Why it’s good to identify advanced abilities in gifted children and talented children

Gifted children and talented children have advanced natural abilities.

The biggest benefit of identifying your gifted child’s advanced abilities is that it helps you understand what sort of advanced learning might be right for your child. And when you support your child’s advanced learning, you also support their overall wellbeing and development.

Identifying your child’s advanced abilities is good for several other reasons too. For example:

• It makes it easier to work out the right time for your child to start child care, preschool or school.
• You and your child’s teachers can work together on learning opportunities for your child at child care, preschool or school.
• Your child might be able to avoid some of the challenges of being gifted, like boredom at home, child care, preschool or school.
• You can identify new learning opportunities in your child’s area of advanced interest or skill – for example, junior pathways or special programs for gifted young athletes or artists.

Informal identification of advanced abilities in gifted children and talented children

Informal identification involves observing and recording your gifted child’s behaviour, characteristics, abilities and achievements.

This record might include:

• your child’s drawings, writing and other work
• videos of your child’s skills, like playing the piano or performing advanced gymnastics routines
• a list of advanced or insightful questions that your child has asked
• details of your child’s learning pace, attention span, interest in complex ideas or personal interests
• child care, preschool or school reports
• comments about your child’s development – for example, from your own observations, or from your GP, child and family health nurse or family and friends.

There are checklists of characteristics of gifted children, which can help you with informal identification. Your child’s educator or teacher can help you find an appropriate checklist.

You might hear informal identification called subjective identification.

Pros and cons of informal identification

Pros
Informal identification is the best option if you think your child is gifted creatively, socially or physically, because formal tests don’t measure these abilities. Some parents like informal identification because it can give a broad picture of their child’s abilities.

An informal record of your child’s advanced natural abilities helps you talk about your child’s abilities with educators, teachers and other people who can support your child’s learning.

Informal identification is low cost, because you can record information about your child yourself.

Cons
It can take time and effort to create a detailed record of a child’s behaviour, characteristics, abilities and achievements.

You know your child best. If you think your child might be gifted or talented, it’s a good idea for your child to be assessed. It’s best to use both informal and formal identification, particularly for school-age children. This gives a complete picture of children’s abilities.

Formal identification of advanced abilities in gifted children and talented children

Formal identification involves testing. Testing tells you whether your gifted child has mildly, moderately or profoundly advanced natural abilities.

There are different types of tests:

• IQ tests
• aptitude tests
• NAPLAN tests
• off-level or adaptive tests.

IQ tests
IQ tests measure intellectual potential and abilities. For example, they can measure gifted children’s abilities in language, maths, thinking, reasoning and memory.

IQ tests are best for children over 6 years, although some children can handle these tests as early as 4 years old.

If you think your child might be gifted intellectually, you can see an educational psychologist for an IQ test and a report on your child’s advanced abilities. This report will focus on your child’s academic potential, but it might include information about your child’s social and emotional gifts too.

Look for a psychologist with experience in identifying gifted children and talented children. You could also check with your child’s school to see whether the school can arrange an IQ test.

Aptitude tests
Aptitude tests are based on IQ tests and measure children’s abilities in thinking, reasoning and pattern recognition. Aptitude tests are quicker to organise and cheaper than IQ tests. Some schools offer aptitude tests.

If you think your child might be gifted intellectually, you can talk to your child’s teacher about arranging an aptitude test. Or your child’s teacher might get in touch with you first.

NAPLAN test
The NAPLAN test measures ability in literacy and numeracy. Schools must run this test in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 for all students in Australia.

If your child has very high NAPLAN scores, you can make an appointment with your child’s teacher to talk about these. Or your child’s teacher might get in touch with you.

Off-level or adaptive tests
Off-level or adaptive tests modify questions to match a child’s level of ability while they do the test. These tests are designed to find out what level a child is working at. For example, a Year 7 student might sit an adaptive test and get a result that shows they’re working at Year 9 level.

These tests are most often used in talent search programs. Some schools run these tests too.

If you think your child should be working at a higher level, you can talk to your child’s teacher about arranging an adaptive test. Or your child’s teacher might get in touch with you first.

You might hear formal identification called objective identification.

Pros and cons of formal identification

Pros
When used in combination with informal identification, formal tests can add to your understanding of your gifted child’s advanced natural abilities.

Formal tests can provide accurate information about your child’s intellectual abilities.

Formal identification is usually needed to apply for entry to a gifted program or for early entry to school. Test results and reports can also help when you talk with teachers about your gifted child at child care, preschool or school.

Cons
Formal tests can’t measure creative, social or physical abilities.

Formal tests provide only a snapshot of children’s performance on a particular day.

Formal tests might make children feel pressure or stress to perform well.

IQ tests and other formal tests can be expensive.

Talking with gifted children and talented children about their advanced abilities

You know your gifted child best, so you’ll know how much and when to tell your child about their advanced natural abilities. The key is for your child to feel accepted and loved for who they are.

Some parents tell their children about their advanced abilities as part of daily life – for example, ‘Good spotting, Charlie. It’s great how you worked out that big word in your new book’. Others answer their child’s questions but don’t make a big deal of it.

Whatever approach you choose, you’ll still need to explain in a way your child understands. For example, you might say to a gifted preschooler, ‘Your brain can learn more quickly than other kids’ brains’.

It can help your child to know that not everyone is the same. Although there’s a difference between what your child can do and what others can do, other children have their own strengths. You can point out that your child’s sister is good at making friends and your child’s cousin is a great cook.

If your child hears that you value all children regardless of differences, it can make it easier for your child to get along with and value others too. For example, it might help them to be understanding when other children struggle with maths they find easy.

When your child is identified as gifted or talented: your feelings

If your child is identified as gifted or talented, you might feel:

• surprised or excited about your child’s future
• responsible for and even anxious about meeting your child’s learning needs
• relieved that you know why your child is different.

Your feelings can also be affected by how your child was identified as gifted. If you’ve thought your child was gifted since they were a baby or toddler, you’ve had time to get used to the idea. If it has come as a surprise to you, you might need time to adjust. It might help to talk about your feelings with someone you trust.

Some parents of gifted children and talented children can feel isolated from other parents of children the same age. Or they might not want to talk about their gifted children’s advanced abilities with other parents in case people think they’re bragging.

The thing your child most needs to grow up happy and healthy is your family’s love and support.