The Gifted Child

1. Valentina J. Intagliata, MD* 2. Rebecca J. Scharf, MD, MPH* 1. *University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, Charlottesville, VA 1. Redefining Giftedness for a New Century: Shifting the Paradigm. National Association for Gifted Children Position Paper: March 2010. Available at: https://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Position%20Statement/Redefining%20Giftedness%20for%20a%20New%20Century.pdf. Accessed April 1, 2017 2. 1. Clynes T How to Raise a Genius: Lessons from a 45-Year Study of Super-Smart Children. Clynes T. Nature. 2016;537(7619):152–155 [OpenUrl][1] 3. 1. Robinson NM, 2. Olszewski-Kubilius PM Gifted and Talented Children: Issues for Pediatricians. Robinson NM, Olszewski-Kubilius PM. Pediatr Rev. 1996;17(12);427–434 [OpenUrl][2][Abstract/FREE Full Text][3] 4. 1. O’Connell Ross P National Excellence: A Case for Developing America’s Talent. O’Connell Ross P. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, US Department of Education;June 1994 Pediatricians may face questions from families about a child’s exceptional abilities and the special services available for such a gifted child; familiarity with the issues can facilitate a supportive and helpful conversation. Although most commonly associated with intellectual abilities, giftedness in children may present in various ways. Child development specialists find that gifted children can manifest exceptional skills in one or more particular domains. The areas of superior ability may be academic, for example, mathematics, or may take form in other areas, such as in the arts, music, or athletics. No widespread consensus exists for a single definition of giftedness, but in addition to having advanced skills, children with giftedness also make connections easily, display curiosity or love of learning, and acquire new skills rapidly. Discerning how to measure giftedness may be even more challenging. The National Association for Gifted Children defines gifted individuals as “those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in the top 10 percent or rarer in one or more domains).” The US Department of Education is even more vague when defining how to measure giftedness but introduces an important feature regarding sociocultural background that is worth noting. The Department of Education describes gifted children as “those with remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience or environment…outstanding talents are present in children from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.” Identification generally occurs in the early/middle school years. Although requirements vary, schools often use standardized tests measuring academic aptitude and … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DNature%26rft.volume%253D537%26rft.spage%253D152%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPediatrics%2Bin%2BReview%26rft.stitle%253DPediatr.%2BRev.%26rft.aulast%253DRobinson%26rft.auinit1%253DN.%2BM.%26rft.volume%253D17%26rft.issue%253D12%26rft.spage%253D427%26rft.epage%253D434%26rft.atitle%253DGifted%2Band%2BTalented%2BChildren%253A%2BIssues%2Bfor%2BPediatricians%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F8973123%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [3]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=pedsinreview&resid=17/12/427&atom=%2Fpedsinreview%2F38%2F12%2F575.atom