There’s no denying that gifted and children often stand out. Actually, that is why we have a gifted education program in the first place. Whether you are a parent, an educator, or a student, you are likely here because you have noticed something different about a student or about yourself if you are that student in question.
Those without a background in education may think that gifted and children stand out merely because of their good grades or high achievement, but this is far from the truth. Many of us who work with gifted children know that they are different for other reasons like their intense questioning, or their ability to sit still in the classroom and repeat math facts when they would much rather be discussing the nature of infinity. Having said that, here are a few things you need to know about gifted children.
What is Giftedness?
Before enrolling your child in a gifted education programme, it pays to know what you’re dealing with in the first place. At its core, giftedness is the brain-based difference that contributes to our vibrant and neurodiverse world. This difference means that profoundly gifted students experience a different intellectual, academic, and social-emotional development trajectory than neurotypical individuals.
Like most people, highly capable students are unique individuals with varied and multifaceted talents and interests. Some students excel in multiple areas, while others excel in a single subject. Gifted identification often counts on a mix of gifted testing and more qualitative observations of gifted traits and behaviors.
Common Characteristics of Gifted Children
One of the most common traits of our gifted child is rapid comprehension, an advanced ability to learn and process information rapidly combined with a need for constant mental stimulation. In most cases, gifted students tend to work at a different pace than neurotypical peers, going far ahead and forcing to dive deeply in areas of interest.
Aside from rapid comprehension, they also showcase a need for precision and a precision for nuance and a need for precision in thinking and expression. They may also respond to questions with “That depends” and they may struggle with multiple-choice assessments that ask them to make definitive decisions without an extensive context or background information.
If you notice the above and other traits in your child, then it might be the ideal child to enroll him/her in a Gifted Education Programme.