Quick Test for Giftedness

You don't know what to make of your child. His behavior is puzzling and frustrating. Sometimes you wonder if he has ADHD, ODD, OCD , sensory integration disorder, or some other disorder or syndrome. You wonder if he has a learning disability. Or maybe, you think, he is lazy and irresponsible. Maybe, however, your child is gifted.

How can you tell? You can answer the following questions and see how many of the behaviors apply to your child. Remember, though, not all gifted children are alike, so not every gifted child will have all of these behaviors, but if some of these behaviors sound familiar, you might want to learn more about gifted kids!

DOES YOUR CHILD...

• Talk like an adult one-minute, discussing issues of homelessness and poverty, then throw a temper tantrum the next minute because he doesn’t get what he wants -- instantly?
• Wear you out with her endless questions?
• Exhaust you with his seemingly boundless energy?
• Get frustrated because her work is less than perfect?
• Get totally absorbed in activities and thoughts?
• Have an excellent memory – except for bringing home schoolbooks, doing homework, or turning in completed homework?
• Score high on achievement tests, but get D’s on her report card?
• Manage to get A's even though he's disorganized and does his homework at the last minute?
• Seem unusually sensitive, either emotionally or physically, or both?

These behaviors illustrate only a few of the characteristics of gifted children. Before you or someone else labels your child with some disorder or disability, you might want to learn more about what a gifted child is.