From a young age, gifted children stand out. They are those who excel in their academic career, as they often get recognized for their good grades and high achievements. However, it is more complex than standing out for your accomplishments. Giftedness is a brain-based difference that allows gifted people to experience a different intellectual, academic, and social-emotional development trajectory.

Within gifted children, it is common that they are able to understand the material from multiple grades above them. They are quick learners, and learning new things comes quickly to them. As they excel in school, some schools offer separate classes for more one-on-one attention. However, these specialized classrooms are more common starting in Grade 4.

While they are very intellectually smart, they are also very emotionally smart. They have a surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a very young age. They are very self-aware, which is uncommon in young, filter-less children.

Someone who is gifted thinks outside of the box. This allows for greater problem-solving skills and imaginative expression. Brain teasers are all the rage!

Other symptoms include rapid mastery of basic skills, advanced reading ability, extensive vocabulary, high energy level, intellectual curiosity, preferring older playmates, a strong sense of ethics and values, and a long concentration span in areas of interest. If this sounds like your child, taking them to get a gifted test may be very beneficial for their future academic careers.

The screening process to get into the gifted program is typically done through the school system. Schools usually require written requests before the proceed screening. Initial screenings include partial IQ tests, achievement test reviews, questionnaires completed by teachers and parents or guardians, and classwork reviews. If the initial tests imply there is potential giftedness, then they proceed with the subsequent steps.

Once a student has met the gifted criteria, their parents, teachers, and administrative staff meet to develop a Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP) for their child moving forward. They develop a plan that covers goals based on academic strengths, how instructions can be modified to accommodate their needs, how their progress will be monitored, and their expected educational outcomes.

GIEPs are individualized to the child’s needs because gifted students are all unique. There is no cookie-cutter plan that would work for all children, so it is very important for children to get a one-on-one plan of action to move forward.

GIEPs highlight long-term and short-term goals for the child to accomplish. These goals can include an accelerated curriculum that goes above the student’s current grade level.

Please note that this blog is highlighting the Canadian system for testing for gifted youth. The same does not apply to the United States.

https://www.davidsongifted.org/prospective-families/gifted-traits-and-characteristics/
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/gifted-education.html
https://www.abcontario.ca/resources-support/understanding-giftedness