All gifted children may be viewed as smart, but not all smart children are gifted. To put it briefly, a smart child can answer a question correctly. However, a gifted child grasps the question deeply and goes beyond the answer, one step beyond the question because of their perfectionism.
There is a difference between a child who is smart or bright and one that is gifted. All gifted children can and are considered to be bright, but not all bright children can be considered gifted.
Giftedness is often defined as an intellectual ability linked to an IQ score of 130 or more. However, not all gifted children excel in an academic area. Signs of a gifted child also include a high creative, artistic, musical and/or leadership ability relative to same-age peers.
Most gifted kids can learn and process information faster than kids their age and comprehend material several grade levels above their peers. But they are not always well-behaved, high-achieving students. In fact, neuroscience experts say that giftedness looks different in each child.
While a bright child may work hard and do well in school, a gifted child may struggle to focus, but still be able to achieve high levels of success. Gifted children may become bored with regular classroom material but often thrive in gifted programs.
Giftedness falls into one or more of the following areas: intellectual, academic, creative, artistic and leadership.
Social development and skills: gifted and talented children
Gifted children can think faster and/or more deeply than other children their age. So they're often good at imagining what it's like to be in somebody else's situation. Sometimes these qualities mean your gifted and talented child gets along well with others.
Both bright and gifted kids are smart above average
The main distinction between them is how they get their knowledge. According to Psychology Today a bright child knows the answers, but a gifted child asks more questions. And it's not because gifted children don't know the answers, it's because they need to know more.
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.
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.
ADHD AND GIFTEDNESS are sometimes described as having the same or similar characteristics. However, one diagnosis is considered a disability and one, a gift. Neither assumption is ideal in supporting the child identified with either ADHD, giftedness, or both, often referred to as twice exceptional or 2e.
Many gifted programs accept group-administered achievement tests like the PSAT, SAT, ACT, or other designated standardized tests. Group-administered achievement tests may be a parent's first choice for gifted identification because they are widely available at local schools or testing centers and affordable.
While we like to think everyone is special, some people have extraordinary abilities — intellectual, artistic, social, or athletic. Many experts believe only 3 to 5 percent of the population is gifted, though some estimates reach 20 percent.
Gifted children can be argumentative and/or manipulative. Even though a child might be able to present a logical or convincing argument, they still need boundaries and discipline around their behaviour else they learn that these undesirable behaviours get them what they want.
Negative Characteristics of a Gifted Child
Neglects some of their responsibilities: They may become overly focused on their current desires and ignore their seemingly simple responsibilities. Bullyrags or plays cruel jokes: They can quickly say anything that seems witty to them and make offensive jokes about people.
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.
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.
As a result of these special brain characteristics, gifted thinkers typically enjoy benefits including more vivid sensing, prodigious memory, greater fund of knowledge, more frequent and varied associations, and greater analytic ability.
Often society including the educational sector, and sometimes even family and close friends, have difficulties to understand this diagnosis. We also should remember that giftedness does not diminish with age and 'does not go away', it is part of the individual and will manifest throughout all ages.
Yes, it can be. Some gifted children are mistakenly suspected of having ADHD, autism, or another condition with behavioral elements. Along with other gifted characteristics, many gifted children have sensory sensitivities.
Social Skills
As laid out by Nancy Robinson, many make the mistake of believing gifted children are inherently awkward and bad at socializing, which is simply untrue. Gifted child problems with socializing often stem from their asynchrony and educational setting.
Common Characteristics of Gifted Children:
Strong sense of curiosity. Enthusiastic about unique interests and topics. Quirky or mature sense of humor. Creative problem solving and imaginative expression.