Gifted Resources

Determining whether or not your child is gifted is no easy task. As you have likely already discovered, there are a plethora of definitions, characteristics, assessments, theories– a virtual abundance of information. To help parents unravel some of the conflicting information, the Davidson Institute has put together this article summarizing gifted characteristics, the difference between tests and assessments, points to consider in having your child tested or assessed, different types that can be utilized, and tips for locating a professional if you decide to seek a full assessment.

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Source: Davidson Institute

Giftedness isn’t just expressed in academics. Gifted children often have divergent and deeply absorbing interests that shape how they learn, play, and grow. From the outside, it can look like parents are pushing their children into too many activities, but in many families, it’s the child who is pushing hardest for more. Parents often find themselves trying to keep up, not create the momentum.

In the gifted community, the term talent development is often used to describe the meaningful pursuit of a gifted child’s interests. For some families, that means finding books, classes, clubs, or mentors that match a child’s curiosity. For others, it means simply helping a child keep exploring something they’ve already fallen in love with. The larger point is simple: a child’s interests deserve real attention, not quick dismissal.

Some parents want to understand a child’s passions more clearly and support those passions as they grow. Others wonder how to get their child interested in anything at all, or at least in something that feels more practical or productive. Still others are trying to figure out whether a child is truly developing a deep interest or just passing through a phase, and how to respond appropriately in either case. This guide tackles those questions and more.

Before going further, it’s worth noting that neurodivergent children and adults often have especially meaningful relationships with their interests. Special interests are not just hobbies or passing distractions. For many neurodivergent children, they are a source of regulation, comfort, identity, and self-expression. Those interests may change over time, or they may remain constant across childhood and beyond. Both patterns are normal.

Here are some common myths or incomplete truths about gifted interests and talent development. These ideas are often repeated in culture, schools, or even well-meaning family conversations, but they do not always reflect the lived reality of gifted children.

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Source: Davidson Institute

Parents know that creativity is often not a high priority in education today and wonder how they can best support their curious, imaginative, and unconventional children.

Creativity is our country’s most valuable resource and has become scarce in many school districts. Concerned parents see the emotional, social, and intellectual consequences of a narrowing curriculum and a system that fails to integrate creative thinking and the arts for young minds.

Today, teachers struggle to integrate creativity while navigating the pressures to raise test scores and student mastery of core subjects. As a result, children often sacrifice the most unique part of themselves. Teachers need support in finding the time and resources to address the creative needs of students.

As their children’s first teachers, parents play a vital role in allowing natural creative forces to have full sway in their lives. Curiosity, creative thinking, and imagination begin at home, not only in what a family provides―resources, activities, opportunities―but in the values they embrace.

Parents need to begin early and continue to support the creative growth of their children through the school years. Realizing their own gifts and following their passions sustains children from their earliest months of life through high school and beyond. 

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Authored by Joan Franklin Smutny & Patti Garrett Shade
© 2017 National Association for Gifted Children 

Determining whether your preschooler is gifted can be difficult, especially if you are unaware how their development compares with other same-age peers. Parents can identify giftedness in young children through numerous gross motor, fine motor, and language development milestones. It is in the cognitive and social areas of giftedness that some of these milestones are often more challenging to assess.

How can parents of gifted preschoolers respond once giftedness is determined? Flexibility in a preschool or care setting is key. This includes flexible groupings to allow a child to find their appropriate cognitive, physical and social challenges, and flexible use of resources. Early admission or skipping age levels are also considerations.

The article Parenting gifted preschoolers offers strategies for identifying and parenting highly gifted young children. It provides numerous practical activities parents can implement to help keep their gifted preschoolers engaged. Also presented is a chart estimating the normal development timetable for milestones in toddler and preschool development. Visit the Davidson Institute for more detailed information.

Once gifted preschoolers reach the age of 5 and are ready to move forward in their schooling and developmental journey, parents may want to consider the specific programs like the Young Scholars program. The program is free to profoundly gifted students and their families and gives them the opportunity to connect and engage in a community that understands their needs. Once accepted, parents and students have access to a range of benefits and family services to support them.

The Young Scholars program facilitates connections between its gifted community and experts across various fields to deliver exclusive content to families. Members have access to free webinars, tools, and more to help them navigate the profoundly gifted journey.

Find common questions about early signs of extreme intelligence in young children. We’ve provided links that will send you to various parts of this page. You can always get back by clicking on the “Back to Top” button at the bottom of each answer.

Parents of profoundly gifted students ages 5 and above may want to consider the free Young Scholars program, which provides members with the opportunity to connect and engage in a community that understands their needs. Once accepted, parents and students have access to a range of benefits and family services to support them.

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Source: Davidson Institute

Many gifted learners develop asynchronously, meaning their intellectual abilities may be far ahead of their physical, emotional, or social development.

For example, a child may be able to think deeply about complex topics but still struggle with age-appropriate emotional regulation. This uneven development can sometimes lead to misunderstandings in both school and social settings

Gifted learners may also demonstrate:

• Deep focus on areas of interest
• Sensitivity to their environment
• Preference for older peers or adults
• Frustration with routine or repetitive tasks

Understanding these characteristics can help adults better support gifted learners in ways that align with their development.

Source: AAGT Arizona 

Giftedness can show up in many ways, and not all gifted children look the same.

• Intense curiosity and deep questioning
• Advanced vocabulary or early language development
• Rapid learning and strong memory
• Ability to make connections between ideas
• Preference for complexity and challenge
• Strong sense of justice or fairness
• High levels of creativity or imagination

Some children may show many of these traits, while others may show only a few. Context and opportunity play a significant role in how giftedness is expressed.

Source: AAGT Arizona 

Gifted learners often experience emotions with greater intensity and depth. They may be highly sensitive, deeply empathetic, or strongly affected by perceived injustice. One framework often used to understand this is Dabrowski’s Theory of Overexcitabilities, which describes heightened responses in areas such as:

• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Imaginational
• Sensory
  These intensities are not negative traits—they are part of how many gifted individuals experience the world.

Gifted children may also experience:

• Perfectionism
• Anxiety or overthinking
• Feeling “different” from peers
• Strong reactions to success or failure

Supporting these needs is just as important as providing academic challenge.

Source: AAGT Arizona 

Twice-exceptional (2e) learners are students who are both gifted and have a learning difference, disability, or other challenge. This combination can make identification more complex. A student’s giftedness may mask their challenges, or their challenges may mask their giftedness.

2e learners may:

• Perform inconsistently
• Excel in some areas while struggling in others
• Experience frustration or low self-confidence

Recognizing and supporting both aspects of a 2e learner is critical to helping them thrive.

Source: AAGT Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented

Build your home environment around your family's interests and strengths.
Provide stimulating work spaces, supplies, displays, and tools. Include arts materials as well as books, prints, recordings, instruments, and children’s biographies.
Allow your child to see you make mistakes, try a different approach, and take risks. Show your curiosity and joy; share your humor.
Do projects with your children that engage their whole selves: touching, feeling, imagining, listening, sensing, composing, combining, writing, improvising, and inventing.
Create open time in your child’s day for creative exploration.
Expose your child to as many different areas/fields as possible.
Include the natural world as a source for exploration and learning―nature integrates all the senses. 
 

Keep a record of your child's creative work.
Take pictures of and describe the creative behaviors you’ve observed.
Collect examples of his paintings, drawings, inventions, and writings.
Share this evidence of creative behavior with your child’s teachers to initiate a dialog in exploring how to accommodate his different learning needs and styles. Many teachers are open to parent-teacher partnerships to help them integrate creativity into the classroom. Show willingness to assist—either by sharing your talents in the classroom and/or by collaborating with teachers on alternative projects and assignments.
Explore resources in your community that could benefit your child’s creative interests. Consider studios (art, dance, theater, music); art and science museums; observatories; workshops; community centers; festivals; and mentorships.
 
Source: National Association for Gifted Children www.nagc.org

Lay the groundwork for your child to discover what they love and who they are by modeling qualities that support the development of creativity:

• Applaud originality, whenever and wherever your child expresses it.
• Teach your child constructive (not destructive) feedback, thereby protecting him from criticism, censure, and premature judgment. Impart coping skills to deal with peer judgment, perfectionism, and frustration.
• Celebrate risk-taking and bold endeavor, focusing less on the approval of others, high grades, or winning.
• Give him opportunities to correct errors, refine visions, rewrite, re-create, improve, and elaborate. Find venues for your child to share her best work—competitions, exhibits, festivals, and public spaces.

Source: National Association for Gifted Children www.nagc.org

It’s not uncommon for gifted children to feel isolated and unmotivated, especially if they aren’t in a classroom setting that understands their demographic. Social anxiety is also something that many gifted children feel, as they may feel judged for learning differently or feel intense pressure to live up to high expectations. Luckily, you can help your child work through negative feelings that may arise. 

Here’s how you can help if you notice your child is acting differently:

• Ask what’s going on at school, with their friends, and in their own head.
• Validate a child’s experience by first listening and then empathizing.
• Provide words of encouragement to your child and remind them of coping skills that you have worked on together.
• Keep an eye out for recurring changes in mood, sleep, or behaviors.

If you think working with a therapist would help, try it! There’s no harm in needing extra support for both you and your child. There are individuals who specialize in the social-emotional well-being of gifted children.

Source: Davidson Institute

Explore opportunities outside of school and encourage your child to participate in activities that align with their interests. Additionally, you and your child can seek out a program that connects you with other families who are in the same position.

There are opportunities specific to your child, so they can start building meaningful relationships. After-school programs, weekend programs, summer classes, and even distance learning experiences are included in this. Seek out several summer programs for kids of different ages. At these events or programs, your child can meet peers who share the same interests and inspire them to be themselves.

Source: Davidson Institute
 

Please see our list of organizations that support gifted learners at the top of this page. We look forward to connecting with you!