Despite the sorry state of gifted education in America and the forces pushing gifted students toward the lowest common denominator, some gifted children do have successful schooling experiences and childhoods that are not marred by an appalling waste of time and talent. These children tend to have parents who realize that their sons and daughters are exceptional, and like other exceptional children, these young people have special needs.    - Genius Denied, p.77

Questions and Answers

Is my child gifted? There are many definitions of giftedness and equally as many ways to formally identify whether or not a child is gifted.  The best place to start is to determine whether or not your child demonstrates the following characteristics: a precocious ability to think abstractly  a need for constant mental stimulation  an ability to learn and process information quickly a precocious ability to perceive patterns and form connections a prodigious ability within a particular area, such as math, music. etc   Should I have my child tested to determine his/her IQ? Having a child tested solely to assign a number to his/her abilities is not recommended, particularly in very young children.  Rather, assessments should only be administered to inform educational placement.  IQ tests are most valid and reliable when they are administered to children between the ages of 4 - 9.  Although, there are some tests designed for use with older children and adolescents.  A quality testing experience will include both IQ and achievement tests, which will help to determine the most appropriate academic placement.  We recommend reading A place to start: Is my child gifted? for more information.     How do I find a mentor for my son/daughter? Locating a mentor for your child can be an extensive process. Before taking on this task, you may want to consider if your child is ready for a mentorship. A mentoring partnership can be very rewarding; however, it requires significant responsibilities to make it successful for both parties. You may want to consider what kind of mentorship would be the best fit for your child. Would he/she prefer a face-to-face or an online mentor? Your child may already have fields of interests. If there are more than one, assist him/her in narrowing them down. For example, if your child enjoys science, try to pinpoint a specific science topic. Does your child have a project in mind? What will she/he and the mentor be working on? Once you have established these steps, you are now ready to begin researching potential mentors. Professional and religious organizations, universities and colleges, community groups, and museums and science centers are all good sources for potential mentors. For more information about how to search for a mentor, different types of mentoring relationships, and what characteristics great mentors and mentees have, we recommend reading Mentorships: A Guidebook (PDF).     Do you have a question?  If so, Ask Us. We will periodically update this page with questions we receive from you answered by the team of experts at the Davidson Institute for Talent Development.

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