Kids on the coast

 
Most parents want their kids to do well at school but for gifted children going to school can take all the fun out of learning. A child who starts school already reading may quickly realise they are ‘different’ and stop reading to fit in - even ending up in the remedial reading group. Being gifted is not always easy. Nor is it easy to define.

Giftedness can take on many forms. We often think of a gifted child as being one who is profoundly gifted and plays Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony faultlessly on the piano from age three. Some gifted children start school reading, writing and multiplying although many do not. What they do have in common is a propensity to learn rapidly, increased sensitivity and empathy and an awareness and quality of thinking beyond their years when compared with their same age peers.

Intelligence has historically been seen as a single, inherent entity. You either had it or you didn’t. In 1983, cognitive psychologist Howard Gardner published his theories of multiple intelligences. Instead of just one, Gardner found seven distinct intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Today his theory is widely accepted and has changed approaches in education, particularly the approaches for education of gifted children.

A gifted child may demonstrate exceptional ability in just one area of skill or across a range of areas such as general intelligence, visual or performing arts, physical ability and creative or abstract thinking. To be identified as gifted, children are generally ranked in the top 10% of their age-related ability and usually work at a level two years above their chronological age. Gifted children can come from all cultural and socio-economic groups and no two children will exhibit the same gifts or behaviours - each is unique. Gifted children can also have disabilities and are known as Gifted Learning Disabled.

A child with exceptional mathematical ability may have severe difficulty with written expression and comprehension or need therapy to be able to hold a pencil and write or draw.
 
The great misconception about gifted children is that because of their high ability they will ‘be all right’ whatever their circumstances. It’s the old adage of “If she’s as smart as you think she is then you don’t need to worry.” In fact, schooling for a gifted or talented child can be a minefield. If they are in an educational program that does not challenge them or allow them to develop their specific talents they suffer low self esteem and lose interest.

Without proper encouragement and support, many gifted children become de-motivated and, tragically, underachieve. Classed as average students they simply drift along or become labelled as lazy, disruptive and uncooperative because they lack challenge and stimulation. Sometimes underachieving gifted and talented children are wrongly diagnosed as ADHD.

Identification of gifted children usually begins at home as gifts are noticed by parents, extended family, teachers, and even the students themselves. Parents who suspect they have a gifted child should keep examples and records of the child’s activities (art, crafts, writing) and note behaviours, achievements and milestones. Gifted children generally reach milestones significantly earlier than their peers. They show a greater awareness of their surroundings and behaviour at an early age.
 
It is estimated that, allowing for the many areas in which gifts and talents may manifest, 10% of the population could be considered gifted in one or more ability areas. Catering for the diverse needs of all of these children is not going to be easy. So if you have identified your child as gifted, what are your educational options?

Education Queensland (EQ), under the Queensland Government’s Smart State Strategy, has developed a framework for identifying gifted students within Queensland schools, providing learning opportunities that will enable them to develop their abilities. The framework is being rolled out across the state and by December 2010 schools need to be able to identify and cater for gifted students. There has been considerable funding to schools to support the implementation of the framework. Schools will need to have an all-school approach to the policy to provide gifted students with an optimum learning experience. How the framework is implemented will largely be up to schools, their principals and governing bodies, so experiences will vary from school to school.

Bev has a gifted son who started prep reading at Year 2 level and able to complete maths tasks closer to Year 3. Their experience of gifted education was frustrating and disappointing. “On the second day of prep the teacher asked us to fill her in on how long he had been reading and writing,” she says.

“She had identified Lachlan as ahead of the year level but told us the best course of action was to leave him to continue work with the year cohort. Very quickly Lachlan began to come home angry and agitated saying he hated school, which we couldn’t understand because he had been so keen to start school.
 
“We met with the school when he started Year 1, to discuss options to combat the problem, but were told that they didn’t support extension groups or acceleration, as it would be considered elitist and the best indicator for success is the ability to get on with same age peers.”

Bev wondered how Lachlan could get on with children his age if they were reading Thomas the Tank Engine and he was reading Harry Potter.
“We had to push and push for them to give him an individual learning plan, which they reluctantly did. He went up for reading for one hour in the morning and then went back to his class. It didn’t have much of an effect because he was gifted for the whole day, not just from 9 to 10am,” she says.

“The experience has left us feeling sad and frustrated. Ordinary kids just go off to school and get what they need. We have had to fight to get our son the education he needs, and have been labelled pushy and difficult in the process.

“We eventually changed schools, with all the emotional upheaval and expense that entails, and the new school is trying its best to cater for him. They have assessed his case and agree he needs to be in Year 3, but cannot move him because there are no places.”
Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children (QAGTC) president Amanda Joske sees the implementation of the EQ Framework as a positive step.

“We are beginning to see things happening in both state and private schools, from dedicated full-time gifted classes and extra workshops for gifted kids to a general acceptance of strategies such as acceleration which have often been received with hostility or ambivalence,” she says.
“The framework has meant the creation of Gifted Education Mentors (known as GEMs) who are receiving professional development training in gifted education needs and who will then go out and train other educators in their area.

“Word is starting to spread and there is an awareness of the existence and needs of gifted kids. Now more than ever gifted students need extra support, as a dumbing-down of the curriculum over time has meant it is even less able to cater for their particular ability levels.”

Helen has two children, one and three years old, who both exhibit characteristics of a gifted child. For her, having gifted children is as challenging as it is rewarding. “I feel that other people don’t understand” she says “I get sideways glances in the library when my children won’t sit still and listen to a story. My kids constantly ask ‘why?’ and will not be fobbed off with any old answer. They will not stop asking until they are satisfied with the explanation.

“It is exhausting and can seem annoying to others. While they look like they are one and three, I really have a three and a five year old – that can confuse people.”

Recognising young children with above average abilities takes careful observation. You can’t teach a child to be gifted but you can give him/her a range of experiences that will help to discover the innate gifts within.

Note: Ken Imison tests gifted children on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

Email: kimison@ozemail.com.au

12 characteristics of a gifted child
1. Exceptional memory /rapid pace of learning

2. Ability to ask reflective and probing questions

3. Emotional intensity

4. Well developed sense of justice and fairness

5. Ability to empathise with the feelings of others

6. Unusually mature sense of humour

7. Preference for the companionship of older children

8. Perfectionist tendencies

9. Acute self awareness

10. Vivid imagination

11. Capacity for reflection

12. Early ability to understand symbols/meaning

For more information

Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children: www.qagtc.org.au

Education Queensland: www.learningplace.com.au

Gifted Children Australia: www.gifted-children.com.au

Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented: www.aaegt.net.au