Does my child need to be IQ tested in
order to be identified as gifted?
How can I have the school
recognise that my child is gifted?
Parents play an important
role in identification; often they are the first to realise their
child is gifted. Even at a very early age parents are aware
that their child is progressing at a different rate to other
children of a similar age. Early contact with their state gifted and
talented association to access information and resources, as well as
discuss their child’s development and behaviour is important. This
contact can assist their understanding of their gifted child and
his/her special needs.
Keeping a portfolio of the
child’s |
- drawings
- books read
- types of activities the child likes to
engage in as he/she grows
- age when beginning to recognise
colours
- achieving some numeracy understanding
- language development
|
|
This portfolio will assist the school in
providing an appropriate educational program for the child once
enrolled at school.
At school the identification of gifted
and talented children should involve the parents as well as school
personnel. The identification process should include more than
one identification tool. A child may be gifted in one domain or
several. The domain of intellectual giftedness is related to
academic achievement. Schools can make use of |
- checklists and or nomination forms
such as:
parent nomination
- teacher nomination
- peer nomination
- self nomination
- observation and evaluation of
classroom tasks, for example:
- products
- performances
- academic grades
- results of competitions the child may
take part in
- interviews with the child and
parents
- IQ tests
- other standardised tests
- observations
|
| Whatever procedures are used to identify
gifted children within a school they should: |
- be schoolwide
- use more than one criteria
- ensure that children from
disadvantaged and minority groups are included such as:
- underachievers
- gifted learning disabled
- children from culturally diverse
backgrounds
- socio-economically disadvantaged
children
- allow for children to be identified at
any stage
- provide opportunity for children to be
identified as a result of appropriate curriculum taught within the
school
- recognise all domains of
giftedness
|
| If as apparent you have any concerns
about the processes used to identify gifted children within the
educational domain the first step is to discuss these concerns with
the concerned organization. |
