Is My Child Gifted or Talented ?
What is Giftedness?
There are some common characteristics that many gifted children will show, often from a very young age. The following traits and characteristics grouped by type are typical amongst children in their infancy through their early years.
Cognitive
Excellent memory
Fast learner
Very good problem solver
Large vocabulary for age
Highly curious
Unusually good reading and writing skills for age
Logical and critical thinker
Highly focused (with regards to interests)
Unusual organisational skills for age (evident leadership qualities)
Creative
Highly imaginative
Experimental in all aspects of life
Good sense of humour for age
Intuitive
Affective
Highly sensitive
Intense feelings
Needy of emotional support
Empathetic to others feelings
High level of moral understanding for age
Behavioural
Highly enthusiastic
Lengthy attention spans for age
Highly energetic
Insatiable curiosity
Easily frustrated by not achieving self-set expectations
Extremely verbal and talkative
Volatile temper
Should I have my child tested for Giftedness?
It is generally agreed that testing before the age of 6 will not give a true and fair result. Testing at at very early age before reading and writing skills have developed properly will of course limit the breadth of the test.
What Test Should My Child Take?
There are in actual fact many different tests that a child can take to determine whether or not they are gifted. Some are verbal and some non-verbal (written exam). You will need to find out what is available in your city/country. It may be that instead of government run tests, the tests are set by private Gifted and Talented organisations.
There are generally two types of test; achievement and ability. Whilst achievement tests are more academic, ability tests will quantify IQ and can also be more trait specific for example ‘creativity’. Some common tests you may want to research are listed below:
CogAT
Otis-Lennon
Hemmon-Nelson
Ravens Progressive Matrices
Matrix Analogies Test
– See more at: http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/gifted-education-practices/identification/tests-assessments#sthash.iA1WTTOl.dpuf
Stanford Binet (L-M)
Wescher Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th Edition.
Woodcock Johnson
Within Bangkok there are a few organisations available to parents with gifted children.
The Gifted and Talented Foundation (TGT)
Schools and Centres that offer support as part of the curriculum are:
Shrewsbury (Gateways International Workshops)
British Early Years Centre (Early Years Specialists)
Acorns to Oaks Centre (ATOC) (Part time Curriculum)
What should I do If my child is Gifted?
Depending on your country, state or even school the options available for your child will vary. Many cities will have some gifted programmes where specialist teachers will be able to help your child reach their potential through careful diagnosis and prescription of a tailored special education. Most schools will have a Gifted and Talented programme running internally. These may take the form of a ‘pull-out’ intervention where your child would leave the class during the day to work individually or as part of a group on extra curricular work. It maybe that your child’s school being all-inclusive chooses not to do this within normal school time. The class teacher will be differentiating the work given to your child anyway and you will be able to help your child at home through challenging them in the same ways that they at school. Communication with the school is therefore very important. As you learn your child’s particular strengths and weaknesses it will become obvious where help and support is needed. Many Gifted children will be self-learners especially as they learn to read. So making sure that they have the resources available to them; internet, books, will be invaluable.
British Early Years Centre is an International Preschool and Nursery located in the heart of Bangkok offering a 100% Organic Menu.