3-Minute Guru


Monday, April 4, 2011
Is my child 'gifted'?

BY SCOTT ROSEMAN, Ph.D

Sooner or later, if you are a parent of a prekindergarten-age child in Palm Beach County, you will be contemplating this question.

By this time of year, you have likely been asked by other parents if you have had your child tested for giftedness, and you will then wonder, "Should I have my child tested for giftedness?"

Scott Roseman.As a psychologist who has worked with families of young children for more than 25 years, I can speak with certainty that you are facing this question, even if you have no interest in the topic or firmly believe that your child is not "gifted."

This issue is somewhat unique to this area as Palm Beach County Public Schools provides gifted placement to incoming kindergartner, whereas other nearby school districts do not. This presents a unique situation in which incoming kindergartner would need to be identified before entering public school as to whether they "qualify" for a gifted placement.

Most experts would agree that the top 3 to 5 percent of the population could be described as "gifted." So why does it seem like so many more children seem to qualify for gifted placement in this area? This situation exists because of a variety of factors, including the availability of high-quality  preschool education, parent identification as opposed to school identification for gifted testing, and age of testing. As a result of these factors and others, there tends to be an over-identification of gifted children, which is eventually sorted out in the public school by grade three.

Characteristics of the gifted child

To identify high potential, educators and parents should be knowledgeable about the characteristics of gifted children, many of which are exhibited at an early age. A gifted child may manifest many, but not all of the characteristics. Some of the characteristics, such as task commitment and creativity, can be developed.

Learning characteristics
  • Learns rapidly and easily; may resist doing routine work or works in careless manner
  • Prefers complex and challenging tasks rather than basic work; may resist challenging work for fear his/her struggle will be seen by others
  • Knows about many things of which other children are unaware, retains knowledge
  • Verbally proficient, exhibits advanced vocabulary for age or grade level
  • Reads with comprehension at an early age
  • Skilled in problem solving
  • Recognizes relationships
  • Questions critically
  • Displays curiosity about many topics, keenly observant
  • Transfers learning to new situations

Motivational characteristics
  • Has passionate interests, easily absorbed in activities and thoughts; may be unwilling to do other activities
  • Persistent in seeking task completion
  • Prefers to work independently, requires little direction; may dislike cooperative learning
  • Assumes and discharges responsibility; may dominate others
  • Strong beliefs, opinionated
  • Creative characteristics
  • Displays intellectual playfulness; asks many "what if" questions; may be a nonconformist
  • Challenged by new ideas
  • Enjoys experimentation; invents new methods or solutions to tasks; may daydream, be absentminded, loose work
  • Displays a keen sense of humor or sees humor in subtle situations; may be the class clown, make jokes or comments at inappropriate times
  • Sensitive to the aesthetic characteristics and value of things

Social-emotional characteristics
  • Has strong sense of justice; may assertively oppose injustices
  • Self-confident; may believe he/she is valued for what he/she can do rather than who he/she is; may fear loss of regard from others if exceptional ability is lost
  • Prefers older companions
  • Tend to be perfectionists; may be self-critical and critical of others, may work slowly, procrastinate
  • Bases friendships on similarity of interest rather than age
  • Adjusts easily to new situations
  • Is conscientious and truthful
  • Friendly, helpful

The challenge becomes how to accurately identify the gifted child at such a young age. The standards for qualifying for a gifted placement remain the same for any child from entering kindergarten through the end of middle school. For incoming kindergartner, testing should be completed in January or later of the year that the child will be starting kindergarten.

The standards are:

  • Identification of giftedness by a classroom teacher through the completion of a gifted checklist
  • a Full Scale IQ Score of 130 (Very Superior) or above on an acceptable standardized IQ test
  • And academic achievement in math or reading at the 90 percentile or above on an acceptable standardized individual achievement test

Testing needs to be completed by a certified or licensed school psychologist or licensed psychologist. Inquire about the extent of experience the professional has in working with young children as they present unique challenges in the assessment process, such as extreme shyness, separation anxiety from parent and/or unusually high levels of distractibility, among others. Also check with the Exceptional Student Education Coordinator at your child's neighborhood school as to their familiarity with the professional you have selected.

This testing can be completed by the public school at no cost to you. However, it cannot be done until after your child has entered school and the process is generally not even started until after the first nine weeks of school. Testing can be completed privately by a school psychologist or private psychologist prior to the start of kindergarten. Costs for this type of testing is usually $350 to $500.

The ultimate answer to the question, "Should I have my child tested for giftedness?" rests with you, the parent. My greatest piece of advise would by to relax and not feel pressured by the decisions of others. You know your child best and are in the best position to make that decision.

Scott Roseman, Ph.D., has practiced psychology in South Florida for more than 25 years. He also practices marriage and family therapy and school psychology. He is married with two adult children. You can read more about his practice and get more information on gifted testing at DrScottRoseman.com.