Highly Gifted

1. Highly Gifted Ree Aguirre, Amy Roark, Lynda Rowe and Melissa Sanford

2. Levels of Giftedness • Gifted/moderately gifted (G or MG) • Score between 130 and 145 (132-148 SB-4) on Full Scale IQ score WISC-III, WPPSI-R, SB-4, SB L-M • Tend to well in regular classroom with differentiation, gifted pull out program or mild acceleration in areas of strength. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

3. Highly gifted (HG) • Score between 145 and 160 (148-160 SB-4) on Full Scale IQ score WISC-III, WPPSI-R, SB-4, SB L-M • Tend to do well in congregated gifted classes which are offered in a few large districts in the U.S. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

4. Exceptionally gifted (EG) • Score between 160 and 180 (SB L-M only) on Full Scale IQ score WISC-III, WPPSI-R, SB-4, SB L-M • May do well in schools using a combination of congregated gifted classrooms and accelerated curriculum. • Commonly homeschooled for part of their education. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

5. Profoundly gifted (PG) • Score of 180 and above (SB L-M only) on Full Scale IQ score WISC-III, WPPSI-R, SB-4, SB L-M • May do well in schools using a combination of congregated gifted classrooms and accelerated curriculum. • Commonly homeschooled for part of their education. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

6. Infancy and Toddlerhood Research study group findings from the Gifted DevelopmentCenter indicate common threads and trends among the highly gifted. • Mothers tended to be older than the norm. Mean age at time of birth = 30.8 • 94% were very alert as infants • 91% showed early language development • 99.4% have an extensive vocabulary http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/whatisgifted/pg.htm

7. Infancy and Toddlerhood • The mean age at which the children spoke their first word was 9 months. • The mean age the children can sight read an easy reader was before the age of four. • 99.3% have excellent memory • 95.9% have an excellent sense of humor • 99.3% reason well • 96.1% are mature for their age at times http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/whatisgifted/pg.htm

8. Infancy and Toddlerhood • 93.8% have a keen sense of observation • 93.4% have a vivid imagination • 89.4% have facility with puzzles and legos • 88.3% are perfectionistic And socially… • 93.5% have compassion for others • 90.3% are concerned with justice and fairness • 84.1% question authority • 90% were described by parents as “sensitive” http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/whatisgifted/pg.htm

9. The Early Years of Highly Gifted Students • Frequently placed at risk in early years. • Sometimes try to conceal ability to be accepted by peers. • Teachers are not usually trained and therefore not aware of giftedness. • Parents are more successful than teachers in identifying giftedness in the early years. • One of the most powerful indicators of giftedness in the early years is reading before the age of 5. http://giftedkids.about.com/od/extremelygifted/Extremely_or_Profoundly_Gifted_Children.htm

10. Myths of Highly Gifted Students • Gifted students should be with students their own age. • Gifted students are better off if they spend their entire school day with same age , heterogeneous classmates. • Being perfectly well rounded should be the primary goal for gifted student development. • Being gifted is something with which you are just born with. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

11. Myths of Highly Gifted Students • Almost everyone involved with gifted education is an expert on the social and emotional development of gifted students. • Adults know what gifted students experience. • Being too smart in school is a problem, especially for girls. • All kids are gifted, and no kids are gifted. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

12. Social Issues of Highly Gifted Students • Being gifted can make a child feel different. It is important to get them together with other gifted children who understand them. • Can deal with abstract concepts intellectually, but not emotionally. This can lead to concerns about issues such as death and the future. • Perfectionism may lead to frustration when trying to complete a physical task. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

13. Social Issues of Highly Gifted Students • Can be argumentative and/or manipulative. • Advanced vocabulary and sense of humor can cause gifted children to be misunderstood. • Perfectionism can lead to fear of failure which can cause them to refuse to try certain tasks. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

14. Educating the profoundly gifted student • Acceleration in one or more subject areas • A mentor in an interest area • Homeschooling • Individualized, self paced program in one or more subjects. • Exploring topics of individual interest • Early admission to gifted program • Cluster grouping with other gifted children in a regular classroom http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10162.aspx#challanges in education needs

15. Characteristics of Highly Gifted • An extreme need for constant mental stimulation • An ability to rapidly learn and process complex information • A need to study topics in depth • Insatiable curiosity; endless questions and inquiries http://www.davidsongifted.org/Article/About_Us_318.aspx

16. Characteristics of Highly Gifted • Ability to focus on a subject of interest for long periods of time • Inability to focus on a subject not intellectually challenging even if presented in small chunks • A need for precise thinking and expression-answer questions with “that depends…” http://www.davidsongifted.org/Article/About_Us_318.aspx

17. Characteristics of Highly Gifted • Early development to think abstractly to a high degree • Ability to visualize models and systems • Unusual capacity for memory • Ability from an early age, and prefer, to think in metaphors and symbols • Emotionally Sensitive • Unusual intensity and depth of feeling http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10299.aspx

18. Characteristics of Highly Gifted • Highly developed morals and ethics and unusual and early insight into social and moral issues • An extraordinarily high energy level • A need for the world to be logical and fair • Conviction of correctness of personal ideas and beliefs • have extensive vocabulary http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/What_is_Gifted/pg.htm http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10299.aspx

19. Parents Providing an Enriched Environment • provide positive emotional support • provide a nutritious diet with adequate vitamins, minerals, calories and protein • provide a stimulating environment that encourage learning in a fun way by exploring and peeking curiosity http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10299.aspx

20. Parents Providing an Enriched Environment • provide a stimulating environment without undue stress and pressure • include activities that are cognitive, physical, affective, and intuitive to ensure well balanced brain growth • allow the child to be an active participant rather than passive http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10299.aspx

21. Davidson Institute • Founded by Bob and Jan Davidson • Founded to help gifted and talented students who might be underserved • Davidson Young Scholars was developed to recognize profoundly intelligent students and provide services based on particular needs. http://www.davidsongifted.org/default.aspx