This can damage morale and self-esteem and result in less effort being put into future assignments. In both situations it’s important for teachers to be tolerant and avoid reprimanding or penalizing the child for not following directions. In a mathematics setting a child may take an alternative route to problem solving than that which was required by the question. For example, in a school essay they may only partially answer the question or go off on a tangent. This can be due to a desire to focus on only one aspect of a topic or a perceived lack of challenge in the task itself. Whereas bright students look to please the teacher and finish assignments, gifted children often have their own way of going about things. They take their own approach to assignments. While this can be frustrating for teachers, parents and children alike, it’s important to avoid discouraging a child from asking questions as this can be de-motivating and shut-down future communication attempts. At home, there may not always be time or the background knowledge required to provide answers. In a school setting, the child may not be satisfied with only learning what is necessary in order to do well on an exam or complete an assignment. This curiosity goes beyond simple interest in a topic and can extend to aspects that are seemingly outside of the scope of a lesson. Gifted kids are often curious about the world around them and may ask detailed questions to satisfy their thirst for knowledge. They are curious and ask a lot of questions. While no two students will excel in exactly the same way, there are some traits and behaviors parents and teachers commonly observe when a child is gifted: Giftedness follows a child into adulthood and every individual with giftedness is unique. It might be appropriate to look into hiring a private tutor who can help to challenge the child if their school is unable to. That’s because outside of providing continual stimulation and opportunities for learning, there aren’t many nursery or pre-school programs especially for gifted babies and toddlers.Īlso keep in mind that even when giftedness has been recognized, not all schools have the resources to provide adequate stimulation and challenges for extremely bright children. This can lead to boredom and underperformance. Nonetheless, it is often recommended that parents wait until kids are 5 or 6 before they undergo formal assessment and enter into a gifted education program. The earlier giftedness is identified, the sooner exceptional talents can be nurtured. Giftedness may also be somewhat hereditary and a child may score within 10 points of a sibling or parent. While an average intelligence score is 90-110, gifted kids will typically score well above this. IQ tests can be a first step, including the Woodcock Johnson, Wescher Intelligence Scale for Children or Stanford Binet (L-M). In some areas, such as mathematics, specific tests have been developed to look for giftedness. It’s important that any tests that are used to assess giftedness be exams that don’t limit the amount of knowledge a student can demonstrate. A child’s activities both in and outside of school may be considered, along with cognitive abilities, creativity, and affective and behavioral habits. There are a number of ways to determine giftedness and often a combination of ability and achievement tests are used, including observation and/or a review of the student’s portfolio of work. With access to the right resources and emotional and academic support, every gifted child can achieve their full potential at school. The aim is to ensure ample opportunities for advancement in a classroom environment that is sensitive to the child's needs and provides adequate stimulation. In some cases of giftedness, it may be appropriate for a child to attend a special program or a school specifically for gifted children. In these situations it's important to help a child develop their talents while also overcoming any challenges posed by a learning difficulty. It's also important for parents and educators to understand that giftedness can sometimes come alongside specific learning differences that affect performance at school. Giftedness can be focused in a single skill, or it can be more general. Signs of a gifted child also include a high creative, artistic, musical and/or leadership ability relative to same-age peers. However, not all gifted children excel in an academic area. Giftedness is often defined as an intellectual ability linked to an IQ score of 130 or more.
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