What are the chances of having a gifted child?
Most people use terms like “bright,” “gifted,” “exceptional,” “remarkable,” and “talented” interchangeably, but when a psychologist uses the term “gifted,” we're usually talking about something that is statistically quite rare. About 3 to 5 out of every 100 children could be considered gifted.
Research reflects that giftedness does “run in families”: for a gifted child, their genetically-related relatives — siblings and/or parents — are likely to also be gifted, though there are plenty of exceptions.
What IQ is Considered Profoundly Gifted? 0.13% of the population is more than three standard deviations below the mean (IQ <55), and 0.13% of the population is more than three standard deviations above the mean (IQ 145-160). Thus, 13 out of 10,000 individuals score above 145 and are considered profoundly gifted.
When researchers compared a control group of gifted students who didn't skip a grade to those who did, the grade-skippers were 60% more likely to earn patents and doctorates and more than twice as likely to get a Ph. D.
Children who are highly or exceptionally gifted do things even earlier and faster. Although there are no standard IQ levels of intellectual giftedness, some experts suggest the following IQ ranges: Mildly gifted: 115 to 129. Moderately gifted: 130 to 144.
Gifted children are born with natural abilities well above the average for their age. If your child is gifted, you might notice these natural abilities in the way they're learning and developing. Children can be gifted in any area of ability, and they can also be gifted in more than one area.
LEVELS OF GIFTEDNESS
Giftedness is averaged to make up well less than 5% of the general population, and within that small number, there are subclassifications: mild, moderate, high, exceptional and profound giftedness. The latter three types make up only a very small portion of that less than 5%.
Giftedness can create problems and conflicts; being a gifted child can also mean difficulty socializing with age peers, thinking styles that don't always mesh well with the demands from the environment, even children who see themselves as little adults, challenging teachers and parents.
Genetics do play a large part in being gifted, definitely. It has been thought that the brain of a gifted person can actually process information faster. However, one's surroundings are equally important. Nature and nurture are at work as some traits are genetic and others are learned.
Intellectual giftedness doesn't go away. Instead, it influences development from infancy to old age.
Do gifted people think differently?
Gifted persons are more likely to make sense out of their intellectual experiences than the average person. Another important difference is in the desire to know complex ideas. Average persons have less desire to know ideas for their own sake.
- Ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers.
- Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age.
- Strong sense of curiosity.
- Enthusiastic about unique interests and topics.
- Quirky or mature sense of humor.
Emotional intensity in the gifted is not a matter of feeling more than other people, but a different way of experiencing the world: vivid, absorbing, penetrating, encompassing, complex, commanding – a way of being quiveringly alive.
- Self-esteem issues. Not only do gifted kids have to live with the stigma of being “different,” but their sensitivity can also make them appear vulnerable. ...
- Perfectionism. ...
- Emotional and sensory sensitivity. ...
- Boredom at school. ...
- Problems with attention and organization.
Gifted students may struggle with frustration towards slower peers, been seen by others as asking excessive questions, inability to handle boredom, and might lose their temper in the face of ignorance (whether perceived or real).
Montessori and Waldorf schools are the two most common "chain" schools. Montessori Schools. The educational philosophy of Maria Montessori is well suited to the needs of most gifted children.
Domains of Giftedness: Intellectual, Academic, Creative, Leadership & Artistic. This lesson will explore the different domains of giftedness (intellectual, academic, creative, leadership, and visual and performing arts) to better understand and identify their characteristics.
Your children may feel empathetic with others but others may reject them. The first trait can cause frustration and self-doubt; the second can cause sadness or confusion. Other aspects of giftedness can cause big emotional reactions that are hard to handle. High energy and alertness can become frustration.
Because autism and giftedness exist separately, it's possible to have a gifted child with more pronounced autistic traits who may benefit from more support at home and at school. You can also have a fully verbal and self-sufficient autistic child with a typical IQ who isn't twice exceptional.
The results indicated that both the gifted and the potentially gifted students showed significantly higher emotional characteristics related to happiness compared to the general students.
Is being gifted really a gift?
Though the term suggests an advantage, being gifted is not always a gift. Being exceptionally bright, for some, can feel like a burden. Not only are gifted kids largely misunderstood, but many are also stuck in education systems that don't quite know how to teach them.
Gifted children often set very high standards for themselves and get frustrated when they can't meet them. This can sometimes result in tantrums and other difficult behaviour. It's great for your child to work towards high standards. But your child needs to understand that they can't have high standards for everything.
Quick Read. Some children are highly gifted in areas such as math, writing or music. Others have learning challenges like ADHD, dyslexia or dyscalculia, autism or sensory processing issues. But there are also kids who fit into both categories.
According to the National Association for Gifted Children, between 6-10% of students are gifted and could use additional support in the classroom.
Signs of Giftedness in Children Include:
an ability to learn and process complex information rapidly. a need to explore subjects in surprising depth. an insatiable curiosity, as demonstrated by endless questions and inquiries. ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers.
However, the consensus seems to be that, while gifted children are no more or less likely to experience anxiety than their peers, the way they experience anxiety is different due to their unique characteristics, which we review in more detail below.
Studies show that gifted children have a higher risk of experiencing mental health issues, like anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Because gifted children have different capabilities than their peers, other children may find them intimidating.
In many ways, your gifted child is just like other children who want to do what they want to do when they want to do it. However, gifted children are incredibly determined. They have an advanced vocabulary and can argue their case like an experienced lawyer.
Because of the similarities outlined above, 2e children who are both gifted and have ADHD can be especially difficult to detect. While many experts agree that these children do exist, there is currently no formal criteria to identify giftedness in children who are ADHD or to identify ADHD in children who are gifted.
In other words, gifted people may struggle with common sense and frustrate those around them just like others do, but it can seem more confusing when the person comes across as able to absorb information at higher levels because we seem to expect more from them.
Is gifted on the spectrum?
Both giftedness and autism fall on a spectrum, so while there may be individuals who clearly fit into one box or another, some behaviors might be more ambiguous and require additional information, context, or professional opinions.
Gifted children may be more likely to experience existential depression, as their minds tend to be more attuned to contemplating the big life and death issues facing the world.
Gifted individuals have learning differences, including divergent thinking, quirky humor, and a penchant for complexity, that set them apart. Openness to experience is a key personality trait found in association with giftedness.
Gifted kids can be misdiagnosed. Some are diagnosed as having learning differences such as ADHD or High Functioning Autism, but are really just gifted, or bored and gifted kids.
While gifted children may not be any more susceptible to mental health issues as other adolescents, there are certain aspects of giftedness that may influence or amplify a gifted child's experience of mental health issues.
Most parents of gifted children won't be surprised that research supports what they can see for themselves: gifted children are highly sensitive to their environment and react with heightened emotional and behavioral responses, more so than do children of average intelligence.
Giftedness falls into one or more of the following areas: intellectual, academic, creative, artistic and leadership.
Early and rapid learning
One of the most common characteristics of gifted students is their ability to learn things early and rapidly.
While some gifted children may have a flair for the dramatic, that does not diminish the intensity of their emotions. These children may be experiencing what psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski called an emotional overexcitability. 2 That means that they actually do experience emotions more intensely than others.
Gifted children often struggle with social emotional skills. Social skills can be learned at any age. Parents need to stay in tune with their specific child's needs and help shape a strong framework for social-emotional health.
Why gifted children are highly sensitive?
Gifted people are usually also highly sensitive and intense. They are more aware of subtleties; their brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. At their best, they can be exceptionally perceptive, intuitive, and keenly observant of the subtleties of the environment.
In addition to pressures from academic and family expectations, students who are gifted may struggle in school because of social issues. Some of the issues these students can face in school include: Embarrassment for being different or standing out. Bullying from peers due to their intelligence or differences.
Kids designated as gifted have long been thought to be more at risk of emotional issues, and to carry some of them into adult life, because of various factors: the National Association for Gifted Children, for instance, identifies "heightened awareness, anxiety, perfectionism, stress, issues with peer relationships, ...
Gifted child problems with socializing often stem from their asynchrony and educational setting. Asynchrony, or uneven development, is often considered a core trait of giftedness. These students may be college age intellectually but still 12 in terms of their social skills.
Signs of giftedness can appear as early as infancy and continue during the toddler and preschool years. Testing for giftedness and high IQ, however, usually takes place around age 5.
- Strong empathy and attachments to others: Gifted children are easily concerned for others (animals as well as people), and often demonstrate heightened sensitivity in relationships. They often attach so strongly that they become “clingy” and prone to loneliness.
Good career goals for gifted children with harnessed perfectionism include the medical field, technology creation, aviation or aerospace, engineering, architecture, and the legal profession. All these fields and many more call for attention to detail and high reliance on self-direction.
If you notice your child is good with any kind of numbers, and prefers them over words, you may be having child that is gifted in math. It's not all about raw mathematics, but if your child likes puzzle solving, logic games and comparing things one to another, it can be a sign of good math skills.
In most countries the prevailing definition is an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 130 or above. Increasingly, however, schools use multiple measures of giftedness and assess a wide variety of talents, including verbal, mathematical, spatial-visual, musical, and interpersonal abilities.
Being gifted runs in families. If your gifted child has brothers or sisters, there's a bigger chance that they might be gifted too. But they might not be gifted in the same way. For example, one gifted child might be advanced in music and their gifted sibling might be passionate about spiritual learning.
What are the 4 C's of gifted education?
These Cs (critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration) set students up for success in today's world. Learning these four skills will go a long way towards helping your child show up as a super student.
Only 2 to 5 percent of kids fit the bill, by various estimates. Of those, only one in 100 is considered highly gifted. Prodigies (those wunderkinds who read at 2 and go to college at 10) are rarer still -- like one to two in a million.
Research reflects that giftedness does “run in families”: for a gifted child, their genetically-related relatives — siblings and/or parents — are likely to also be gifted, though there are plenty of exceptions.
Although gifted children generally do well, they may show behaviors that mimic ADHD. For example, they may appear hyperactive because they ask many questions and are so excited about learning. Or, they may fail to participate in age-expected activities because of their over-focus on an area of interest.
Depending on which test is used, the gifted IQ range is as follows: Mildly gifted: 115 to 129. Moderately gifted: 130 to 144. Highly gifted: 145 to 159.
Our gifted children often take in more information – more sensory inputs – at a given moment to draw creative conclusions. This can cause the brain to feel “overloaded” and, as such, make it more difficult for a child to tolerate certain sensory stimulation.
The National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) defines giftedness as “Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains.
- Unusual alertness in infancy.
- Less need for sleep in infancy.
- Long attention span.
- High activity level.
- Smiling or recognizing caretakers early.
- Intense reactions to noise, pain, frustration.
- Advanced progression through the developmental milestones.
- Extraordinary memory.
The potential for giftedness or a high level of intellectual development begins very early in a child's life. Studies since the early 1970s consistently show that such development is the result of an interaction between the child's genetic endowment and a rich and appropriate environment in which the child grows.
Common Characteristics of Gifted Children:
Ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers. Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age. Strong sense of curiosity.
Does a gifted child feel different?
Giftedness has an emotional as well as intellectual component. Intellectual complexity goes hand in hand with emotional depth. Just as gifted children's thinking is more complex and has more depth than other children's, so too are their emotions more complex and more intense.
Gifted children often set very high standards for themselves and get frustrated when they can't meet them. This can sometimes result in tantrums and other difficult behaviour. It's great for your child to work towards high standards. But your child needs to understand that they can't have high standards for everything.
A gifted child's IQ will fall within these ranges: Mildly gifted: 115 to 130. Moderately gifted: 130 to 145. Highly gifted: 145 to 160.
About 70% of autistic people have an intellectual disability, which means they have an IQ lower than 70. The remaining 30% have intelligence that ranges from average to gifted. Autism and intelligence are two separate characteristics. A person can be autistic with any level of intelligence.
An extraordinary memory: If your child can easily remember even the smallest details, numbers, information, or memories, this is one of the most important indicators of giftedness. Advanced vocabulary: Expressing their thoughts clearly with a wide vocabulary is an indisputable sign of a gifted child.