Education

All parents see greatness in their offspring. It’s human nature for a parent to believe one’s own child possesses greater talent and intelligence than other children. But studies show that less than 3%-5% of children are considered “gifted” by the U.S. Department of Education. So when children solve complex puzzles or use impressive words at a young age, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gifted.

“Typically, (parents) want to know how to tell if their child is gifted,” says Boyd, a course instructor at UC Irvine and a member of the school’s advisory board of the GATE (Gifted And Talented Education) program. “Some of the dilemmas parents face is that young students are little sponges. Sometimes they’re precocious, rather than gifted. As they move on in age, they may or may not be gifted.”

Terry Freedlander saw signs of giftedness in her children at a young age. Both were early readers and quick learners. But were they
gifted? Since Freedlander and her husband, Robert, are both college-educated, her expectation was that her own children would be high achievers, as well. But she wasn’t sure.

“I really didn’t know,” says Freedlander, a marketing consultant who lives in Irvine. “You always hope your children are bright. They did well in grades prior to taking the test, but that didn’t really mean anything.”

Freedlander’s belief that her daughter, Jordan, and son, Maverick, were gifted was confirmed when each achieved a qualifying score in both math and English-language arts on the Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and became eligible for the GATE program.

While testing for giftedness is typically done in the 3rd grade, it is not mandatory. Some parents choose to have their child tested earlier or not at all. Since most will not achieve a qualifying score, parents need to be realistic about their expectations.

What if she doesn’t pass?

Lori Smith, a mother of 2 girls who lives in Fountain Valley, experienced both the highs and lows of the GATE exam. Her oldest passed the test when she was 8 and has taken GATE classes throughout elementary and middle school. When her youngest daughter, who is 4 years younger, did not pass the test the first time, Smith wasn’t prepared for the disappointment.

“My immediate concern was how was I going to break the news to her that she did not pass?” Smith says. “I was worried that the news might somehow scar her. Would she be getting the message that she was dumb?”

As it turned out, Smith’s daughter never asked about the test result, highlighting that it is often the parents who are most concerned about whether their child is labeled as gifted or not.

“I think parents use it more than the children,” says Freedlander of the gifted label. “I don’t think my son has ever used the word ‘gifted,’ nor has my daughter. I don’t see that they feel the pressure of the label of being gifted.”

What is ‘gifted?’

Generally, gifted children are defined as those who possess outstanding natural abilities and are capable of high performance. Specifically, educators say, gifted children display a higher level of concentration and greater memory capacity. In practice, gifted children are curious and inquisitive.

“One attribute that stands out above everything else is curiosity,” says Pamela Clute, assistant vice provost for Academic Outreach and Education Partnerships at UC Riverside. “They ask, ‘Why, why and why.’ And they’ll listen when you tell them why.”

Other common characteristics of gifted children are longer-than-usual attention spans, advanced vocabulary, keen problem-solving  skills and an ability to see the “big picture.”

For nearly 15 years, Boyd has worked closely with gifted children as director of UC Irvine’s Gifted Students Academy. She helps parents identify if their child is gifted and warns about the little-known challenges faced by many gifted children, including learning disabilities and unique emotional needs. She always makes it clear that it can be a burden to be a parent of a gifted child and that it is the parents’ responsibility to put their son or daughter in the right academic environment to ensure they succeed.

“It’s a major myth that the gifted will make it on their own,” Boyd says.

Most school districts have GATE programs to help meet the unique needs of gifted students. With budget restraints and the stringent requirements of the federal “No Child Left Behind” standards, programs for the small gifted population are competing for resources with the needs of the majority.

UC Riverside’s Clute, for one, emphasizes that GATE programs are a necessity to nurture the next generation of critical thinkers and problem-solvers.

“One of the biggest concerns I have is that we put so much time and emphasis in the underperforming (students) to make them normal, and sometimes we take time away from making the normal excellent and the excellent exceptional.

“In today’s world, employees are expected to integrate new ideas and problem-solve. Where in the curriculum can a student develop those skills? A good teacher, especially a good GATE teacher, creates opportunities for the kids to think critically and problem-solve. These are the kids who are going to be creating new knowledge in the future.”


Rich Ramus is a frequent contributor to OC Family Magazine.