What is giftedness?
Giftedness usually becomes evident in childhood. It is common for parents to compare the milestones of their own children and with other children in their social circle. In the medical profession and education sphere, professionals have created a base line of expected achievements for children at a range of ages. This gives a range of professionals, both medical and educational, a guide as to what a child at a given age should be able to master. It also gives parents an idea of what to expect their child to be able to achieve at different stages of development. It is when a child demonstrates higher potential than their peers in one or more areas that exploration into giftedness is warranted.
The Davidson Institute says that “Children who are gifted are defined as those who demonstrate an advanced ability or potential in one or more specific areas when compared to others of the same age, experience or environment.” 12 July 2021
What does having a gifted child mean for parents?
It is a common misconception that gifted children are highly motivated, study with ease and are mature beyond their years. Often parents lament that they would love to have a gifted child and how easy that would be.
This could not be further from the truth. Giftedness can be demonstrated in a range of ways. Neihart and Betts revised the domains of giftedness in 2010 and defined the possibility of giftedness falling into any one or a combination of the following domains;
The unsuccessful
The creative
The underground
The at risk
The twice/multi-exceptional
Autonomous learner
Download the following PDF file to see descriptions of each of the gifted domains:
As you can see, the titles alone give you an indication that giftedness most often does not fall into that stereotypical scenario of a highly motivated learner. Parenting a gifted child can be a very difficult road to be on, as knowledge in the general public about giftedness is sadly lacking and even amongst medical and educational professionals. Gifted children are often misdiagnosed as having OCD, ADD, ADHD or that they are on the autism spectrum. My advice to parents who have concerns about some of their child’s behaviours, is to rule out giftedness first. Invest the money to have their IQ tested to see if their behaviours are a result of boredom and a brain that does not stop due to their giftedness, before they are labelled with other disorders. Educators are very quick to label a child that does not fit the mainstream mould and this is the last thing any child needs especially if they are struggling in a mainstream school setting.
The Intelligence Quotient or IQ is gained by the use of a set of standardised tests with the scores mapped against a person’s age. Studies reveal that IQ of two thirds of the population falls between eighty-five and one hundred and fifteen with only two to three percent of the population gaining a score of above one hundred and thirty. Individuals who gain a score above one hundred and thirty are considered intellectually gifted.
What can this look like for a gifted child and what might you see as a parent of a gifted child?
Your child might exhibit any one or a combination of the following behaviours;
Only need to be taught something once before they master a skill or piece of knowledge
Reading at a very young age
Understanding complex imagery and symbolism in writing or movies
An advanced sense of humour
Understand puns and other plays on words
Can complete complex puzzles very easily
Incredibly determined
Very ‘busy’
Have a singular focus for one task or hobby
Might have difficulty making friends with children not as intelligent
Makes friends with much older children
May question adults because they don’t see that what is happening is fair or makes sense to them
Gets in trouble at school due to their ‘busyness’ or due to questioning authority
Does very poor work at school as they see no worth in it because they already know how to do the task being completed.
They can be perfectionists and may show extreme emotion and frustration if a task they are doing does not meet their standards. You might see work screwed up and thrown away, tantrums and other emotional outbursts.
Gifted children will often not even attempt a task that they feel they cannot master immediately. This has been their pattern of learning throughout their short lives. That is, they are exposed to something, they already know it or master it after one exposure. So for a child like this to come across something that they have to ‘work at’ is foreign and can be met with a blanket refusal.
In practical terms this might be seen by;
A child that moves through the reader level system in the first semester and is reading chapter novels by the end of kindergarten
A child who tries to ride a bike once and will not do it again as they could not master it immediately
A child who discusses the allegorical significance of a novel with an adult
Borrowing 20 books from the library several times a week
Seeking to borrow library books from an older section of the school library
Reads and researches and seems obsessed with everything about a topic of current interest to the gifted child
So what’s happening in the classroom for these gifted children?
In a school setting the usual pattern of learning is that the teacher explains a new concept or skill, the teacher then models it for the students, the students then practice the concept or skill over and over again until they reach mastery. Gifted children often need only one exposure to a new concept or skill and they have already mastered it. Can you imagine how boring and tedious the average mainstream classroom would be to a gifted child? It is no wonder they get into mischief, distract others and see no value in the work expected of them resulting in poor quality work. The answer many classroom teachers see for this when they have a capable student, is to just give them more of the same task. Gifted children; however, don’t need more of the same work that they have already mastered, they need different work because their brains do not work in the same way as mainstream students. Their capacity and potential outstrips their peers and often their teachers many times over.
Advice for parents of gifted children
Read as much as you can about giftedness. There are some very good programs on ABC about gifted children and there is also a good fictional movie called “Gifted” that is worth watching. Yearly conferences are also run in different states and it is worth investing the time and money to learn as much as you can to help support yourself and your child as they navigate the schooling system. It can be soul destroying when you have a child that does not fit the mainstream and you have no answers for why they are different, especially if they are misdiagnosed. Knowing as much as you can about giftedness will help you to understand your child’s behaviours, thirst for knowledge and help you to make a plan to satisfy their needs.
Get connected with other parents of gifted children. Many parents think their children are brilliant, so be careful who you connect yourself with. Identify parents who have actually done the work and invested the time and money into identifying that their children are gifted.
Solidarity and pooling of ideas and resources is invaluable to all parents that have gifted children. It is also life changing to find that you are not the only parent dealing with a child that is in this category. Other parents will not understand or think you are boasting if you tell them your child is ‘gifted’ so it’s often best to confide in other parents on the same journey. You can also join a support group in your area to upskill yourself and get connected. Some parents are also choosing to home school as the mainstream schooling system just does not meet the needs of their child. Again, there are networks of parents available where you can learn from each other. Some of these can be accessed through the Davidson Institute, Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth, Mensa international, GERRIC Sydney University, to name just a few.
Be an advocate for your child – you are their parent and are the only one who is in a position to stand up for your child. Make an appointment with your child’s teacher and the stage coordinator at their school. Once you have the results of your testing,
take this into your school and ask them how they are going to cater for your child. All Department of Education schools are required to meet the needs of gifted children. They are now called ‘High Potential’ students. This might require your child’s class to be changed as many schools have a high potential class, or it might be that they would be best served by going to another school that has specific programs for gifted children, such as a selective school. These are available in most communities. Independent schools also have classes specifically designed for gifted children and often offer scholarships. This might be an avenue that is worth exploring for your child.
How can you support your gifted child at home?
It’s going to require you to do some extra work. Things like visiting your local library several times a week, ordering particular authors and having books brought into your local library for your child, search out and order complex puzzles or other items that your child is stimulated by. Once connected with other parents in the same situation, organise social gatherings for your children so they can connect with other highly intelligent children, book your child into camps and activities run by agencies that specialise in gifted children. These are often promoted through groups such as GERRIC and are often invitation only events. This ensures that the children involved are actually gifted. It is also useful to develop an open relationship with school staff such as the school librarian, class teacher and extension and enrichment staff at your school. Remember a gifted child has special needs. These are no different from a child who can’t read and gets additional support at school. Your child deserves additional support so that they can meet their potential and with limited resources in every school, it might require you making regular contact with your child’s school to ensure that resources are allocated to gifted children such as your child. Tutoring gifted children can also be useful as the tutor can create interesting and challenging lessons in an individual setting.