Articles on the Highly and Exceptionally Gifted

A very helpful introduction to the topic of gifted children from the Gifted Canada website, the article gives an overview of what giftedness means and the behaviors often associated with it.

"Many people...assume it is enough to know that the child is above normal, intelligent, "smart," gifted. But within the gifted range there is a far larger span of cognitive difference than there is between normal and gifted. In order to appropriately address a child's intellectual needs, it is important to have a reasonably solid idea of just how different those needs are."

"IQ, or intelligence quotient, is generally used to refer to the ratio of a child's mental age to chronological age. The formula (MA/CA)*100 yields the IQ score. For example, an eight-year-old that correctly answers as many problems on a test as an average ten-year-old would receive an IQ score of (10/8)*100=125..."

"The question is often asked, is my child highly gifted, or exceptionally gifted, or profoundly gifted? What does his score mean? What does her level of giftedness imply?"

You've got to love the handy chart in this oft-cited article comparing normal milestones with those 30% advanced -- often early indicators of giftedness.

"...These children tested beyond the limits of the intelligence scales, with ratio IQ scores between 170 and 194. Other than Hollingworth's (1942) Children Above 180 IQ, sparse information exists on such extraordinary levels of ability. But even that classic text revealed little about the families of the subjects studied..."

This may confirm your decision to homeschool. The next time a teacher or administrator claims they have seen "lots of children" who can read fluently upon entrance to kindergarten, show them this study from the National Center for Education Statistics.