Profoundly Gifted Child

By Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D

Q: Our son was recently tested. In his verbal he scored 93, Math 99 and non-verbal 98 I was told he is classified as 'Profoundly Gifted' what does this mean for our child and for us as his parents. Our son is nine years old. I am a little overwhelmed with talk of more tests and programs that are being presented. We live on a rule farm and do not have a lot of resources available. Thank you.

A: Gifted children are those who are tested to have an IQ of at least two standard deviations from the mean of 100. This means an IQ of at least 130. However, gifted children do not have the same level of abilities and an IQ of 130 is just the tip of giftedness. Highly or extremely gifted, which is also known as profoundly gifted, are on the highest end of the gifted ability range. The further they deviate from the mean, the more likely they may demonstrate much higher abilities and also more challenges. However, their exceptional abilities may present some special challenges for parents and teachers, especially if they are not familiar with such issues.

If your child is diagnosed as profoundly gifted, he must be at the highest range of abilities. Tests and programmes may be necessary to gauge his strengths and cater to his needs as they may be a little different from other gifted children. The higher the level of giftedness, the fewer the population. Therefore, a special programme is usually charted out for these children to help them thrive and develop their potential to the maximum. Typically these children learn at a much faster pace, able to process material to a much greater depth and show incredible intensity in energy, imagination, intellectual prowess, sensitivity, and emotion which are not typical in the general population.

There is no one method to help these kids but there are a number of resources that you may use from the internet.

The following is a list of articles that you may want to read to help your understanding on profoundly gifted children (from Davidson Institute of Talent Development):

• http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10299.aspx

• http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_print_id_10071.aspx

• http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_print_id_10028.aspx

• http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_print_id_10107.aspx

• http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_print_id_10115.aspx

• http://www.stephanietolan.com/another_dimension.htm

All the best in you beautiful journey!

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