Gifted Children

Barely a week goes by without some new government education initiative for ‘gifted children’. This raises the inevitable question, ‘what is a gifted child?’ and there is not one simple or straightforward answer to this question.

Andrew was described as a ‘gifted’ or highly able child. He was reading before the age of 2, and spent much of his childhood immersed in books. His ability was noted at school, and many teachers found him a joy to teach, although at times quite challenging. He is now at university studying philosophy, and thoroughly enjoying it. Nahid is also a very intelligent child. Her passion is for science, and she has found the early years in school very difficult, as there is little science on the curriculum. Her curiosity about the world leads to her asking constant questions, working things out in her head and never tiring of new challenges. She is now 6, and it is difficult for her parents and teachers to find the level of stimulation she needs. Peter is not an easy child to teach, and has struggled with aspects of literacy including writing and spelling, which have led to difficulties in many school subjects. In non-literacy subjects, particularly maths and design technology, he excels and at home has produced some amazing designs of his own using the computer or various materials such as K’nex.

There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ gifted child. Variations in temperament, personality, interests, outlook on life and family circumstances mean that it is impossible to devise a set of characteristics that would be true for all gifted children. Opinion varies significantly. Some use a rigid definition based on IQ score (intelligence quotient). Under this definition approximately 2% of the population would be in the ‘gifted’ range, i.e. about one child in 50. For many, this is too restrictive and doesn’t allow for those who may be bright but don’t perform well in tests, or may be gifted in one specific area like design or music. Some define the top 5–10% of children in a school plus those with a high performance in a specific subject area. This is the model preferred by the government in their ‘Excellence’ initiatives, which have given funding for some schools to provide a ‘Gifted and Talented’ programme. Many other schools are trying to deliver better provisions for their more able students.

Some children show early signs of ability, such as reading, interest in numbers, amazing memory, or asking all kinds of questions at a very young age. In other children the ability does not become apparent until later. Not all very able children show their true potential in school, and for various reasons some children like to hide their ability thus making it more difficult to spot.

Many bright or gifted children are a joy to raise and flourish both at school and home. However, for some life is not so straightforward. Gifted children can experience a high degree of frustration, which can lead to tantrums or difficult behaviour, either at school or at home, or both. The frustration often comes from the fact that a child’s emotional development is not in keeping with her or his intellectual development, and some very bright children can seem emotionally very immature. Some very bright children experience social problems, and there can be a sense of not ‘fitting in’ with children of the same age. This can lead to problems and some children might suffer isolation or bullying because of being perceived to be different. Social pressure can also lead some students to ‘dumb themselves down’ in school, so as to fit in better.

So if you think you have a bright or gifted child, what should you do about it? The answer depends. If your child is happy and flourishing, you may not need to do very much at all. If you feel your child may be under-stimulated at school, new activities might help. Drama, music, sport and many other out-of-school hobbies or clubs can provide new challenges and perhaps reveal hidden talent. They also have the advantage of often being in mixed age groups and involving children from other schools, so the range of potential friendships increases. If your child’s interests or passions are unusual or intense, it can be fun to discover and research a topic together. It is important to try to support your child at school without appearing too pushy which is not always easy.

The National Association for Gifted Children is a support organisation that has nearly four decades of expertise. It aims to support families of children who have all kinds of potential, whether achieving in school or not. There is a helpline for anyone to talk about these issues, and local Explorers clubs for children (these provide a valuable forum for parents to chat and exchange experiences). The NAGC website contains a wealth of information, and there is a fun test which you can do to see if your child might have some of the characteristics of a bright or gifted child.

For more information (and details of the local West Kent branch) contact the NAGC on 0845 450 0221 (local rate call) or visit www.nagcbritain.org.uk

Other useful websites:
www.nrich.maths.org (maths enrichment – puzzles and fun for all ages)
www.nc.uk.net/gt/ (government guidelines on providing for gifted and talented children in school)