For Parents
Identifying your child as gifted and high potential is not a means by which to categorise children, or to earmark individuals as gifted or not gifted.
About giftedness
Any conception of giftedness must take into account the diversity of abilities and the psychological characteristics displayed by gifted children throughout their education.
On the basis of some 70 years of research, it is now understood that gifted individuals may be found in all areas of human endeavour, and that giftedness is found in all cultures and socio-economic groups. Inclusive and comprehensive identification must be appropriate for the diversity of children in Victorian classrooms.
We identify gifted students because all students should be given the opportunity to achieve their potential during their time at school. Intellectually gifted students are students who are capable of learning at a faster pace, with less need for repetition. They also often possess a knowledge base beyond their year level.
Special provisions should be made in regular classrooms so that these students can experience the challenge and excitement of an appropriate learning experience, a learning experience that is equal to their high potential.
Characteristics of gifted children
There are a number of characteristics or traits you might observe in your child’s natural abilities which we have come to associate with giftedness
In summarising her work with gifted children, Silverman (2003) suggests that if a child demonstrates more than three-quarters of the following traits, it is likely that he or she is gifted:
- good problem solving and reasoning abilities
- rapid learning ability
- extensive vocabulary
- excellent memory
- long attention span
- personal sensitivity
- compassion for others
- perfectionism
- intensity
- moral sensitivity
- unusual curiosity
- persevering when interested
- high degree of energy
- preference for older companions
- wide range of interests
- great sense of humour
- early or avid reading ability
- concerned with justice, fairness
- at times, judgment seems mature for age
- keen powers of observation
- vivid imagination
- high degree of creativity
- tends to question authority
- shows ability with numbers
- good at visual puzzles.
It is important to remember that when relating this to your child, these characteristics will be displayed within a cultural context and so the behaviours observed in one culture may look different in another.
More information
The following provides you with further information about how to define, identify and nominate your child as gifted:
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Nominating a gifted student
You, or your child's teacher/s or classmates may nominate your child, or your child may nominate themselves, as potentially gifted. -
Selective Entry Schools
There are four Victorian selective entry schools that cater for high achieving, academically gifted students in Years 9 to 12 -
Schooling options for your child
A number of schooling options are available for gifted students. These include early entry into school, SEAL, single subject acceleration, curriculum compacting, telescoping, concurrent enrolment, year level advancement, mentoring, virtual mentoring, Connections – out of hours extension programs, VCE Extension Studies programs, early admission into tertiary education.