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Gifted Assessment
What is giftedness?
The term giftedness describes someone with exceptional gifts and talents (or have the capability to perform) at higher levels compared to others of the same age, experience, and environment in one or more domains. We are able to assess for intellectual (cognitive) giftedness through a formal assessment process, however this is not a formal “diagnosis” but rather a way to characterize exceptional cognitive strengths.
No gifted individual is the same, each having their own unique patterns of traits. There are many traits that gifted individuals have in common, but no gifted learner shows the same traits in every area.
The following are some characteristics to help you better understand whether or not your child/adolescent may be gifted:
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Interest in problem-solving and applying concepts
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Intellectual curiosity
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Heightened self-awareness
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Creativeness and inventiveness
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Openness to stimuli and wide interests
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Independence in work and study
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Persistent, goal-directed behavior
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Emotional depth and intensity
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Sensitivity or empathy to the feelings of others
How is an assessment helpful?
Identifying giftedness can be helpful as these students may require special strategies like acceleration, flexible ability grouping, or access to enrichment programs (if available).
It is also important to recognize that gifted children may not excel in all areas, and can still present with learning or attention challenges.
What does the assessment involve?
An assessment typically involves a thorough interview with parents and teacher (if available), and completion of questionnaires. We also do comprehensive objective testing of various cognitive domains. The assessment involves both direct services (interviews with parents and/or teachers, testing, feedback) and indirect services (scoring, report writing, reviewing records). Assessments are completed over one full day of direct testing with the child, including a lunch break and other breaks throughout the day. Occasionally a child may need additional hours of testing. We prefer to do the assessment over one full day as we feel that this is most representative of a child’s typical school day.
Next Steps
Visit our Contact Page and complete the contact form and we will schedule a brief phone call to gather some more information and answer any questions. We will provide a quote and timeline for scheduling an assessment.
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