Working with individuals who are gifted and talented is both interesting and rewarding. To be “coded” or labelled as a gifted learner means that the individual achieves an IQ score in the top 2.2% of the same-age population on a cognitive (or IQ) test. I work with individuals across the lifespan, and use specific cognitive tests for various age groups. For example, when working with young children between 2.6 to 7.7 years, I use the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – 4th Edition (WPPSI-IV). For elementary children between 6 and 16.11 years, I use the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 5th Edition (WISC-V). For individuals between 16 and 90 years, I use the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test – 4th Edition (WAIS-IV).
According to Alberta Education (2004) Students who are gifted:
“There are a number of general characteristics and developmental issues that often are associated with giftedness and that have important implications for learning.
- Common intellectual characteristics of students who are gifted include:
- advanced intellectual achievement;
- high motivation and interest;
- verbal proficiency;
- problem-solving ability;
- logical thinking; and/or
- creativity.
Some of these characteristics appear in students at all ability levels, but they are more prevalent and pronounced in students who are gifted.”
If you are wondering if your child is gifted, an excellent parent resource by Alberta Education called “The Journey” can be found here. Topics discussed range from identifying and assessing children who are gifted, as well as “asynchronous (or uneven) development”, and “twice exceptional” students (i.e. children who are diagnosed as both gifted and talented and with a learning disability and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD).
A gifted assessment typically involves a parent intake interview (approximately 1 hour), completion of family and education questionnaires, cognitive and academic testing (approximately 4 to 6 hours), scoring/report writing (3 to 4 hours), and lastly, a feedback meeting with parents (approximately 1 hour). The report you will receive at the end of the assessment will provide information about the individual’s strengths and learning needs, as well as detailed recommendations based on the assessment findings.
Once a student is identified as being gifted, the school is required to create an Individual Program Plan (IPP) which is developed to address the child’s unique learning needs. Alberta Education has an excellent reference document for learning and teaching strategies for gifted learners called “Meeting Diverse Learning Needs with Differentiated Instruction”. An individual who is identified as gifted, may continue to attend their community school, or may seek alternative placement options. In Calgary, one option may include applying to the Gifted and Talented Program (GATE) offered through the Calgary Board of Education which begins in grade four. For additional information, please refer to GATE Referral information and process. Another option is Westmount Charter School which is a congregated setting for students identified as gifted and talented from kindergarten to grade twelve. Please refer to their website for further information.