This document discusses common characteristics of gifted children and provides suggestions for parents. It notes that gifted children often have exceptional reasoning ability, intellectual curiosity, rapid learning, and vivid imaginations. They may also be intense, perfectionist, sensitive, and questioning of rules. The document encourages parents to talk to teachers about gifted programming, academics, intellectual curiosity, and enrichment activities. It acknowledges schools have limits but want to help. The goal is for gifted children to be happy, healthy, and for the family to have support resources.

1. Seriously? What is ‘Gifted’?
Kris Happe, Co-Founder, Facilitator and Educator
Bright Spotting, LLC
Positive Solutions for Gifted Families
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Characteristics of Giftedness and a Parent’s
Role in Their Gifted Child’s Education

2. Common Characteristics
of Gifted Children

3. Who are the Gifted?
Silverman (1993) presented a list of the interrelated intellectual and personality
characteristics of giftedness that may be found across all talent domains:
Intellectual Characteristics
• Exceptional reasoning ability
• Intellectual curiosity
• Rapid learning rate
• Facility with abstraction
• Complex thought processes
• Vivid imagination
• Early moral concern
• Passion for learning
Personality Characteristics
• Insightfulness
• Need to understand
• Need for mental stimulation
• Perfectionism
• Need for precision/logic
• Excellent sense of humor
• Sensitivity/empathy
• Intensity

4. Camouflage.
• Routine tasks? Nope.
• Transition trauma.
• Actually…….
• Critical. Self, Others, Adults. (Blame gaming)
• Argumentative. Last Word, Larry!
• Bad timing with ‘funny.’
• Shows intense emotional sensitivity-may
overreact, get angry easily, or be quick to cry
if things go wrong. OR… Shut Down.
• Details, be damned.
• Messy? Be grateful.
• Doesn’t buy power structure.

5. The “B” Word.
• Has a poor attention span
• Has a tendency to begin many activities but to see few through t
completion
• Development of judgment lags behind intellectual growth level
• Has an intensity that may lead to power struggles with authoritie
• Has a high activity level; may seem to need less sleep
• Has difficulty restraining desire to talk; may be disruptive
• Questions rules, customs, routines, and traditions
• Loses work, forgets or doesn't do homework, is disorganized
• Has apparent carelessness
• Has high sensitivity to criticism

6. Is Your Child…. INTENSE?
http://www.byrdseed.tv/unexpected
-intensities/

7. Intensified thinking and feeling,
as well as vivid imaginations.
Whether they are gifted athletes, artists, musicians,
intellectuals, or are highly creative…
they may have higher levels of emotional development due to
greater awareness and intensity of feeling.
“Being different” in ability and personality
characteristics may lead to higher expectations,
jealousy, and resentment by adults and peers.

9. • Kids don’t “grow out of” their over excitabilities.
• High-energy kids become high-energy adults.
• This is why self-understanding is so vital.
• Learning to work with their intensities is a life-long
skill that pushes them closer to their amazing
potentials.
Reality.

10. Seriously? That Different?.

11. Practical Suggestions

12. National Association for Gifted Children
(NAGC) Definition:
“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels ..
of aptitude ...(defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn)
or competence ...(documented performance or achievement in top
10% or rarer)in one or more domains.
Domains:
These include any structured area of activity with its own symbol
system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of
sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).”

13. Minnesota’s definition:
Gifted and talented children and youth are those
students with outstanding abilities, identified at
preschool, elementary, and secondary levels.
Students capable of high performance include those with-
demonstrated achievement or potential ability
in any one or more of the following areas:
• general intellectual,
• specific academic subjects,
• creativity,
• leadership and
• visual and performing arts.

14. Children with advanced cognitive abilities and heightened
intensity and appropriate chronological maturity…
..combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are
qualitatively different from the norm.
My Favorite Definition of Gifted

15. Share an experience that demonstrates
asynchrony.

16. Consider.
Your own K-12 school experience.

17. Your child’s K-12 school experience thus far.
Consider.

18. What did you notice about your experience?
What do you notice about your child’s?
How are they the same? Different?

19. Teachers.

20. Talking tips.
• Happy?
• Interact?
• Academics?
• Gifted and Talented Opportunities?
• Mistake Management? (Mindset)
• Leadership?
• Responsibility?
• Intellectual curiosity?
• Work independently?
• Out of school enrichment – extension activities?

21. ● Realistically, schools are not able to provide
everything your child needs.
● Often schools WANT to help in any way they can.
● Therefore, can be reluctant to be blunt about
support or special services that cannot be provided-
realistically through the school system.
● This isn’t a travesty, but rather an opportunity
Realistically and Honestly.

22. School Programming.

23. know about your giftedness.
learn something new everyday.
be passionate about your talent area without apologies.
have an identity beyond your talent area.
feel good about your accomplishments.
make mistakes.
seek guidance in the development of your talent.
have multiple peer groups and a variety of friends.
choose which of your talent areas you wish to pursue.
not to be gifted at everything.
Gifted Children's Bill of Rights

25. SUPPORT RESOURCES

26. Happy. Healthy. Family.
Goal?