Parent Teacher Information Pack

INFORMATION FOR
PARENTS
&
TEACHERS
Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland
Dublin City University
Dublin 9
Tel. 01-7005634
E-mail: ctyi@dcu.ie
CTYI Information Pack © 1

What is Giftedness?
Defining giftedness has proved to be a great problem for educators and researchers worldwide. Given the different
levels of intelligence possessed by people there is a difficulty in using a general definition to encompass everything.
There are many terms in the literature that you may come across. A brief description of each of these expressions
is listed below.
Precocious
This refers to the ability to do something at an age earlier than expected, e.g. early reading or mathematical
ability. Precociousness in children is usually an indicator of high ability or giftedness.
Prodigy
This is someone who has extraordinary levels of achievement in one area, much higher than one might expect for
that age. Mozart is a well known example of a musical prodigy who lived up to his early promise. Interestingly Howe
(1990) suggests that not all those who achieve prodigiously as adults were prodigies as children.
Genius
This refers to a person who has demonstrated enormous achievement in an important field, e.g. Einstein or Freud.
Historically this term was widely used to describe gifted individuals and has led to much confusion in the
identification of giftedness.
Talent
Talent, in the context of gifted education, is usually associated with giftedness in the arts or music. A talent is
often an ability that has become a highly developed skill through practice. It is not usually recognised as gifted in
an Irish context where there is more of a focus on academic giftedness. In the UK the whole area of high ability
focuses on the gifted and talented.
Advancement
This refers to achievement ahead of what is expected. Rapid learner falls into this category and is often used to
describe gifted children.
Superior
This term is mostly used in testing discussions. It is a psychometric term and mean one and a half standard
deviations above the mean. Very superior would measure two standard deviations above the mean. Superior in
itself begs comparisons to other people as there is a classification that the student is superior to someone or
something.
Identification across the Age Range

While all classes will have bright children, there is a distinct difference between a bright student and a gifted one.
Not all children will display these characteristics, but they will exhibit some. Szabos lists comparatively the subtle
distinctions between these two quite similar children.
Bright Child Gifted Child

Knows the answers Asks the questions
Interested Extremely curious
Pays attention Gets involved physically and mentally
Works hard Plays around, still gets good test scores
Answers the questions Questions the answers
Enjoys same-age peers Prefers adults or older children
Good at memorisation Good at guessing
Learns easily Bored. Already knew the answers
Listens well Shows strong feelings and opinions
Self Satisfied Highly critical of self (perfectionism)

This table however only provides a fleeting glimpse of a gifted child. ERIC Clearinghouse (1985) cites
characteristics in three areas that offer a more three-dimensional conception of giftedness. These attributes come
under the headings of general behavioural, learning and creativity. Once again the traits highlighted in each
checklist are not representative of every gifted child and you may find yourself identifying with only one or two
items in each case. The checklists do however provide a starting point to identifying gifted children across the age
ranges.
General Behavioural Characteristics

The behaviour of gifted children will differ from that of their peers in the following ways:
• Many gifted children learn to read early, with better comprehension of the nuances of language. As much
as half of the gifted and talented population has learned to read before entering school.
• Gifted children often read widely, quickly, and intensely and have large vocabularies.
• Gifted children commonly learn basic skills better, more quickly, and with less practice.
• They are better able to construct and handle abstractions.
• They often pick up and interpret non-verbal cues and can draw inferences that other children need to
have spelled out for them.
• They take less for granted, seeking the “hows” and “whys.”
• They can work independently at an earlier age and can concentrate for longer periods.
• Their interests are both wildly eclectic and intensely focused.
• They often have seemingly boundless energy, which sometimes leads to a misdiagnosis of hyperactivity.
• They usually respond and relate well to parents, teachers, and other adults. They may prefer the
company of older children and adults to that of their peers.
• They like to learn new things, are willing to examine the unusual, and are highly inquisitive.
• They tackle tasks and problems in a well-organised, goal-directed, and efficient manner.
• They exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn, find out, or explore and are often very persistent. “I’d
rather do it myself” is a common attitude.
Learning Characteristics
Gifted children are natural learners who often show many of these characteristics.
• Thy may show keen powers of observation and a sense of the significant; they have an eye for important
details.
• They may read a great deal on their own, preferring books and magazines written for children older than
they are.
• They often take great pleasure in intellectual activity.
• They have well-developed powers of abstraction, conceptualization, and synthesis.
• They readily see cause-effect relationships.
• They often display a questioning attitude and seek information for its own sake as much as for its
usefulness.
• They are often sceptical, critical, and evaluative. They are quick to spot inconsistencies.
• They often have a large storehouse of information about a variety of topics, which they can recall
quickly.
• They readily grasp underlying principles and can often make valid generalisations about events, people,
or objects.
• They quickly perceive similarities, differences, and anomalies.

Creative Characteristics
Creativity is often what separates gifted children from their peers.
• Gifted children are fluent thinkers, able to generate possibilities, consequences, or related ideas.
• They are flexible thinkers, able to use many different alternatives and approaches to problem solving.
• They are original thinkers, seeking new, unusual, or unconventional associations and combinations
among items of information.
• They can also see relationships among seemingly unrelated objects, ideas, or facts.
• They are elaborate thinkers, producing new steps, ideas, responses, or other embellishments to a basic
idea, situation, or problems.
• They are willing to entertain complexity and seem to thrive on problem solving.
• They are good guessers and can readily construct hypotheses or “what if” questions.
• They often are aware of their own impulsiveness and irrationality, and they show emotional sensitivity.
• They are extremely curious about objects, ideas, situations, or events.
• They often display intellectual playfulness and like to fantasize and imagine.
• They can be less intellectually inhibited than their peers are in expressing opinions and ideas, and they
often disagree spiritedly with others’ statements.
• They are sensitive to beauty and are attracted to aesthetic values.
These lists provide preliminary guidelines, which should have a suspicious teacher or parent nodding their head.
Identification using list methods alone is hazardous and difficult to relate to a real, live individual. For this reason
it is worthwhile looking at the gifted Types put forward by Betts and Neihart (1988). Their research found recurring
traits and responses, which led them to deduce six types of gifted individuals. They developed six profiles of
gifted and talented individuals and explain how each profile copes in the traditional learning environment. In each
case an example is given to further elaborate the character.
Type I – The Successful
The vast majority of gifted children will exhibit behaviours resembling those from the Successful group. These
children have learned to use school and the education system to their own advantage. They recognise what is
expected of them from their parents and teachers and display behaviour in accordance. They encounter few
learning problems and perform well on achievement tests. This group don’t tend to display behavioural problems
as they are keen for parent and teacher approval.
Type I’s habitually struggle however to take charge of their own learning and are rarely so intrinsically motivated to
pursue their own interest areas. They have a tendency to coast along in school, applying energy only when
necessary. Many depend on their teachers and indeed parents for structure and focus and therefore greatly rely on
extrinsic motivation. This negatively impacts on their overall development, as the constant affirmation leads to a
personal ignorance of their deficiencies. These children will nevertheless achieve, but ultimately they will not
reach their potential as they have never managed to fully extend their creativity or become independent learners.
Gifted underachievers generally come from this group. Having never fully acquired the competency or mindset
critical to autonomous learning and development, they are eventually tested by the challenges of adapting to life’s
changes. From an educational perspective, children from the Successful group are easily identifiable as gifted.
According to the authors they make up 90% of students on gifted programmes.
The Successful
Sharon is 14 and is performing well in school. Outwardly she is a pleasant individual, with kind and pleasing
nature and she has many friends. She regularly achieves test results in the nineties and her parents and
teachers are generally happy with her performance. Sharon isn’t however performing to her potential. One of
her teachers remarks that she will work really hard on material that will gain her external acclaim, but that she
rarely works on internal motivation. She fails to apply herself to routine tasks, e.g. homework, usually only
doing it on the bus en route to school. Sharon is quite creative, but only utilises it when it will be subjected to
external commendation. She recently came first in her year for a history project, although her history teacher
has only received four out of her ten assignments.

Type II – The Challenging
Children from this group are less recognisable as gifted individuals as they exhibit perceivably negative behaviours.
They often struggle to have their abilities recognised and become frustrated when they are not. Coping with an
education system that does not fit easily with their talents causes much stress. Unlike the Successful group, they
find difficulty using the system to their advantage. Although highly creative, these children are very often
thwarted by a system that does not properly cater or applaud their talents. In class they are notably rebellious,
challenging authority and often questioning their teacher in front of the class. Children in this group are observed
as stubborn, inconsiderate and cynical individuals.
Type II’s also struggle with their self-esteem and may or may not feel part of their social group. Some Type II’s
challenge other children and as a result find themselves isolated or excluded from their peer group, while others
gain popularity through their appealing sense of humour and their creativity. Type’s II’s very often have a negative
self-concept.
Children in this group are believed to be at risk as “eventual dropouts for drug addiction or delinquent behaviour if
appropriate interventions are not made.” While not scientifically proven to be the case, parents of students who
dropped out of school remarked that they witnessed Type II behaviours in their children earlier on.
The Challenging
Eric is 15. He has had a tough time settling into secondary school and is been under-performing in nearly all
subject areas. Eric is passionate about computers and learned to program when he was just 9 years of age.
Since then he has learned to design websites and is competent in several computer languages. He has found
however that his talent goes unrecognised in school, mainly because he knows more about computers than
many of his teachers. In primary school he had a teacher that shared his enthusiasm and between them they
developed the schools website.
Eric is not a particularly social person and he has found no close friends in secondary school. He doesn’t share
their interests and he usually finds himself on the fringes of a large group of lads.
In school, he finds it hard to stay motivated in the other subject areas and is in constant struggle with his
teachers. His disinterest is interpreted as a lackadaisical attitude and this ignites conflict between the two. He
regularly engages in verbal clashes, and his cynical, uncaring attitude prompts harsh punishments, further
widening the gap between him and his teachers. These arguments however, gain him “street cred” as his
comments are clever and humorous and often tie the teacher up in knots.
Eric is smart enough to see that these negative exchanges are damaging to an already negative opinion of
himself. He wishes that he could just fit in like everyone else, but he can’t help resenting that his talents are
ignored. He feels that nobody cares about his interests. The whole atmosphere in school is spiralling out of
control and with a suspension already a prospect he can’t help but feel that he is the problem.
Type III – The Underground

Although it is not uncommon for males to become part of the “underground gifted,” gifted children that fall into
this grouping are typically female aged between 11 and 13 years. Kerr (1985) found that a girls desire to ‘fit in’
becomes greatest during these years and in this bid to integrate into their social circle they are willing to conceal
their advanced academic ability. Girls in this age group are often seen to undergo “sudden radical transformation”
in variance with the expectations of their teachers and parents. While the natural reaction is to persist with the
child to get back on track, this usually rectifies itself in time. The child will feel torn during this time as they are
denying their true selves in favour of social acceptance. As a result of this children belonging to this group very
often feel insecure, uneasy and restless. Alternative approaches and applications should be put in place during this
period to ensure that their academic needs are being met, all but in a modified fashion.
Although this phenomenon is more evident amongst females, it is the case for some males, although generally when
they are older (between the ages of 14 and 17 years) and interestingly in response to social pressures to undertake
athletic activities.

The Underground
Sally is nearly thirteen and has just started second year. She has been a model student up to now, extremely
self-motivated and performing highly in all subjects. Since starting back after the summer break Sally has
changed. Although always popular amongst her peers, she now appears to be part of the “in-crowd” and her
attitude has changed considerably. Her parents have spoken to Sally’s Year Head about this and they are quite
concerned that she has gone completely off track. In just three months her school work has gone from straight
A’s to C’s.
Sally appears to have changed completely and both her parents and teachers are anxious that this phase isn’t
long-lasting. Her parents admit that they’ve expressed to her their worry and disapproval of her transformed
behaviour, but to no affect. At home Sally is quite moody and restless. In school she is sometimes found to be
looking into space, deep in thought.
Type IV – The Dropouts

Children from this group have developed very negative impressions of school and education stemming from feelings
of isolation, not fitting in and not having their abilities recognised. They are angry that the educational system has
not met their needs and they harbour feelings of rejection. School is perceived as a hostile environment. They
tend to be defensive in manner and act out their anger by appearing depressed. Typically their interest areas out-
lie the school curriculum and therefore make it harder for them to receive praise, acknowledgement or any form of
reward. Gifted individuals in their teenager years usually fall into this group. Because of this there is a danger
that their reactions may be mistaken for the trappings of puberty rather than the natural reaction to the
aforementioned sentiments.
Typically these students are not identified early enough, affording them time to develop negative, resentful
attitudes. By this stage they also have developed low self-esteem.
The Dropout
Paul is 14 and is the type of student who might go un-noticed in a school. He gets by in school, but to him it is
an unhappy environment. Outwardly he appears moody and somewhat depressed. He rarely smiles and
spends much of his time in school by himself or in equally quiet company.
Paul’s experience of the educational system is predominantly negative. He feels that he is overlooked, and has
never found a friend he can identify with. His peers never share his interests. He doesn’t enjoy sport because
he feels he is not good at it and therefore avoids it. He has a keen interest in science fiction, but finds that there
is no outlet for this at school. Paul is an avid reader and he enjoys writing. His essays tend to be based in
fictitious worlds with outlandish characters engaged in unconventional endeavours. His English teacher finds
it difficult to identify with him. Her criticisms are habitually interpreted as negative and he becomes quite
defensive in response. He shows little interest in any of the other subjects.
Paul has low self-esteem and is a bit of a loner. He feels that school is hard to cope with and he frequently
misses classes as a result.
Type V – The Double Labelled

Children with physical, emotional or learning difficulties along with giftedness are Type V students. Very often
these impediments hinder their identification and so differentiated programmes are not made available to them.
Identification of dually exceptional children is becoming more prevalent, although their high ability is normally only
revealed fortuitously as a result of investigating their discernible difficulties.
For these reasons identification of dual exceptionality can quite often be tricky. According to Betts and Niehart
(1988);
“They may have sloppy handwriting or disruptive behaviours that make it difficult for them to complete
work, and they often seem confused about their inability to perform school tasks. They show symptoms of
stress; they may feel discouraged, frustrated, rejected, helpless or isolated.”
With low self-esteem, these children are unlikely to admit defeat and enlist assistance; rather they will complain
that activities are “boring” or “pointless.” They may humiliate other children in an attempt to boost their own
self-worth. They harbour feelings of unmet expectations and react negatively to any form of criticism. They have

a tendency to intellectualise even simple things as a means of managing their own feelings of insufficiency. Usually
children in this group have only their weaknesses concentrated on, with a failure to acknowledge or nurture their
hidden aptitudes.
The Double Labelled

Roisin is seven years of age and has never been formally assess for giftedness. Her parents suspect she is
displaying some symptoms of dyslexia, such as letter confusion, poor spelling and slow, laboured reading. She
has however strong verbal ability and her vocabulary resembles that of a 12 year old, but in school however
Roisin is underperforming. Her handwriting looks like that of a junior infant and she avoids writing at all
costs. She complains that writing is boring and occupies herself with drawing instead. When asked to read out
her work, she regularly constructs stories from her imagination, ignoring what she has written. Her teacher
encourages her to perfect her handwriting by giving her letter work to do at home, but Roisin resents this and
never completes it.
At home Roisin likes to discuss worldly topics with her parents. In school she also likes to display her superior
language skills when participating in class discussions. She enjoys bamboozling the class with statistics and
information she has gleaned from television programmes. Much of the time however her classmates don’t
understand her.
They too tire of her constant need for attention and Roisin has found herself with few real friends. In fact
many of Roisin’s classmates are somewhat afraid of her. On a recent school trip one of the children wet herself
while on the bus. Roisin ridiculed the child in front of a large group of adults and children, much to everyone’s
amazement.
Roisin has low self-esteem and her parents feel she is very lonely. Her constant cries for attention are not being
picked up on and the longer they go un-noticed the lower her self-esteem will become. Roisin is a gifted child
who is unable to express herself and her school experiences are causing her to see only her inadequacies. She is
becoming increasingly frustrated with her difficulties with writing and her inability to adequately express
herself.
Type VI – The Autonomous Learner

Gifted children that fall into this group quickly developed autonomy at school. Using the system to their own
advantage, unlike Type I children, this group know how to use the system to create new opportunities for
themselves. They receive positive responses from parents and teachers for both their achievements but also for
who they are. Individuals from this group have positive self-concepts as their educational needs are being met,
albeit through their own actions. They believe in themselves, which allows them to take risks. They are successful
individuals, with many going on to work in leadership roles.
Gifted individuals falling into this category show strong control and ownership over their own personal and
educational ambitions. They do not rely on others for the fulfilment of their objectives.
The Autonomous learner

David was identified as gifted at the age of 6 by an educational psychologist. Now 16, he is a well-balanced,
friendly, motivated young man. He has always enjoyed very positive relationships with those around him
both in school and at home. His parents are very proud of him both for his academic achievements, but also for
the young adult he has become. He is popular amongst his peers, appreciated for his humour, opinion and
willingness to help those around him. David is a modest young man who never flaunts his superior ability.
His teachers comment on his self-confidence, motivation and hard work. He thoroughly applies himself to any
task asked of him.
David has a keen interest in writing and has won numerous awards for essay writing – one of the many
accolades he has received over the years for his academic and sporting endeavours. He has written two novels,
one of which has just been accepted by a publishing company. David plans to further his interest in English
literature at university and is already looking into postgraduate courses.

Clark (1988) presents some general characteristics of gifted children. These are typical factors stressed by
educational authorities as being indicative of giftedness. Obviously, no child is outstanding in all characteristics.
1. Shows superior reasoning powers and marked ability to handle ideas; can generalize readily from specific
facts and can see subtle relationships; has outstanding problem-solving ability.
2. Shows persistent intellectual curiosity; asks searching questions; shows exceptional interest in the nature
of man and the universe.
3. Has a wide range of interests, often of an intellectual kind; develops one or more interests to
considerable depth.
4. Is markedly superior in quality and quantity of written and/or spoken vocabulary; is interested in the
subtleties of words and their uses.
5. Reads avidly and absorbs books well beyond his or her years.
6. Learns quickly and easily and retains what is learned; recalls important details, concepts and principles;
comprehends readily.
7. Shows insight into arithmetical problems that require careful reasoning and grasps mathematical
concepts readily.
8. Shows creative ability or imaginative expression in such things as music, art, dance, drama; shows
sensitivity and finesse in rhythm, movement, and bodily control.
9. Sustains concentration for lengthy periods and shows outstanding responsibility and independence in
classroom work.
10. Sets realistically high standards for self; is self-critical in evaluating and correcting his or her own
efforts.
11. Shows initiative and originality in intellectual work; shows flexibility in thinking and considers problems
from a number of viewpoints.
12. Observes keenly and is responsive to new ideas.
13. Shows social poise and an ability to communicate with adults in a mature way.
14. Gets excitement and pleasure from intellectual challenge; shows an alert and subtle sense of humour.
Other Traits
• Perfectionism
According to Mindfocus (2006) gifted children strive for excellence, precision and exactness, and have a strong will
to minimise errors. This can cause much anxiety and worry and may therefore be termed “bad or misguided
perfectionism.” In light of this it is important that parents and teachers do not invoke unrealistic expectations.
Failure to reach their expectations will have a severely negative effect, causing excessive self-criticism and self-
doubt.
• Sense of Humour
Gifted individuals typically have an alternative or peculiar sense of humour. They generally find amusement in the
perceived distinctions with ordinary, everyday life and their philosophical outlook on life. They laugh at things that
don’t amuse the majority. They are also willing to laugh at themselves, an attribute not applicable to most
people.
• Consistency
Gifted people endeavour to maintain constancy between what they believe in and their actions. It relates to their
heightened moral concern.
• Introversion
Mindfocus (2006) comment of the long association between intelligence and introversion, which implies that
greater intelligence, indicates greater introversion. This has been a wild and unfounded assumption made of gifted
individuals, the source of which can be easily understood. Gifted children tend to experience difficulties finding
individuals who share similar interests in their peer group. The child may as a result display introvert behaviours,
when they cannot connect with another. The authors argue that it is only really possible to accurately determine
introversion by watching the person in the company of similarly gifted individuals.
That said not all gifted individuals display introverted characteristics when with their peer group, and many who
are extroverted and gifted happily sit in the society around them. Those who exhibit introverted behaviours, can
find it tough socialising with their peer group. Mindfocus (2006) remark that these individuals find it hard to open
up emotionally and their tendency to think and then act, distinct from the normal behaviour of act and then think,
can cause them to feel insecure and vulnerable.
• Over-Excitability
The Polish psychologist Dabrowski studied individuals who were artistically, intellectually and creatively gifted, and
he concluded that intensity was a predominant feature of their psychological make-up (Tolan, 1999). He found
that gifted individuals have a heightened response to stimuli, what he terms over-excitability. Not all gifted
individuals exhibit all five responses, but usually in varying degrees (Tolan, 1999). He proposed five mental actions
where gifted individuals differ display this intensity or over-excitability (Tolan, 1999):
1. Psychomotor
Physical activity and movement tends to be quite energetic – fast talking, hand gesturing when speaking,
pacing, and sometimes nervous tics.
2. Sensual
Sensitive to sensual experiences, enthusiasm for sensory experiences; to touch, smell, taste and oftentimes a
keen aesthetic awareness. Highly responsive to negative sensory inputs, such as loud noises, bright lights,
harsh sound etc. Tolan (1999) gives some examples;
“the ‘cut the label out of my shirt’ demand, the child who limps as if with a broken leg when a sock
seam is twisted…a baby who cries when the wind blows in his face… a toddler who cries at the feel of
grass on bare legs and feet…a child who is awed to breathlessness at the sight of a beautiful sunset.”
3. Imaginational
Children who are strong visual thinkers. Those who like to use allegories in their speech. Children who
daydream, who remember their dreams and sometimes react strongly to them, children believe in magic (those
who take a long time to grow out of Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, etc.).
4. Intellectual
This is the typical interpretation of giftedness. Children who love brain teasers, who love to analyse and
question, to reason and work things out. Children who love learning new things and delight in abstractions.
5. Emotional
Gifted individuals experience heightened emotional responses – extreme sadness when upset, elation when they
are happy, fuming when they are angry. They require strong relationships with other people or animals. If
they are unable to find friends, they will fill this void by inventing imaginary friends or cope with stuffed
animals etc. They are naturally empathic and compassionate. “A child who needs a committed relationship
will think herself ‘betrayed’ by a child who plays with one child today and another tomorrow and refers to both
as ‘friends’” (Tolan, 1999). This reaction can make gifted individuals vulnerable to depression, loneliness and
anxiety.
Who is Gifted and Who is Not?

The answer to this question depends on the achievement definition and assessment procedure used in each
community to identify the gifted. Some take the top 2%, others the top 5%, some the top 15%, and in some cases
whomever teachers feel will particularly benefit. It is important to recognize that "giftedness" is more than a
number on an IQ test, and that each and every individual possesses talents and abilities that they will use to further
their purposes in the world. There are many individuals who have never made the "magic number" on these tests
and who need similar stretching and enrichment in our education system. Success comes not only because of high
ability, but more often because of the desire and perseverance to develop and apply one's talents, the desire to get
along with others and make positive life choices. The Irish legislative position is outlined below.
The Education Act 1998 section 7 subsection (1) states that there should be made available to each person
resident in the State, including a person with a disability or who has special educational needs, support
services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and ability of that person.

In August 2000 the then Minister of Education, Dr. Michael Woods, in response to a letter regarding his position on
the education of exceptionally able students, stated "in some cases where a pupil of exceptional ability may
present with a special educational need, additional support is given by a remedial or resource teacher." This was
viewed by many lobbyists as a great step forward in the education of the highly able in Ireland. However parents
trying to implement this decision were met with opposition from various schools who believed that they did not
have enough resources or facilities to allocate a special needs teacher to an academically talented student. In
November 2001 the Minister put the emphasis on provision for the academically able back to the Board of
Management of each school. "It is the duty of the Board of Management to ensure that appropriate education
services are made available to such students." The Minister pointed to the international Olympiad competitions in
science, information technology and maths where exceptionally able and highest achieving pupils can participate.
He pointed that "there are no proposals at present to allocate time on the schedule of resource teachers to cater
for gifted children."
This remark has caused much frustration for parents who were given hope by the Minister's previous statements.
The policy seems to be now that it is to be dealt with on an individual school basis. If the school does not have the
resources to provide adequate provision to the highly able student then there is little that can be done. If on the
other hand the student is academically talented but also has a learning difficulty then a provision may be made.
Equally if the high ability student is disruptive the resource teacher may be allocated.
In the UK, the schools inspectorate (HMI, 1977) also developed a definition of the “gifted child”. They were
interested in investigating the situation of unusually-able youngsters in British schools. Their definition was a lot
more specific than that of the US or Ireland. According to this definition, gifted children are those:-
• who are generally recognised by their school as being of superior all-round intellectual ability, confirmed where
possible by a reliable, individual intelligence test, giving an IQ of 130 or more;
or
• who exhibit a markedly superior developmental level of performance and achievement, which has been
reasonably consistent from earlier years;
or
• of whom fairly confident predication are being made as to continual rapid progress towards outstanding
achievement in either academic areas or in music, sport, dance or art
and
• whose abilities are not primarily attributable to purely physical development.
Why should we identify gifted children?
“All children have a right of access to the highest-quality education appropriate to their needs. This
includes children whose disabilities or circumstances inhibit their effective participation in the education
that is normally provided for children of their age group…It is important that a range of educational
provision is available that is flexible enough to cater for the special needs of individual children at the
various stages of their development.”
(Primary School Curriculum, 1999, p.29)
Identification is no easy feat, but nevertheless its necessity outweighs the complexity. Better a student be thought
gifted and proven not, than never to be considered gifted at all. (Indeed, if approached correctly, the child need
never know the reason for the assessment). The Betts and Neihart (1988) Types outlined some of the long term
effects of undetected giftedness in characteristically different gifted children, and illustrate that the consequences
are predominantly negative. In what is perceived as an unsympathetic educational environment, five out of the six
Types endure feelings of frustration, low self-esteem, isolation, difference, increasing disconnection from
education and learning, negative social behaviour, and unfulfilled potential. These profiles show how identification
is the critical first step to ensuring that the educational needs of gifted children are met.
The principal reason why gifted children ought to be identified is so they may obtain a better, more suitable
education (Hanson, 1992). Like all children, those with high academic ability deserve to be challenged, motivated,
encouraged, and given the opportunity to learn at a pace and depth that is appropriate for them. The widely
believed myth is that gifted children will succeed because their superior academic abilities will carry them through.
Brody (2002) notes that “the assumption is that gifted kids, because they are smart, will be able to make it
regardless of their setting, but that is not always the case.”
What is very often overlooked with gifted children are the social and emotional needs that strongly influence the
educational needs of all children. Terman and Oden (1959) found that some high ability students never made
effective use of their superior ability, because factors other than intelligence affected their life success. Whybra

(2000) identified the major needs of gifted and talented children as being recognition of their ability and
understanding of their social and emotional needs. In allowing gifted children to maximise their potential four
issues need to be addressed:
1. Firstly, gifted children need appropriate academic challenge. Too often their capabilities are not extended
by the curriculum, leading to boredom, dissatisfaction and aggravation. Students will only become motivated
and inspired, by challenging material and learning at a level that is apposite to their ability. Tomlinson and
Layne-Kalbfleisch (1998) discuss brain research which shows the physiological impact of children not
experiencing a curriculum appropriate to their ability. Where a child encounters material that is unchallenging
the brain fails to release appropriate levels of dopamine, noradrenalin and serotonin, all of which are required
for learning. Externally, this manifests itself as apathy. Tomlinson and Layne-Kalbfleisch (1998, p.53) note
that “the amassed understandings about how the brain works have added to our considerable research base on
the importance of developing and delivering curriculum and instruction that are responsive to individual
learning needs.” This demonstrates the importance of identification of specific learning needs so that gifted
children may access a curriculum that considers their special educational requirements.
2. Secondly gifted children need to feel they are valued by their education system. They need to experience a
place where they are encouraged to reach their potential and allowed to develop their natural curiosity. Most
gifted and talented children demonstrate an insatiable appetite for knowledge. Too often the questions posed
by gifted children remain forever unanswered as they fall outside the confines of the mainstream curriculum.
In this environment the gifted child will feel discouraged and may never prosper. Brain research shows the
importance of the classroom being perceived as a safe environment (Tomlinson & Layne-Kalbfleisch, 1998). In
a space where children feel intimidated, threatened or rejected, an excess of noradrenalin is produced and
results in a fight-flight response. This can manifest itself in the form of either misbehaviour or withdrawal.
This response is neither intentional, nor invented. It is a natural response when the brain’s primary response is
self-protection and not learning. In light of what was discussed by Betts and Neihart (1988) it appears that
flight is the all too frequent response.
3. Thirdly it is essential that gifted children find a peer group amongst whom they experience equivalence in
terms of their academic ability. This point is frequently misinterpreted by educators and the media as
meaning that high ability children cannot make friends. An erroneous stereotype has cultivated itself of the
isolated student who struggles to maintain social relationships and is obsessed with academia. The truth is that
many of gifted students can become isolated because they learn at a rate different to many of their peers.
Closer examination of a typical classroom reveals that high ability children are very much in the minority. In
any given classroom 68% of children will fall into the average ability range (IQ between 85 and 115), 14% into
the below average (IQ 70 to 85) and 14% in the above average range (IQ 115 to 130). Just 2% of children fall
into the high ability range, which in a classroom of 30 children equates to just one child. This is illustrated in
fig.2.1. At an early age they may have an extensive vocabulary which other young children may find difficult to
relate to and this can lead to feelings of isolation. Kolloff and Moore (1989) point out that the most critical
aspect for gifted students is to discover that there are young people out there who think like they do, who are
interested in the same ideas and who learn in similar ways. When they encounter peers who share a similar
academic ability, they find individuals with whom they can discuss their interests on a corresponding level,
without having to veil their ability.
Fig. 2.1 Wechsler Intelligence Scale (Encarta online, 2005)

4. The final need of a gifted student is to be accepted as an individual. Too often intellectually talented
children are made to conform to fit into mainstream schooling (Gross, 1999). So often the case, it has coined
the phrase “cutting down the tall poppies” (Gross, 1999, p.1). Gifted individuals have a unique way of looking
at things and of absorbing new information. Critical to them reaching their potential gifted students must be
permitted to learn in the way that comes naturally to them.
Along with the ethical or moral reasons, there is also a statutory obligation that compels schools to provide an
education that affords each child the chance to reach their potential. Enumerated in the Education Act (1998),
educational institutions need to cater for the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational
needs. It states that:
9. —A recognised school shall provide education to students which is appropriate to their abilities and needs
and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, it shall use its available resources to—
(a) ensure that the educational needs of all students, including those with a disability or other special
educational needs, are identified and provided for.
This places an onus on those closely involved in the education of any child to ensure that their special educational
needs are first of all identified and secondly provided for. It is therefore their duty to be keenly attuned to high
ability indicators or characteristics, so that appropriate interventions are installed in time to prevent the evolution
of destructive reactions that impede future educational advancement and achievement.
“Improving education for everyone is the goal for which we all strive; however, while we are doing that we
must make sure the needs of these underserved children are met. Remember, brain researchers tell us we
must use and challenge our brain or we will lose ability. Unless specially planned, school experiences seldom
challenge bright students. Identifying children with special needs is the only way to ensure that these needs
will be met. Gifted children are among that special needs group that muse be identified and served.”
(Clarke, 1988, cited in Encounters 2002-03)
Intelligence Testing
Primary schools regularly use standardised assessment tests to measure a student's performance. Examples of such
tests include; Drumcondra tests, Sigma-T and Micra-T. Standardised tests are norm-referenced meaning that a
child’s score is compared against a standard group of similarly aged children. This comparison allows the child’s
achievement level to be discerned and enables the teacher to see where the class and its students fit within a
national picture.
Standardised tests are designed in such a way that they clearly define
the ‘middle students’ in any test group. That is, their evaluation can
more sensitively discern children in the average range, but is less
precise at discriminating the abilities of children at the other ends of
the curve (purple areas – fig.1). Essentially these tests have a specific
number of easy, mediocre, difficult and complex questions. Few
children will be able to answer the complex questions, and for those
who can answer these with ease, a small number of complex questions
is not enough to allow clear definitions of their ability to be drawn.
For example, a given test contains five very complicated questions.
There is one gifted boy taking the test along with seven bright
children, and all of the children get all five questions correct in the test. With this test there is no way of
differentiating between the gifted and bright children in the class. If the test had 20 complex questions it is more
likely that the bright children would be able to answer 5-10 of the questions, while the gifted children would be
able to answer 15-20 of them. This approach is called out of level testing.
It is generally accepted that out of level testing is the most appropriate way to assess the abilities of gifted
children. This involves administering a standardised test that is geared for children 2-3 years older than the child
being assessed. This test will include more ‘tricky’ questions and will present a greater challenge. Scores are then
compared against the norm chart (for that age group). Usually children must fall into the 50% percentile or above
to qualify.

Qualifying Assessments
Eligibility for CTYI programmes can be found in a number of different ways.
• Normal Assessment at CTYI

6-7 Year Olds Assessment in Verbal and Abstract Reasoning
8-12 Year Olds Assessment in Verbal, Numerical and Abstract Reasoning
12-16 Year Olds Assessment in Verbal, Numerical and Writing Skills (PSAT or SAT)
• Internationally accepted Assessments for High Ability Students

ACT or similar state assessment (US students)
• Psychological Evaluation
Psychological evaluation gives a more comprehensive assessment of not only the possibility of high ability,
but also of learning disabilities. This approach is particularly important for children who are thought to
have high academic ability but also demonstrate a specific learning disability (i.e. twice exceptional)
psychological evaluation is the most appropriate course of action. Generally these students will not
perform well on normal CTYI assessments.
The most widely used assessment used by educational psychologists in the identification of talent is the
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. There are several forms of this assessment (WISC-R, WISC-III,
etc.). The WISC can be used on students aged between 6 and 16 years. The WISC contains two tests –
verbal and performance. The verbal test contains 6 subtests, while the performance test contains 5.
These subtests are explained in fig. 5.2.
Students are graded out of twenty in each subtest and their scores are added to give a Verbal IQ score and
a Performance IQ score. A combination of the two scores provides a composite or full scale score, which
reflects intelligence and is used to identify giftedness. Students taking the WISC-R may show high ability in
one or both areas. IQ scores and their classifications are outlined in table 3 below (Kaur Sandhu, 2006).
Subtest Explanation
Measures general knowledge and acquired information. Questions
Information
relating to common events, places, people and objects.
Similarities Measures logical abstract reasoning. How items go together.
Verbal Tests
Arithmetic Measures numerical ability. Mental arithmetic.

Word knowledge and usage, measures verbal fluency, explain word
Vocabulary
meaning
Comprehension Measures social comprehension and common sense.
Can repeat digit sequences, frontwards and in reverse. Measures
Digit Span
short term memory.
Picture Completion Visual discrimination skills – what’s missing in the picture.
Transcribes a code. Measures motor skills and non-verbal, short-
Coding
Performance Tests
term memory.
Arrange pictures in order to tell a story. Measures visual sequential
Picture Arrangement
skills.
Make patterns with cubes. Measures special awareness and non-
Block Design
verbal reasoning.
Measures the ability to see relationships among parts as in jigsaw
Object Assembly
puzzles.
Figure 2 - Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Verbal and Performance Subtests

IQ Percentile Range Classification
130 and above 98 to 99.99 Very Superior
120 to 129 91 to 97 Superior
110 to 119 75 to 90 High Average
90 to 109 25 to 73 Average
80 to 89 9 to 23 Low Average
70 to 79 2 to 8 Borderline
69 and below .01 to 2 Intellectual Deficient

Fig. 3 - Intelligence Test Scores Classification (Kaur Sandhu, 2006)
If a student reaches the ceiling of the WISC or similar assessment, the Stanford-Binet, form L-M is
sometimes utilised (Carolyn, 2005). Similar to the reasons for using out of level tests, using the Stanford-
Binet as a supplementary test provides a broader continuum wherein exceptionally high ability may be
plotted.
If your son/daughter has had an evaluation and you would like them to attend CTYI classes, a copy of the
report should be forwarded to CTYI, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, marked for the attention of Mr. Colm
O’Reilly. You must also include a covering letter (please include your contact details) and a report
evaluation fee of €40.
Cut Offs
There is a difficulty in establishing an assessment cut off. Children who fall just below the cut-off have very similar
needs to those who have made it. If IQ can be change at different times in ones lifetime, then test scores should
not be regarded as absolute. For this reason it is necessary to blur the lines somewhat and consider other
significant factors (nervousness on the test day, the possibility of dual exceptionality etc.). The Irish Centre for
Talented Youth allows a 5% margin of error below the defined cut-off for this reason.
Underachievement and In-level Tests

It must be remembered that not every child who is gifted will score highly on standardised tests and so schools
should not rely solely on these results. All too often they are taken as fixed and where underachievement is a
major issue in this area it is essential that other significant issues (e.g. examination of behaviour, interests and
history of the child’s performance is vital) are considered so that a complete picture may be formed. One needs to
be mindful of the characteristics and profiles put forward earlier. This is particularly important for twice
exceptional children.
Anxiety
One might argue that high level assessment of younger individual causes undue nervousness, apprehension and
unnecessary feelings of failure (if the case is such). It is only common sense to advise students taking the
assessment about exam preparation. CTYI recommends that students practice the sample questions or paper under
similar exam conditions. VanTassel-Baska (1986) also suggests forewarning prospective exam students that the
paper is quite difficult and not to worry if they feel as though they have not excelled. She adds that the test
should be approached as a new learning experience and students should prepare for it as they would for any other
exam.
Onus
CTYI judiciously accepts children and young people for testing, and will thoroughly discuss the process with parents
or teachers. Teachers should feel free to refer students to CTYI, where the child’s ability, prospects and readiness
for the test can be reviewed. It must be remembered that although under typical exam conditions, the atmosphere
is relaxed and children are put under no pressure. They are constantly reassured that the assessment may be
difficult, but that this is a good thing and they should try their best.
Use of Abstract Reasoning Assessments

Where giftedness and talent are given as an exceptional ability in logical-mathematical and/or linguistic/verbal
reasoning, assessment can prove challenging with children as young as 6 years of age. Abstract reasoning tests are
based on reasoning, logic and analytical ability. Particularly in mathematical reasoning where numerical symbols
and functions are still unlearned, the Irish Centre for Talented Youth uses the abstract reasoning assessment to
assess basic mental ability and mathematical aptitude in these young children. Test items are generally figurative,
with participants having to search for the next item in the sequence.

Individuals with high abstract reasoning abilities can learn and apply new material quickly and are capable tackling
complex problems.
Overall, the main point here is the need an awareness of the uses and limitations of each approach or tool in
identification. Once this is established it means that test scores are not regarded as absolute and their
interpretation is reasonable.
Labelling Children as Gifted…is this Good or Bad?

Placing a child in the gifted category brings with it debate on several levels. Inherently the practice of labelling
children as gifted is not generally regarded as harmful however it can and does carry implications for the child’s
self-concept. All things considered however the practice is believed to have positive ramifications but issues
around social responses have led to the question “is labelling really the correct thing to do.” With this in mind,
this section will approach the practice of labelling from a number of different perspectives. The first will look at
its impact on the gifted child themselves, leading into a discussion on how society regards giftedness. Parental and
sibling reactions to labelling will also be considered. To begin with, this section will examine the area of
awareness.
Awareness of Difference
“From her own, norm-referenced, perspective, from her observations of the (seemingly) late development
of reading, number or vocabulary in the other children she meets at pre-school or kindergarten, from her
awareness of the many ways in which her likes and dislikes differ from those of other children, and from
adults’ or older children’s comments about her own abilities or behaviour, the gifted child is likely to
become aware, at an early age, that she is different, in many ways, from the children around her.”
(Gross, 1999, p.5)
Kauffman (2005) believes that gifted children have an innate suspicion that they are different from their peers.
Gross (1999) believes that this instinctive discernment is influenced by several factors including personality, their
level of giftedness and their family’s reaction to the child’s difference. She asserts that frequently this inkling is
developed quite early on from overheard comments made by others of their advanced behaviour. On the other
hand Kauffman (2005) found that very often gifted children have no awareness of their superior academic abilities
and only see themselves as being different. By hiding or not effectively communicating the meaning of this
difference has potentially damaging consequences. She remarks that “many gifted kids who aren’t told why they
are different are convinced that they are weird or even stupid because they can’t make themselves understood.”
Kauffman (2005) is resolute that parents and teachers should not cover up this often very apparent difference.
“If adults treat that difference as something to be hidden, the intellectually gifted child will learn that
intellectual gifts are shameful and intellectual ability is to be hidden from others like a dirty secret. Since
it is a central part of the way they experience the world, they will learn to think of themselves as defective
and shameful, and grow up profoundly ambivalent about themselves and about being successful.”
(Kauffman, 2005)
“A reluctance to label does not eliminate the child’s feelings of differentness however, and a child isn’t
helped by pretending that a difference doesn’t exist. The usual result of doing this is the child’s conclusion
that the perceived difference is not to be spoken of, which in turn leads to shame and diminished self-
coherence”
(Greenspon, 1998, p.8)
Labelling may therefore be regarded as a therapeutic act, which helps the child to properly understand the nature
of their diversity. Teachers and parents however should be watchful of changes in the way the child interacts with
other children and also of any changes in their own expectations. Research has found that teachers often overlook
the developmental needs of the gifted focusing mainly their cognitive abilities (Howard-Hamilton & Franks, 1995).
Self-concept
Self-concept relates to the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions that an individual believes accurately denotes them as a
person, e.g. their skills, abilities, appearance, social acceptability. Like many theorists, Yan and Haihui (2005)
believe that self-concept develops out of interpersonal relationships or “individual experiences in the social
environment” (p.225). Closer examination of the social environment is required to elucidate who are these
influences within this environment.
As outlined above, gifted children are not ignorant of the comments made by others about their academic facility.
Many authors remark that gifted children quite often encounter negative reaction toward their exceptional ability
(Bailey, 1999; Gross, 1998; Greenspon, 1998). It would appear that excelling in non-academic pursuits is socially
acceptable, but academic precocity is met with mixed responses, most of which are unreasonably negative.
“Community attitudes toward giftedness differ depending on the domain in which it is cited. Physical
precocity, such as talent in sport and athletics, is much more readily tolerated than intellectual precocity.
Gifted students become aware of this at surprisingly early ages and it strongly affects the attitudes and
behaviours they adopt with age-peers.”
(Gross, 1998, p.4)
If self-concept is shaped predominantly by social interactions, it is easy to see that the gifted individual will quickly
regard academic talent in the way that is done so by those around them. If the social response is negative, this will
have a detrimental affect on self-concept.
One widely held misconception is that labelling a child as gifted will trigger sentiments of supremacy, arrogance
and give the child and their parents a “swelled head.” While these may be reasonable concerns, they should be
regarded as secondary to the child’s own need to “maintain a coherent self” (Greenspon, 1998). In fact Gross
(1999) has found quite the opposite to be the case – gifted children behave in a manner consistent with the social
or behavioural norm for their age. Children as young as four have been found to revert to acting dependent in a
bid to conform. Silverman (1989, cited in Gross, 1999) describes a five year old girl who would imitate the baby-
talk demonstrated by her peers even though her speech was well beyond her chronological age. She would look for
assistance from her teacher to zip up her jacket in order to fit in with her class, although she had mastered her
zipper a year beforehand. Such intentional suppression indicates that children, even at an early age, are more
concerned with fitting in than asserting supremacy.
Robinson (1993) found that gifted children engage in social comparisons significantly earlier than their peers. In
situations with their peer-group they quickly change the behaviour to mirror that of other children in their class.
A study by Cross, Coleman and Stewart (1993) revealed that school students, teachers and administration engage in
informal labelling. They found this to have quite a potent, and very often insidious, affect on the student.
Research by Bailey (1998) reported similar findings and found that stereotyping was regarded as one of the more
negative attributes of being labelled gifted (see Fig. 4). Bailey’s research ranked the top five positive and negative
attributes of being gifted from a small sample of adolescents attending a programme for gifted and talented
students. Upon closer examination it becomes apparent that all of the negative attributes listed are externally-
linked, i.e. dependent on social interactions, while the positive aspects of being labelled gifted are predominantly
internally linked.
Positive Perceptions Negative Perceptions
Internal Gratification
Pressure and expectations from parents
(positive sense of accomplishment)
Identity Stereotypes
(feelings of being unique) (labelled a nerd, know-it-all, teacher’s pet)
Advanced learning in school Pressure and expectations from teachers
Peers using work/cheating (being taken

Interaction with other gifted students
advantage of)
Special experiences in gifted and The lack of guidance from the teacher in the
talented classes classroom
Fig 4. Top Five Attributes (most to least) (Bailey, 1998)
Effect on Sibling Relationships

An area worthy of mention is the effect of labelling on other children, particularly the effect on non-gifted siblings.
Previous research found that non-gifted siblings suffered from lower self-esteem and had adjustment problems
(Cornell, 1983). Renzulli and McGreevy (1986) however found that a non-gifted twin did not endure any significant
long term difficulties, when their gifted twin was placed in a school gifted programme. It is however widely held
that parental labelling has a greater impact on family reactions to the gifted child than placing a gifted child in a
separate school programme (Cornell, 1986). Later research by Cornell (1993) centred on the affect of maternal
labelling of gifted children on sibling relationships. The most significant conclusion was that maternal “labelling
was associated with a more positive report of the sibling relationship when firstborns were labelled, but a less
positive report of the relationship when second-borns were labelled” (Cornell, 1993, p.5). He believes that parents
are more likely to see high ability in firstborns than in second-borns, even though the second-born may be gifted
while the firstborn is not. This, he believes can cause sibling upset when the balance has been realigned.

“Parents frequently express concern over the labelling of one child and the impact it has on the unlabelled
sibling. The results of this study suggest that labelling is not necessarily associated with negative effects
on the sibling relationship. However, labelling effects differ as a function of birth order. While labelling is
associated with a more positive relationship when firstborns are labelled, the relationship is less positive
when secondborns are labelled.”
(Cornell, 1993, p.7)
The fundamental reason for explaining to children with highly attuned academic abilities that they are different to
other children in some ways is to help them understand clearly, openly and unambiguously why their experience of
the world may be unlike the experiences of others. For this reason many authors (Kauffman, 2005; Greenspon,
1998; Cornell, 1993; Gross, 1999) endorse labelling as a means of helping gifted children appreciate the difference
they encounter. Labelling by parents should be approached with care in light of what the research has found in
terms of sibling relationships. However if we are to label children as gifted, there is an onus on educators to
understand what this means and to lead the way in enlightening those to what it means to be gifted, to banish the
negative stereotypes that rankle it’s true meaning.

References
Betts, G., and Niehart, M. (1988). “Profiles of the Gifted and Talented.” Gifted Child Quarterly, 1988.
Bailey, K. (1998). Gifted and Talented: Exploring the Positive and Negative Aspects of Labeling. Roeper Review,
Dec.1998.
Brody, L.E. ,Assouline, S.G., & Stanley, J.C. (1990). Five years of early entrants: predicting successful achievement
in college. Gifted Child Quarterly, 34 (4) 138-142
Cornell, D.G. (1993). Maternal Labeling of Gifted Children: Effects on the Sibling Relationship. Exceptional
Children, Mar. 1993.
Greenspon, T.S. (1998). The Gifted Self: It’s Role in the Development and Emotional Health. Roeper Review, Feb.
1998
Howard-Hamilton, M, Franks, B.A. (1995). Gifted Adolescents: Psychological Behaviours, Values and developmental
Implications. Roeper Review, Feb 1995, Vol. 17, Issue 3, p.186-191.
Kauffman, D. (2005). Should we tell them they’re Gifted? Should we tell them How Gifted? [online]. Available
from: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/how_gifted.htm [8 December 2005]
Kaur Sandhu, I. (2006). Intelligence Test Scores Classifications [online]. Available from: http://www.brainy-
child.com/expert/iq-test-score.shtml [Accessed 15 February 2006]
Szabos, J. “The Gifted and Talented Child.” Maryland Council for Gifted & Talented Children, Inc. [online].
Available from: http://www.tagfam.org/whoisgifted.html. [Accessed: 12 December 2005]
Yan, K., Haihui, Z. (2005). A Decade of Comparison: Self-concept of Gifted and Non-gifted Adolescents.
International Education Journal, Vol. 6, No.2, p.224-231.

Gifted Related Websites of interest to Parents/Teachers
Eric Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education

http://eric.hoagiesgifted.org
Duke University, Talent Identification Programme: Parents Newsletter

http://www.dukegiftedletter.com
The Hollingworth Center for Highly Gifted Children

A National Volunteer Resource and Support Network for Highly Gifted Children, their Families, Schools etc.
http://www.hollingworth.org/
Gifted Monthly newsletter

http://www.giftedmonthly.homestead.com/
The Council for Exceptional Children

http://www.cec.sped.org
ScoilNet - Helpful information for parents/teachers/students on Irish Education

http://www.scoilnet.ie
ACLD – Association for Children with Learning Difficulties

http://www.iol.ie/~acld/
Research Journals & Papers
Roeper Review – A journal on Gifted Education

Some articles are available on Google Scholar (http://www.scholar.google.com )
Resources Center for Talent Development, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA

http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/resources/
Research Bibliography from Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
http://www.jhu.edu/gifted/research/biblio.html
Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Issues

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/gt_ld/jld_gtld.html
Imagine a magazine for Talented Youth – Published by CTY, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
http://www.jhu.edu/gifted/imagine/
High Ability Studies

Some articles are available on Google Scholar (http://www.scholar.google.com)

Reference Books
• General Reading
Delisle J. R. (2002) Barefoot Irreverence – A Collection of Writings on Gifted Child Education. Prufrock: Texas.
Johnsen, S. K. (2004). Identifying Gifted Students – A Practical Guide. Prufrock: Texas.
Ochse, R. A. (1990). Before the Gates of Excellence: The Determinants of Creative Genius. Cambridge University
Press.
Radford, J. (1990). Child Prodigies & Exceptional Early Achievers. Free Pr.:
Sousa, D.A. (2006). How the Brain Learns (3rd Ed.). Corwin: California.
Sousa, D.A. (2005). How the Brain Learns to Read. Corwin: California.
Sousa, D.A. (2003). How the Gifted Brain Learns. Corwin: California.
• Parenting Gifted & Talented Children
Kellmer Pringle, M.L. (1992). The Needs of Children – A Personal Perspective (3rd Ed). Routledge: Oxford.
Leyden, S. (1985). Helping the Child of Exceptional Ability (Croome Helme Special Education Series). Routledge,
Kegan & Paul: Oxford.
Matthews, D.J., Foster, J.F. (2005). Being Smart about Gifted Children – A Guidebook for Parents and Educators.
Great Potential: Arizona.
Porter, L. (2005). Gifted Young Children – A guide for teachers and parents (2nd Ed). Open University: Berkshire.
Yahnke-Walker, S. (2002). The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids – How to Understand, Live With, and Stick
Up for Your Gifted Child. Free Spirit: Minnesota.
Galbraith, J., Delisle, J. (1996). The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide – A Teen Handbook. Free Spirit: Minnesota.
Freeman, J (1991). Gifted Children Growing Up. Cassell:
• Psychology
Freeman, J (1985). Psychology of Gifted Children: Perspectives on Development and Education (Wiley Series in
Developmental Psychology and its Applications). Wiley: Chichester.
• Social & Emotional Issues
Delisle, J., Galbraith, J. (2002). When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers – How to Meet their Social and
Emotional Needs. Free Spirit: Minnesota.
Freeman, J (1991). Gifted Children Growing Up. Cassell:
Kellmer Pringle, M.L. (1970). Able misfits: a study of educational and behaviour difficulties of 103 very intelligent
children: (IQs 120-200) (Studies in child development). Longman: London.
Stopper, M.J. (ed) (2000). Meeting the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted and Talented Children. NACE/Fulton:
London.
Neihart, M., Reis, S.M., Robinson, N.M, Moon, S.M., (2002). The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted
Children – What do We Know? Prufrock: Texas.
• Inclusion
Hymer, B. & Michel, D. (2002). Gifted & Talented Learners – Creating a Policy for Inclusion. NACE/Fulton: London.
Smyth, C.M.M. (ed) (2006). Including the Gifted and Talented – Making inclusion work for more gifted and able
learners. Routledge: London.

• Teaching Gifted Students
Clarke, C. & Callow, R. (2002). Educating the Gifted and Talented – Resource Issues and Processes for Teachers
(2nd Ed). NACE/Fulton: London.
Educational Resources for Academically Talented Adolescents. JHU Center for Talented Youth (1994).
Fisher, R. (2005). Teaching Children to Think. Nelson Thornes: Glos.
Kerry, Trevor. Teaching Gifted Children in a Mixed Ability Class. Macmillan Education
Koshy, V. (2001). Teaching Mathematics to Able Children. Fulton: London.
Koshy, V. (2002). Teaching Gifted Children 4-7. Fulton: London.
Matthews, D.J., Foster, J.F. (2005). Being Smart about Gifted Children – A Guidebook for Parents and Educators.
Great Potential: Arizona.
Porter, L. (2005). Gifted Young Children – A guide for teachers and parents (2nd Ed). Open University: Berkshire.
Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The Differentiated Classroom – Responding to the Needs of All Learners. ASCD:
Vancouver.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms (2nd Ed). ASCD: Vancouver.
Wallace, B. (2006). Teaching the Very Able Child - Developing a Policy & Adopting Strategies for Provision.
NACE/Fulton: London.
Young, P. & Tyre, C. (1992). Gifted or Able?: Realizing Children's Potential (Children With Special Needs Series).
Open University Press.
Adderholdt, M. & Goldberg, J. (1999). Perfectionism – What’s Bad about Being Too Good? Free Spirit: Minnesota.
• Dual Exceptionality
Sousa, D.A. (2001). How the Special Needs Brain Learns. Corwin: California.
Braithwaite, A. (2003). Dyslexia. Happy Cat: London
Johnsen, S. K. & Kendrick, J. (2005). Teaching Gifted Students with Disabilities. Prufrock: Texas. (a Gifted Child
Today reader).
Lovecky, D.V. (2004). Different Minds – Gifted Children with AD/HD, Asperger Syndrome, and Other Learning
Deficits. Kingley: London
The Gifted Learning Disabled Student. JHU Center for Talented Youth (1991).
Webb, J.T., Amend, E.R., Webb, N.E., Goerss, J., Beljan, P., Olenchak, F.R. (2005). Misdiagnosis and Dual
Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults. Great Potential: Arizona.

Useful Addresses
Irish Association for Gifted Children (An Óige Thréitheach)
Address: Carmichael House, 4 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7
Telephone: 8735702
Fax: 8735737
Web: http://homepage.tinet.ie/~iagc/iagc.htm
• Coffee Evenings
The Irish Association for Gifted Children hold coffee evenings which act as informal information
sessions for members and prospective members. These are held on the first Friday of every month in
school terms at 8.00 pm at the above address. There is no charge.
• Members Meetings
The Association hold meetings for all members every three months, with speakers, to discuss topics
which are of relevance to the needs and interests of highly able children.
• Newsletter
A newsletter is produced by the association several times a year.
• Publication
“Understanding Gifted Children - A Parent & Teacher Guide”
Contact: The Irish Association for Gifted Children for further details.
National Association for Gifted Children

Address: Suite 14. Challenge House, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Bucks. MK3 6DP, UK
Telephone: 00 44 870 7703217
Web: http://www.nagcbritain.org.uk
Email: amazingchildren@nagcbritain.org.uk
National Association for Able Children in Education

Address: P.O. BOX 242, Arnolds Way, Oxford OX2 9FR, UK
Telephone: 0044 1865 861879
Fax: 0044 1865 861880
Web: http://www.nace.co.uk/
Email: info@nace.co.uk
Chess Ireland
Address: 66 Kincora Grove, Clontarf, Dublin 3
Web: http://www.irishchess.com/ (Website Newsletter with links to various other Irish Chess
websites)
Astronomy Ireland
Address: Freepost, PO Box 2888, Dublin 5
Telephone: David Moore: (01) 8470777
Web: http://www.astronomy.ie
Email: info@astronomy.ie
Irish Astronomical Society (founded 1937)

Address : PO Box 2547, Dublin 11
Telephone: (01) 8641382
Web: http://www.irishastrosoc.org/
Dublin Naturalist’s Field Club

Address: Honorary Secretary Gerry Sharkey, 81 Jamestown Road, Finglas, Dublin 11.
Web: http://www.dnfc.net/
Email: dnfc @ eircom.net
Armagh Planetarium
Address: College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DB
Telephone: 048 3752 3689
Fax: 048 3752 6187
Web: http://www.armaghplanet.com
Email: info@armaghplanet.com

Young Science Writers Competition
Address: Dr Claire Mulhall, Science & Technology, RDS Foundation Department, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Tel: (01) 240 7217
Fax: (01) 660 4014
Web: http://www.rds.ie/home/index.aspx?id=688
Email: science@rds.ie
The Young Science Writers Competition was launched in 1993 to promote science communication to
secondary students and to encourage students to conduct their own piece of research and report on it. The
awards are launched in February each year and the winners are announced in September. The awards are
segmented into age groups (12&13, 14-16, and 17-19) and there are two categories in the Awards:
Science Fact: journalistic style or report

Science Fiction: short story
Irish Mathematics Olympiad Training
Web: http://www.maths.nuim.ie/links/olympiad.htm
Irish Science Olympiad

Contact: Michael A. Cotter, ISO Director, Dublin City University, Dublin 9.
Web: http://www.dcu.ie/olympiads/index.shtml
Email: iso@dcu.ie
Post-primary students under 20 years of age

Arrange competitions below to select students to represent Ireland at International Science Olympiads
Physics, Chemistry or Biology
Deadline 21st December 2006
The Geographical Society of Ireland

Contact: Dr. Niamh Moore, Hon Secretary, c/o School of Geography, Planning and Environmental
Policy, E001 Newman Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4.
Contact: Dr Ronan Foley , c/o Dept. of Geography, NUI Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare.
Tel: (01) 716 8179 – Dr. Moore, (01) 708 6024 – Dr. Foley
Web: http://www.geographical-society-ireland.org/
Programme of seminars and fieldtrips for its members.
The Ark
Address: Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 6707788
Fax: (01) 6707758
Web: http://www.ark.ie
Provides cultural programmes for children aged between 4 and 14 years of age.
Irish Peatland Conservation Council (Comhairle Chaomhnaithe Phortaigh na hÉireann)

Address: 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1
Tel: 01-8722397
Web: http://www.ipcc.ie
Email: info@ipcc.ie
The IPCC is an independent conservation charity. Established 15 years ago to campaign for the
conservation of a representative sample of living intact Irish bogs and peatlands looking for support.
Their conservation work includes:
* providing resources and training for teachers and education
* repairing damaged bogs
* fostering a positive attitude towards bogs
An Taisce
Address: Tailor's Hall, Back Lane, Dublin 8
Web: http://www.antaisce.org
Tel: (01) 4541786
Fax: (01) 4533255

Environmental Education Programmes
Irish Wildlife Trust (Wildwatch)

Address: Sigmund Business Centre, 93A Lagan Road, Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin 11.
Tel: (01) 8602839
Fax: (01) 8308914
Web: http://www.iwt.ie
Birdwatch Ireland
Address: 1, Springmount, NewtownMountKennedy, Co. Wicklow Ireland
Tel: (01) 2819878
Web: http://www.birdwatchireland.ie
Architectural Association of Ireland

Address: 8 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Web: http://www.irish-architecture.com/aai/
Tel: (01) 6614100
Fax: (01) 6614150
The AAI was founded in 1896 'to promote and afford facilities for the study of architecture and the allied
sciences and arts, and to provide a medium of friendly communication between members and others
interested in the progress of architecture'. It sponsors a public lecture series and annual awards
Literary Competitions for Young People

Gerald Manly Hopkins Poetry Competition
Address: Monasterevin, Co. Kildare
Tel: (045) 525416
Contact: Richard O’Rourke
Deadline: June
Listowel Writers Week: Kerry County Council Creative Writing for Youth
Address: Writers' Week, 24 The Square, Listowel, Co. Kerry
Web: http://www.writersweek.ie/competitions.htm
Email: info@writersweek.ie
Tel: 068 21074
Contact: Eilish Wren
Deadline: March
Carlingford Lough Young Writers Circle (Short Stories or Poetry)

Address: 3 St Oliver's Park , Carlingford, Co. Louth
Contact: John Haugh
Tel: 042 9373284
Deadline: May
Cecil Day Lewis Awards,

Address: Athy Urban District Council, Rathstewart, Athy, Co. Kildare
Contact: Pat Henshaw
Tel: 0507 38968
Deadline: November
Clonmel Writers Weekend Library Competition

Contact: Marie Boland, Secretary Clonmel Library
Tel: 052 24545
Deadline: July
Craven Poetry Competition

Contact: Willie Treacy, Shortstone, Hackballs Cross, Dundalk, Co Louth
Tel: 042 9377110
Deadline: March

Feile Filiochta International Poetry Competition
Address: Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Counil Public Library, PO Box 6983
Web: http://www.dlrcoco.ie/feile/feile06/index.html
Email: cpeoples@dlrcoco.ie or mkeyes@dlrcoco.ie
Tel: (01) 278 1788
Fax: (01) 278 1792
Deadline: October
Patrick MacGill Summer School

Address: Nora Breslin, Buncrubog, Glenties, Co Donegal
Web: http://www.patrickmacgill.com
Tel: 074 9551103
Email: mulholj@iol.ie
Irish Writers Centre

Address: 19 Parnell Square Dublin 1
Web: http://www.writerscentre.ie
Email: info@writerscentre.ie
Tel: (01) 8721302
IFS Young Business Writer of the Year

DCU Business School, Dublin 9. Tel 7005659
Deadline December
Young Science Writers Competition

Address: Dr Claire Mulhall, Science & Technology, RDS Foundation Department, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Web: http://www.rds.ie/home/index.aspx?id=688
Email: science@rds.ie
Tel: (01) 240 7217
Fax: (01) 660 4014
Ages: 12 - 19 years
Arts and Disability Ireland

Web: http://www.communityartsireland.com
Address: Create, 10/11 Earl Street South, Dublin 8.
Tel: 473 6600
Email: adi@artsincontext.com
Contact: Sandy Fitzgerald or Niamh Fawl, Programme Manager
Ages: 12 - 18
(Play on theme of disability for four actors)

Resource Material
ETC Consult 17 Leeson Pk, Dublin 6 (01) 4971749 or 4972067
For materials, books etc. for parents and teachers of highly able children.
Creative Learning Press http://www.creativelearningpress.com
Morris School Supplies 60 Springfield Avenue, Templeogue, Dublin 6W (01) 4905917

• Beals, Graeme The Write Approach to Imaginative Writing
• Wiltshire, Alan Three Dimensions and Impossible Solids
• Sherard, Wade H. Logic Number Problems
• Seymour, D & Beardslee, E Critical Thinking Activities
Jasonia Business Centre Serviced Offices, 76 Dame Street, Dublin 2 (01) 6773808
• Good Apple Range
• Hite, Nancy Pocket Book of Puzzles
• Daniel, B & C Thinker Sheets
• Palumbo, T Tuesday Timely Teasers
• Holt McGee, B Global Geography
• Embry, Lynn Scientific Encounters of the Endangered Kind
• Embry, Lynn Math around the world
Surgisales Teaching Aids Ltd 252 Harolds Cross Road, Dublin 6 (01) 4966688
http://www.staeducational.com
• Cambridge Primary Mathematics Module 7 Puzzle Pack
• Goldsmith, Peter Puzzle Me!
• Goldsmith, Peter Puzzle Me 2
• Evans, Arthur J. Looking and Thinking
• Bell, Philip Collins Educational Spelling 3 Age 10/11
Prim-
Prim-Ed Publishing Bosheen, New Ross, Wexford (051) 440075
http://www.prim-ed.com
• Problem Solving with language Age 9/12
• Dictionary Skills Middle/Upper Primary
• Close, Sean Mathimagination
• Emmet, Eric Puffin Book of Teasers (ISBN 0140322442)
• Brookes, Bruno I’ve half a mind to scream (Armada, ISBN 000693173L)
• Greenham, Geoff The Book of Kells Colouring Book
Aquila Aquila, Freepost BR1158, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 2BR UK

http://www.aquila.co.uk
• Monthly magazine available on subscription IR£31.50 annually - good for younger children lots of puzzles
and activities.
DFKL Contact Lucy Kilroy (01)8326882

• Suppliers of educational computer software and books.
School Book Fair Unit 89E Lagan Road, Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin 11
Freephone: 1800 272321
Email jd-schbookfairs@clubi.ie
• Provide teacher resource materials eg. Read and respond … as well as Book Fairs.

Web pages of interest to Students
• Science
New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com
BBC Tomorrow’s World http://bbc.co.uk/tw/
Double Helix Science Club http://www.csiro.au/helix/
Try Science http://www.tryscience.org/
Science Worlds http://www.sciencenet.org.uk
Edible/Inedible Experiments Archive! http://www.madsci.org/experiments/
Science.ie http://www.science.ie
International Astronomical Youth Camp http://www.iayc.org/
Odyssey of the Mind http://www.odysseyofthemind.com
How Stuff Works http://www.howstuffworks.com
How Things work http://howthingswork.virginia.edu
Girls Go Tech http://www.girlsgotech.org
Physics Puzzles http://www.afunzone.com/Physics.html
Kids Domain http://www.kidsdomain.com/
The Guardians http://www.theguardians.com/index.html
Physics Puzzles http://www.ph.bham.ac.uk/prospective/schools/puzzles
• Maths
Mega Mathematical http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math
Mathmastery.com http://www.mathmastery.com/dailybrains
Brain Teasers & Puzzles: Brain Bashers http://www.brainbashers.com/
Maths Forum: Maths Software http://mathforum.org/arithmetic/arith.software.html
• Writing
eWriteLife http://www.ewritelife.com
Purdue University Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
• Astronomy
National Space Society http://www.nss.org/
European Space Agency http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html
Views of the solar system http://www.solarviews.com
Welcome to the Planets http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets
Ask a Space Scientist about… http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/ask/astravel.html

• Geography
Geography & the Environment
Ask a Volcanologist http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/ask_a.html
Ask a Geologist http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/ask-a-geologist
Sustainable Energy Ireland http://www.sei.ie/home/index.asp
National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
Irish Archaeology http://www.xs4all.nl/~tbreen/links.html

Exploring the Environment http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/modules.html
Software of Interest
DISKOVERY Educational Software
http://www.diskovery.ie/
Master of Orion Players guide 10 possible races to galactic domination through exploration,
strategy, diplomacy and research.
http://moo3.quicksilver.com
Encarta Multimedia encyclopaedia - try out the Mind Maze quiz game
http://www.microsoft.com/education/lessonplans.mspx
The Ultimate Human Body (DK) Dorling Kindersley software – available from http://www.amazon.co.uk
Sim City 4 Urban planning with a model city that lives and grows
http://simcity.ea.com
Transport Tycoon Build up your own trucking/railway/shipping/airline empire.

http://www.classicgamingpresents.com/catalog/product_info.php?product
s_id=48

Puzzles
Some number puzzles for fun!
Some numbers have rather peculiar properties. All of those referred to below have two digit numbers.
A. Find a number whose double exceeds its half by 99
B. Find a number which is twice the product of its digits
C. Find a number which thrice the sum of its digits
D. Find a number whose half exceeds its third by the sum of its digits
E. Find a number which is increased by one fifth of its value if the order of its digits is reversed.
F. Find a number which differs from its reverse by twice the product of its digits.
G. Find a number which if turned upside down will be increased by 12.
One Billion Mazes http://www.onebillionmazes.com
The Ultimate Puzzle Site http://www.puzzle.dse.nl/index_us.html
Kids Brain Games http://www.kidbraingames.com
Answers:
Some number puzzles for fun!
A 66
B 36
C 27
D 54
E 45
F 39 AND 93
G 86 (which upside down looks like 98)

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INFORMATION FOR

CTYI Information Pack © 1

Identification across the Age Range

Bright Child Gifted Child

CTYI Information Pack © 2

General Behavioural Characteristics

CTYI Information Pack © 3

Type I – The Successful

CTYI Information Pack © 4

Type III – The Underground

CTYI Information Pack © 5

Type IV – The Dropouts

Type V – The Double Labelled

CTYI Information Pack © 6

The Double Labelled

Type VI – The Autonomous Learner

The Autonomous learner

CTYI Information Pack © 7

12. Observes keenly and is responsive to new ideas.

Who is Gifted and Who is Not?

CTYI Information Pack © 9

Why should we identify gifted children?

CTYI Information Pack © 10

Fig. 2.1 Wechsler Intelligence Scale (Encarta online, 2005)

CTYI Information Pack © 11

CTYI Information Pack © 12

• Normal Assessment at CTYI

• Internationally accepted Assessments for High Ability Students

Arithmetic Measures numerical ability. Mental arithmetic.

CTYI Information Pack © 13

120 to 129 91 to 97 Superior

110 to 119 75 to 90 High Average

69 and below .01 to 2 Intellectual Deficient

Underachievement and In-level Tests

Use of Abstract Reasoning Assessments

CTYI Information Pack © 14

Labelling Children as Gifted…is this Good or Bad?

Positive Perceptions Negative Perceptions

Advanced learning in school Pressure and expectations from teachers

Peers using work/cheating (being taken

Effect on Sibling Relationships

CTYI Information Pack © 16

CTYI Information Pack © 17

CTYI Information Pack © 18

Eric Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education

Duke University, Talent Identification Programme: Parents Newsletter

The Hollingworth Center for Highly Gifted Children

Gifted Monthly newsletter

The Council for Exceptional Children

ScoilNet - Helpful information for parents/teachers/students on Irish Education

ACLD – Association for Children with Learning Difficulties

Research Journals & Papers

Roeper Review – A journal on Gifted Education

Resources Center for Talent Development, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA

Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Issues

High Ability Studies

CTYI Information Pack © 19

Johnsen, S. K. (2004). Identifying Gifted Students – A Practical Guide. Prufrock: Texas.

• Parenting Gifted & Talented Children

Freeman, J (1991). Gifted Children Growing Up. Cassell:

• Social & Emotional Issues

Freeman, J (1991). Gifted Children Growing Up. Cassell:

CTYI Information Pack © 20

Fisher, R. (2005). Teaching Children to Think. Nelson Thornes: Glos.