Gifted education

Gifted children are those considered by educational systems to have significantly higher than normal levels of one or more forms of intelligence. During the 20th century these children were often classified by the use of IQ tests, but recent developments in theories of intelligence have thrown doubt on the use of such testing. However, the fact remains that there are those children who are beyond their peers and often feel either alienated or limited by those about them. Towards this end, many schools in both the US and Europe attempt to identify and to offer additional or specialized education for these students, in hopes of nurturing their talents. The general cutoff for such programs occurs around the sigma 2 level on a standardized intelligence test, children above this level being labelled 'gifted'.

Generally, these students learn more quickly than most of the population; and even may be able at the same level as normal children who are significantly older. Many schools offer gifted education programs: however, many of these programs (by nature only targeting a portion of the population) are often cut back due to budget restrictions. For some children, the only educationally available options are homeschooling, grade acceleration, or early college. However, gifted children and their parents say that grade acceleration is not a very good solution, especially radical acceleration (more than 2 grades), since before long the child is ahead again. Also, the teaching style used for normal children is often boring for gifted children even if the concepts are new. For example, teachers tend to redefine a new concept several times and then give a number of examples, then let the child do yet more examples on their own. Most gifted children would understand the concept early on in this process and get bored.

These children are characterized by high reasoning ability, creativity, curiosity, a large vocabulary, and an excellent memory. They often learn to read early and can master a subject with few repetitions. They are also often very physically and emotionally sensitive, perfectionistic, and likely to question authority. Some have trouble relating to their age peers because of differences in vocabulary size (especially in the early years), personality, and interests, and so they prefer the company of older children or adults. Gifted children, especially gifted boys, are also more likely to have autistic tendencies or even Asperger Syndrome (a form of autism with good language skills). Also, introversion is more common in gifted children. Gifted girls are more likely to conform and hide their abilities. One gifted six year old girl was described as reading quite well at home, yet at school her reading ability appeared average. It's possible there are different types of giftedness with their own unique features, just as there are for developmentally delayed people.

The Columbus Group (1991) offers this definition: "Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally."

Many people believe giftedness is a quantitative difference, as measured by IQ tests, but a number of people have described giftedness as a fundamentally different way of perceiving the world, which affects every experience of the child. As one 'gifted' child said: "giftedness is not something one can turn on when needed; it is there 24/7".

These differences do not disappear when children become adults or leave school. Gifted adults are seldom recognized as a special population, but they still have unique psychological, social, and emotional issues related to their high intelligence, as illustrated by one woman's story.

Levels of giftedness

IQ testers use these classifications to describe differing levels of giftedness. The following bands apply with a standard deviation of σ = 15 on a standardized IQ test.

• Bright: 115+, or 1 in six (84th percentile)
• Moderately gifted: 130+, or 1 in 50 (97.9th percentile)
• Highly gifted: 145+, or 1 in 1000 (99.9th percentile)
• Exceptionally gifted: 160+, or 1 in 30,000 (99.997th percentile)
• Profoundly gifted: 175+, or 1 in 3 million (99.99997th percentile)

Unfortunately, most IQ tests do not have the capacity to discriminate accurately at higher IQ levels, capable only of determining whether a student is gifted rather than distinguishing among levels of giftedness. Although the Wechsler tests have a ceiling of about 160, their creator has admitted that they are intended to be used within the average range (between 70 and 130), and are not intended for use at the extreme ends of the population. The Stanford-Binet form L-M, though outdated, is the only test that has a sufficient ceiling to identify the exceptionally and profoundly gifted. The Stanford-Binet form V and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Revision, both recently released, are currently being evaluated for this population. Mensa has some tests specially designed for gifted people, but they are only for adults.

See also

• Gifted education programs
• Mensa International

External links

• Hoagies' Gifted Education Page
• Gifted Development Center
• Gifted Education Research Resource and Information Centre