections between concepts
- Excellent ability to solve problems, and make inferences
- Require less repetition than their peers in order to grasp new learning
- Early moral concern / strong sense of justice
- Analytical and divergent thinking, creativity
- Capacity for reflection
- Need for ‘mental stimulation’
- Sensitivity and empathy (more emotionally ‘intense’ than peers)
- Acute self-awareness
- Perfectionistic.
It is important to identify children who are gifted, whether or not they are high-achieving academically, to inform decisions regarding appropriate educational programs and / or placements. In particular, early diagnosis allows the opportunity to understand and cater to the child’s individual needs early on. Identifying areas of strength will assist in ensuring that the child is receiving appropriate opportunities to develop these areas. Catering to a child’s particular educational needs (e.g. by implementing a differentiated curriculum, or acceleration in one or more subject areas) is likely to lead to an increased level of happiness and engagement at school.
Children are often said to be intellectually gifted if they score within the top two percent of the population on a standardised cognitive assessment (such as the Wechsler scales). We recognise that children who are intellectually gifted often display an uneven cognitive profile. This may be particularly apparent in ‘twice exceptional’ children. For these children, the Full Scale IQ may not be the most meaningful measure of their cognitive ability. Thus, a child’s overall cognitive profile (and not just the Full Scale IQ) will be considered when assessing for giftedness.
Please refer to the following article for more information about giftedness: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/how-to-identify-understand-and-teach-gifted-children Please also see the following article written by Adina Kotler about giftedness: http://groups.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/CEDPNewsletterJuly2012.pdf
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