What is Giftedness?
Let's start by saying that many disagree on how to define giftedness! Giftedness in children refers to exceptional levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains, including intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership abilities. Currently, the most accepted definition for giftedness is having exceptional natural abilities in a specific area (Margrain et al., 2015). It is important to remember that giftedness is a descriptive term, NOT a diagnosis.
Some characteristics that are often seen in gifted youth:
How is Giftedness Measured?
Many refer to giftedness in reference to how children fare on standardized tests of intelligence.
One of the most common IQ tests used in Canada is the WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- 5th Edition). Sometimes the Stanford-Binet may be used. These tests assess various aspects of intelligence, including verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, processing speed and memory.
Sometimes additional things are looked at along with IQ tests, including other performance-based assessments, teacher recommendations or teacher questionnaires (e.g., The Gifted Rating Scale), or behavioural checklists.
Do schools in Ontario screen if a child is gifted?
Yes! The Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT) is the most widely use cognitive ability screener in Canada. It measures cognitive reasoning across verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative domains
and is used to determine a student's eligibility for admissions into gifted and talented programs without the need for a full IQ test. Each school board has their own criteria of scores for meeting the threshold for gifted programs.
How does the Ontario school system define gifted?
The Ontario Education System defines giftedness as: “An unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school program to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated.”
Who qualifies as gifted in Ontario?
Each school board is slightly different. Tests often considered for a gifted identification include the CCAT and the WISC-V or Stanford Binet. An IQ score of 130 (98th percentile compared to same aged peers) is frequently the benchmark. This means that if you were to line up 100 children based on their performance on the IQ test used in the testing, the gifted child was one of the top two performers on the test, out of the 100.
Are there different levels of gifted?
There are proposed levels of giftedness which are summarized below (levels summarized in the book "5 Levels of Gifted", by Dr. Deborah Ruff.
Are there Limitations to Testing?
Yes! A single test may not fully capture a child's diverse abilities and potential. It is essential to consider multiple sources of information to gain a comprehensive understanding of a child's giftedness. Also, children may also have particular struggles on any given day that could impact testing (e.g., anxiety, sickness, poor sleep, hunger, etc.), particularly youth who have additional diagnoses/exceptionalities.
Is it ever worth retesting?
It depends. Sometimes its helpful to retest in the future if you knew your child had a really hard day the day of their testing, or if they almost met the CCAT cutoff, or if they had untreated ADHD or another diagnosis that could have impeded testing. Doing a consultation with the psychologist that you'd like to have potentially testing your child should help you with deciding whether or not to move forward.
Can you retest right away if your child does not meet the gifted level?
It depends. Most tests have re-test reliability rules that clinicians have to follow to ensure that youth are not given the same test in a short time span, given that that could impact their scores. You can consider waiting until about a year between tests, or can consider doing an alternate IQ test that differs from the initial one. There is no gap of time needed between a CCAT and a WISC-V or Stanford Binet.
What are some of the myths related to gifted kids?
Are gifted kids exceptional in all areas of development?
No! Not usually. It is usually the case that gifted children experience "asynchronous development".
Their intellectual growth may outpace emotional and social development.
What are the challenges of asynchronous development?
We may see differences between intellectual capacity and emotion regulation, peer relationships and social development, and many may not hold age appropriate expectations for gifted youth.
Cognitively the most common discrepancy is between reasoning skills > visual-motor processing/working memory. Frustration when some tasks come easy and others are more challenging Difficult for others to understand their profile
How do we support asynchronous development?
Familiarize yourself with asynchronous development
Encourage emotional expression
Provide social opportunities with other gifted peers
Set realisitic expectations
Accommodations/Assistive Tech (visit our blog on assistive tech here)
Remember, ASYNCHRONOUS development is TYPICAL development for a gifted child.
What does it mean when people say a child is 2E?
ASYNCHRONOUS development is TYPICAL development for a gifted child.... but can have a wider range between skills in 2E youth
Do giftedness and learning disabilities overlap?
Yes! Approximately 1-2% of children are gifted and 3-4% of children with Learning Disabilities are also gifted. Some possible characteristics you may see could include academic struggles, despite strong language abilities or fine motor challenges. There is typically a discrepancy between cognitive ability and academic performance. We support these youth by providing accommodations and academic supports for the learning profile while still providing enriching learning experiences.
Do giftedness and autism overlap?
Yes! Approximately 1-2% of children are gifted and 5-10% of children with autism are also gifted.
Some possible characteristics you may see could include a deep focus on special interests,sensory sensitivities, easily bored in school and difficulty regulating emotions in the faces of this, challenges with social interactions at school. We support these youth by providing individualized learning that nurtures their strengths. Offer sensory accommodations (read about why that is important here) and social skill development and support them to foster emotional regulation.
Do giftedness and ADHD overlap?
Yes! Approximately 1-2% of children are gifted and 8-9% of children with ADHD are also gifted.
Some possible characteristics you may see could include challenges with task completion and emotional regulation, distractibility, or hyperfocus, and challenges with general organization and executive functioning (read about executive functioning here). Perfectionism may also pop up. We support these youth by using strategies that promote executive functioning skills (Schedules, times, reminders), positive reinforcement / giving choice, and foster strength-based learning to keep the child engaged.
What are different learning options for gifted education in Ontario’s school system?
Public sector withdrawal programs for Gifted Learners
Regular Classroom - Differentiation
Gifted Congregated Program
Private school options
Homeschooling
Virtual learning
Accommodated Individualized Education Plan (IEPs)
Grade Acceleration (a rarity in Ontario- The Iowa Acceleration Scale, 3rd Edition is a paper-based guide to help schools make effective decisions regarding a grade-skip)
How do we access services for gifted learners in Ontario?
How should I be involved as a parent?
Parents should remain actively involved in the IEP and placement development process. Here are ways parents can ensure their child’s needs are met at school:
Communicate with student success staff and special education teachers supporting your child.
Attend meetings and keep detailed records.
Review the IEP carefully.
Voice concerns and request adjustments as needed for your child.
Are there particular ways we teach gifted children?
Yes! We have a blog here with a free download that covers this topic. We do encourage you to consider this analogy of learning when considering how we approach learning for many gifted students. The idea is the juxtaposition between academic rigor vs gifted education and the idea of referring to them as boot camp vs special ops.
Traditional Academic Rigor (Boot Camp)
Eg. AP and Honors classes
More work at a quicker pace.
Focus on content mastery with structured tasks, often involving worksheets and busy work.
Gifted Education (Special Ops)
Modified curriculum tailored to individual student needs.
Project-based learning, emphasizing student interests and real-world applications.
Interactive experiences, like guest speakers and hands-on learning (e.g., engineering, biology).
Gifted students should be provided with opportunities to increase the depth and breadth of their learning. The quality of their work, not the quantity, should be the focus. A variety of adaptations can be put in place to create more meaningful work:
Content adaptations involve modifying what students learn by expanding the topics, themes, or complexity to better match their advanced abilities.
Process adaptations refer to altering how students engage with the material, often
through independent projects, higher-level questioning, or creative problem-solving tasks.
Product adaptations allow gifted students to demonstrate their learning in various ways, encouraging unique outputs like presentations, creative works, or advanced research projects.
How do I talk to my child about going for an assessment? Visit our blog on the topic here
How do I explain to my child that they are gifted? Visit our blog on this topic here
Where do I find more information on IEPs and IPRCs? Visit our blog on this topic here
Recommended Readings/Websites to Explore
Is your child being assessed at WonderTree or coming to see us for therapy?
If your child is going to be seen at WonderTree then we encourage you to show them the below video which gives a quick walk through of the clinic space. Feel free to also show them our team page so your child can take a peek at the clinician they will be seeing here. And if you can't make it to our space, we'd love you to meet with our virtual multidisciplinary team!
If you want to get started on support first:
Unsure of what support you may need?
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