Gifted Assessment for Children and Teens
Is your child always a few steps ahead of your parenting books? Do they absorb information like a sponge and thrive on intellectual conversations? Are they exceptional at art, mathematics, or science? If you said yes to any of those, you may have a gifted child. Getting your gifted child assessed opens many doors for them by helping them qualify for gifted programs and receive a more enriched academic curriculum that engages them and helps them reach their full potential.
Could Your Child be Gifted?
Are you wondering if your child could be gifted? Although all children are unique in some way, gifted children tend to have general characteristics that set them apart from other children, especially regarding their unusually advanced degree of intellectual ability. If you have observed some of the following characteristics in your child, consider scheduling a gifted assessment with us.
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Highly Observant
Gifted children often see patterns, behaviors, and changes before anyone else.
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Early Readers
Gifted children tend to read and write earlier than expected, often before school age.
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Strong Vocabulary
Gifted children possess the means to use complex words, which can often be surprising to a parent or teacher.
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Heightened Concentration
Gifted children have extremely long attention spans if they are stimulated and interested in the material.
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Outstanding Memory
Gifted children have incredible memories, and can frequently remember text they have read, word for word.
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Creative Thinkers
Gifted children tend to think outside of the box and exhibit creativity in art, music, engineering and cooking.
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Intellectual Curiosity
Gifted children love to acquire new knowledge. They often ask questions and enjoy intellectually challenging themselves.
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Heightened Sensitivities
Gifted children process everything around them, which makes them susceptible to over stimulation.
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Information Sponges
Gifted children can acquire, process, and synthesize new information effortlessly.
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Topic Experts
Gifted children often enjoy immersing themselves in a topic, becoming subject experts to an astonishing degree.
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Gravitate to Adults
Gifted children may prefer the company of adults since most children can’t keep up with their desire for intellectual conversation.
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Easily Bored
Gifted children often feel bored when they are not challenged enough, leading them to appear distracted, play around, or get into trouble.
Not all gifted characteristics must be present. Giftedness is measured by learning potential and not by achievement. Gifted children are sometimes considered underachievers in school because they are bored with the material, however, they may exhibit exceptionalism in topics or skills they find stimulating.
When to Test Your Child for Giftedness
If your child is exhibiting signs of intellectual exceptionalism and giftedness, you can have them professionally assessed. We have completed professional intelligence (IQ) assessments for pre-school children as young as 3 years old. These assessments are often necessary for admission into gifted kindergarten programs such as for Westmount Charter School Kindergarten in Calgary. The earlier you have your child assessed, the better you can understand their strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to take the right steps to maximize their potential and develop their gifts.
Why You Should Test Your Child?
Gifted assessments are usually required for children to be enrolled in special gifted programs in public or private schools that offer a gifted curriculum. These programs typically offer an advanced learning setting to nurture your child’s exceptionalism, develop their strengths, and improve on their weaknesses.
Types of Tests for Gifted Children
Intelligence (IQ) Test
Intelligence (IQ) testing measures your child’s levels of cognitive processing skills, verbal and nonverbal functioning, reasoning capabilities, knowledge, working memory, quantitative reasoning, visual-spacial reasoning, and abstract thinking.
Academic Testing
Academic testing measures how well your child acquires information and performs in academic settings, such as, fluency in reading and arithmetic, mathematical problem solving, reading comprehension, writing skills and memorization.
Supplementary Tests
Additional psychological testing used to assess other signs of giftedness. This includes creativity, problem solving, abstract thinking, comprehension, leadership skills, ethics, emotional intelligence and emotional control.
Specialized School Placement Applications
In Calgary, admission to get into Westmount Charter school, Calgary Board of Education (CBE) Gifted and Talented Education program (GATE) program, and the Calgary Catholic School District’s Congregated Gifted Program each require cognitive, and at times academic testing for applications for admissions.