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How do I know if my child (or my student) is highly able?

A fair question, and one that is by no means easy to answer...not even by a globally recognised expert.

At the 12th Annual Asia-Pacific Conference on Giftedness in July 2012, Joyce VanTassel-Baska, a recognised leader in Gifted Education from The College of William and Mary, shared with participants that the identification of highly able students remains an area of considerable research and debate.

This from an expert with over 44 years of experience in the business.

There is no shortage of opinions on the subject available on the Internet; experts can often postulate differing viewpoints and research findings, which makes it difficult to make black and white judgments and decisions.  It may even be fair to say that at this point, given our current knowledge of brain research and the tenants of gifted education globally, the identification of highly able students is perhaps more of an art than it is a science.

Despite the need for on-going research and discussion, however, it is necessary for positions to be taken, decisions made and standards established in order for action to occur in the Gifted and Talented Support Network (GTSN).

What is widely accepted amongst intelligentsia and practitioners alike is that highly able students tend to present certain characteristics that are quite often observable at an early age.

While some of these characteristics are age-specific, other characteristics run the gamut of developmental stages and age considerations.  Here is a sample of some of these characteristics, which is by no means an exhaustive list:

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Below are a number of websites and checklists that you may wish to visit to find out more about these characteristics.  It is important to note that while much of this information is in agreeance, there are aspects and attitudes expressed that do sometimes contradict one another.  Rather than provide only those sources that concur with our policy and position, it is preferable to acknowledge the differences of opinions that are out there as a means to encourage healthy, vigorous discussion for the benefit of the AIS Community of Learners.

If you are wondering whether your child (or student) is exhibiting characteristics of giftedness, visit the websites below for your consideration:

http://www.bubhub.com.au/info/articles/toddler/is_my_child_gifted.shtml

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/gifted101/p/how_to_identify.htm

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/gifted-kids/201105/is-your-child-gifted-what-look-and-why-you-should-know

http://www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html

http://austega.com/gifted/9-gifted/22-characteristics.html

http://www.thinkingahead.com.au/Who%20is%20gifted/checklists.htm