This presents an interesting challenge to the classroom teacher, who must keep a hyperactive, information-hungry child motivated while meeting the needs of the other students. They’ve been labeled as “oppositional” or “lazy” because they’ve failed to complete assignments that they see as “mindless busywork.” Then there is also the possibility that a child can have both above-average intelligence paired with an issue or disorder, such as ADHD. I often see children who were never identified as intellectually gifted at an early age, but who by adolescence feel depressed and bored with school. Peers can sometimes be less than supportive of a child who knows the answer to every math problem before anyone else does. For example, the verbal maturity of a gifted child (which might lead a child to dominate class discussions) can be interpreted by some teachers as disruptive or inappropriate. In addition, being a gifted student is not a guarantee of success in school. Gifted children have often been stereotyped as unsociable “nerds,” but research suggests that most gifted children do not fit that stereotype. Although intellectual abilities represent only one type of exceptionality, it would be rare to classify a child as gifted without administering an IQ test. Gifted children can be considered so in a number of areas, including intelligence, creative or artistic abilities, specific academic abilities (e.g., gifted at math), or leadership skills. Giftedness in a statistical sense is something that’s very unique. Most people use terms like “bright,” “gifted,” “exceptional,” “remarkable,” and “talented” interchangeably, but when a psychologist uses the term “gifted,” we’re usually talking about something that is statistically quite rare.Ībout 3 to 5 out of every 100 children could be considered gifted. Watching a child grow from an infant into a human who can read, complete math problems, and have friendships seems miraculous. Grade School, Parenting Concerns, Pre-SchoolĬhild + Adolescent Development, Learning + Attention IssuesĪlmost all parents think their children are gifted.

Highly gifted meaning