Is My Child Gifted?

Take a moment to reflect on the qualities you see in your child that lead you to wonder whether he/she is gifted

What came to mind? Was it their intelligence? That’s usually a first! Do you find that they learn faster than the other kids in their class or that they are constantly excelling past their peers? Have other people, including their teachers or other caregivers, made comments about how bright they are? Or maybe it’s their creativity that came to mind. They seem to find out-of-the-box ways to solve problems or think in ways that feel beyond their years, almost like they’ve “been here before.” These are definitely components of the gifted profile and possibly what led you to this post today. And yet, there are still more characteristics that qualify a child as gifted.

Let’s start with some of the technical things. The same way intelligence might have been one of the first things to come to your mind about your child, high intelligence is one of the key components of being gifted. A gifted level of intelligence means that a person has higher intellectual functioning than approximately 98% of their same-aged peers. In other words, they are in the top two percentile. That’s pretty impressive! So without making it too much of a comparison, one way to think about it is asking yourself how your child performs in class. Do they always seem to be at the top, grasp concepts really easily, probably have straight A’s? Or are they really bright but their grades still fall somewhere in the middle? More than likely, if your child is gifted, they’ll fall into that first description rather than the second. But with everything, there are exceptions. A child could be gifted but maybe not like their class that much, which could make their grades fall somewhere in the middle. So how do we know for sure? A formal IQ test by a licensed professional can tell you where your child falls and whether their intellectual functioning is truly in that top two percent.  

A common misconception is that high IQ is all it takes to be gifted. This is not the case. Gifted does not only mean intelligent. Gifted also describes characteristic ways of thinking, logic, processing, etc. Strengths and Solutions is in Hallandale, Florida, so I’m going to use the School Board of Broward County Gifted Indicators Checklist as an example of what these characteristics may include. This checklist has to be completed by a teacher as well and requires that more than half of the characteristics have been observed in your child. Here is a brief overview of the categories:

Gifted Indicators :

• learning: high vocabulary and knowledge; learns quickly; elaborate thinker
• motivation: self-motivated; prefers independent work; perfectionistic qualities; enjoys challenges
• leadership: confident; volunteers for leadership or is chosen by others; helps others with their work
• creativity: high curiosity; improvises; able to brainstorm many possibilities/solutions
• adaptability: doesn’t give up; copes effectively; able to work with limited resources

Have you noticed some or most of this in your child? If so, that’s amazing and definitely something to be proud of! It’s important to know though that your child’s school should also see these characteristics in your child. We all admire the beauty, intelligence, and creativity in our children’s minds! These qualities must also stand out to teachers, who have a great deal of experience with a variety of kids, and are typically able to identify the gifted ones in the bunch.

The school may also look at your child’s grades and scores on standardized tests, like the FSA. Has your child consistently scored level 5’s on the FSA or in the highest levels on their district reading tests? Do they consistently get high grades every marking period? These are signs of giftedness as well.

So reflecting on these descriptions now, where do you feel your child lands? Are you feeling even more confident that your child might be gifted or are you maybe questioning it a bit? Either way, if you want more information about whether your child would be eligible for the gifted program at his/her school, contact the school’s ESE Specialist or Gifted Coordinator to request a gifted screening. If the results of the screening show possible giftedness, then a formal evaluation will be recommended and completed, and final gifted eligibility will be determined.

Ask about how long this process may take at your school and consider whether you feel comfortable with this timeline. In the case that the timeline is too long for you, a formal evaluation is denied, or for some reason, you lack confidence in the results of the evaluation, you may decide to seek gifted testing at a private agency. Please consult with your school regarding the utility of this for your child and whether outside testing will impact the possibility that they will be accepted into the gifted program.

If you are in the greater South Florida area, Strengths and Solutions provides gifted testing in Hallandale Beach. We are open to helping you figure out whether outside testing is appropriate for you and will give you results on the same-day of your child’s appointment. Please contact us for more information or to schedule gifted testing.