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Giftedness refers to having exceptional
intellectual abilities, as measured by standardised intelligence
tests. Generally an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 130 and above is
required to identify a gifted child. This equals to an intellectual
ability that is better than 95% of children at the same age
level.
While IQ alone is sufficient to
identify exceptional intellectual ability, there are certain
characteristics that set gifted children apart from others. These
include advanced vocabulary, exceptional reading ability,
independence and strive for independence, exceptional memory and
attentiveness, creativity, ability to exercise constructive
self-criticism, keen sense of humor and advanced social
skills.
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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO RECOGNISE
GIFTED CHILDREN?
Within the scientific community there is
a considerable lack of consensus about what is giftedness and
what is talent. Professor Francoys Gagne, a French-Canadian
psychologist, defined gifted and talented children as:
"A
gifted child is a child who has ability (potential) to perform in
any domain of human ability, at a level we would more usually expect
of students some years older. A talented child is a child who is
actually achieving or performing at a level we would more usually
expect of students some years older."
According
to this definition, giftedness is considerably more
difficult to identify than talent. Giftedness is the raw ability,
while talent is using and acting upon such ability. This is why many
gifted children are overlooked at home and within the educational
system. It is difficult to directly observe giftedness
as teachers and parents can only observe a child's
behaviour and interaction with others. Although there are hints
and observable signs that a child is different from his/her peers,
without formal knowledge of ability level these signs are
easy to misinterpret.
Early
identification of giftedness can help children with their
learning experience and motivation. In other words, nurturing
and supporting giftedness can later translate into real talent
where children learn to apply and use their abilities and live
up to their full potential. When gifted children "slip under
the radar" and fail to learn the skill of self-motivation,
they can develop complacency, avoidance of challenges and may
develop an attitude toward learning that will hinder their
long term development.
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IDENTIFYING GIFTED
CHILDREN
The first step in idetifying
giftedness is evaluating a child's raw intellectual ability. This
process involves comparing a child's performance on
an IQ test to the performance of other children of the same age
and sex on the same tasks. Due to the standardisation process of IQ tests, children of
the same age and sex are expected to perform similarly. A
performance that is notably above the average indicates exceptional
cognitive (thinking) abilities.
Apart from IQ, it is also
necessary to observe a child's behaviour and approach to the process
of assessment and test items. Testing behaviour of gifted
children often include the following characteristics:
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They often misbehave or show lack of motivation when tasks are
too easy and fail to stimulate them. These
children gradually become more interested in the
testing process as the difficulty of tasks increases.
- They may approach test items in unusual and
imaginative ways or repeatedly ask questions about subtests
to
clarify their meaning.
- They may try to engage the interviewer in
conversations about different topics the subtest reminded
of them.
Incorporating these behavioural
characteristics is important at the scoring stage. You
will find that our reports include a substantial section dedicated
to describing testing behaviour, and where appropriate we include
this in our conclusion.
Equally
important is the information provided by parents and
teachers. Early development, reaching milestones,
interaction with others, behavioural characteristics all
contribute to the identification of a gifted child.
Gifted children may not show any behavioural characteristics
during the assessment and often the parental
observations and teachers' reports are the only sources
of information.
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EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR GIFTED
CHILDREN
Gifted children need help. Children are not adults,
and despite their extraordinary abilities gifted children still lack
depth of insight and objectivity. To maintain their academic
involvement and interest in the learning process, schools provide
various options for gifted students.
The most
common options are enrichment and ability grouping. Enrichment
(as the term suggests) refers to enriching or adding to the standard
work load. This may include additional work at the child's
current grade level or at a higher level, tapping into the
requirements of a higher grade. Ability grouping is the attempt to
bring children of similar ability and interest together regularly
and provide them with a unique learning experience. This may take
place daily or at set times during the school week.
When
children's abilities are highly advanced and their social maturity
is also beyond their age level, schools may consider partial or
grade acceleration. Grade acceleration refers to advancing children
to a higher grade in all subject areas. Partial acceleration refers
to advancing children to a higher grade only within the subject
areas of particular talent, such as English or maths.
While acceleration is a viable option for gifted children,
schools are understandably reluctant to offer it to parents. Being
one to two years younger than one's class mates may not be a
problem while children are young, but could lead to significant
difficulties during the later years, particularly around the time of
pubescence. When acceleration is discussed it is extremely important
to keep children's long term interest in mind and see if other
options may work better.
More information on Gifted Education
is available in the Guidelines for Accelerated Progression by the
NSW Board of Studies.
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| WHAT WE OFFER
We offer professional assessment,
recommendations to parents and schools and assistance with
planning for your child's future. We are happy to discuss your
concerns and we are willing to contact school teachers and
principals to advocate your child's best
interest.
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