Every parent feels that their child is exceptional and gifted. There is no other star in the world than your own child. But, gifted children have a different kinds of capabilities and requirements which must be identified and hence can enhance the child’s learning and performance.

In the highly competitive world, is it just enough if your child gets good grades, or do you think they have to work hard to shine and exceed expectations in the standardized tests and teacher expectations. It is easier said than done. How are the gifted children identified and what are the parameters.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act defines a gifted child as – ” Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities”.

Characteristics

Here are some of the characteristics of gifted children:

1. Ability to read at an early age and develop independent learning
2. Asking why and how rather than taking granted
3. Having large vocabulary and expression of the ideas
4. High energy levels in academics
5. Exceptional skill in music, art, sports, or any other activity
6. Extremely curious about objects and topics
7. Breaking complex material and systematic analysis
8. Elaborate thinking and thrive on problem solving
9. Handle tasks in efficient manner
10. Understand their own abilities and capabilities

Schools use standardized testing to determine the gifted children apart from classroom assessment. Students scoring 90 percentile in the tests or exceeds expectations in the state wide or nation wide tests. NUMATS is also used to determine students with exceptional abilities and achievements.

Strategies

Once the gifted child is identified, the child must be treated with extra care and special attention. They my feel bored easily in class rooms if they are not challenged accordingly. They may also feel left out and are vulnerable. Here are some strategies that can be used with gifted children:

1. Challenge them to achieve more
2. Let them know that it is ok to perform above standards
3. Put them in to special programs which have curriculum prepared to suit them
4. Promote positive environment and encourage learning
5. Set up high standards and appropriate coaching so they can achieve the goals

Parents and teachers can work with the gifted children and challenge their minds for a better performance. Appropriate training and counselling is required to make them successful. Underachievement is also a common trend in gifted children due to lack of proper identification and training.

Note that the government does not provide any additional funding for the public schools to nurture the gifted children. Schools formulate funds to take care of the special programs.

Is your child gifted? What steps have you taken to meet your child’s learning demands.