What is giftedness?

What does gifted mean? In the normal view of intellect, giftedness is an IQ based off several areas of testing. The testing should be done by a professional that knows about gifted intellect and has experience in testing. There are various tests that are best suited for certain ages so you want to be sure to have it right the first time.

Here is the breakdown of giftedness:

Level	IQ Range	Prevalence
Mildly (or basically) Gifted	115 – 129	1:6 – 1:44
Moderately Gifted	130 – 144	1:44 – 1:1,000
Highly Gifted	145 – 159	1:1,000 – 1:10,000
Exceptionally Gifted	160 – 179	1:10,000 – 1:1 million
Profoundly Gifted	180+	Fewer than 1:1 million

This is not the only way to break down the giftedness scale. There is also a broader range of gifted intellect levels:

Moderately Gifted 130 – 145

Highly Gifted 145 – 160

Exceptionally Gifted 160 – 180

Profoundly Gifted 180 and above

Why all the levels? Isn’t being gifted enough? No, we need to pay close attention to their level of ability. A child that is a moderately gifted child will most likely excel in school. Yes, they might be bored and they will need some acceleration but they are still close. The higher the child goes in IQ the more removed they are from the “norm”. There will be a breaking point of ability to accelerate their material and or move them up in grade versus what the school is willing and able to do.

Many school systems believe that a child that is exceptionally or profoundly gifted need to stay near their age peer group. There are fears that if they are moved up in grades to their mental ability levels there would be disastrous consequences. This inability for the school system to adequately meet the needs of gifted children often leads to a partial homeschooling or full homeschooling learning environment. To which I cheer!!

A higher IQ does not mean a geekier child! In fact studies are beginning to show that gifted children thrive socially in all sorts of different situations. You need to find the right fit for your child! Are they interest based such as astronomy, find an astronomy group. Are they friends from childhood. The boy next door has been your child’s BFF forever. Then keep the lines of communication open no matter what learning changes occur. Homeschooling allows you to tend to the social side of your child’s life. Guiding them to christian scholars and friends, providing opportunities.

As a homeschooling parent we are a guide. Your gifted child will devour material and learning will come naturally to most. We need to stay in position to provide material that stretches their minds. We need to provide the opportunities to assist them in finding friends and interesting mentors. We need to teach them that their intellect is a wonderful tool and one that should be honed and used, but it is just that a tool. We need to teach that our child is a child of God first and foremost!