How Can I Tell If My Child Is Gifted?

An IQ test is a standardized method for determining a person's mental ability, usually relative to a peer group. IQ scores between 90 and 109 indicate normal or average intelligence. IQ remains a popular tool for job placement and educational services, particularly to help place children in a setting suited to their educational needs.

• An IQ score is a numerical representation of an individual's intelligence within a normalized scale of test results.
• Most modern tests are set so that the average score is 100.
• An IQ score is a combination or average of several scores.

The questions on an intelligence test assess several categories, such as working memory, verbal comprehension, processing speed and perceptual reasoning. All of these individual scores are combined to produce your overall average IQ. Average IQ scores are usually a combination of verbal and performance scales. Individuals are often stronger in one area than another; therefore, combining these scores can better determine intelligence.

IQ tests usually focus on the following abilities of a person:

• Memory
• Mathematical skills
• Reasoning ability
• Processing speed
• Language, including vocabulary
• Visual-spatial processing (the ability to perceive, analyze, remember and organize images oriented in space and to track the location of moving objects)

Scientists and psychologists began designing tests to assess intelligence in the late 1800s. In 1905, French psychologist Alfred Binet designed the first intelligence test. Shortly afterward, German psychologist William Stern developed a more accurate method for estimating mental acuity and coined the term “intelligence quotient.” Research on IQ continues as more versatile tests are designed to include other skills, such as social, emotional and physical skills and what is known as practical intelligence, or “common sense.”

What Factors Affect a Person's IQ?

Many factors can affect a person's IQ, for example:

• Age – IQ increases with age and declines in old age
• Educational background
• Cultural practices and beliefs
• General health, including any underlying health conditions
• Environment
• Genetics
• Music education
• Brain anatomy

In short, although IQ is widely used to measure a person's intelligence, the concept of IQ has been significantly discredited over the years.

• Researchers argue that the IQ calculation may not be comprehensive enough to classify a person as more or less intelligent. Intelligence has many facets, including spiritual, emotional and creative aspects.
• People with a high IQ may not necessarily perform well under different conditions, including different levels of physical and mental stress, while some people with a normal IQ may perform exceptionally well under stressful conditions.
• Classifying people by IQ can lead to prejudice against people with lower IQs. People have even formed groups for those with a certain IQ level.

Your IQ score does not define you and has no bearing on how successful your life is. IQ does not measure the abilities that are important for making good decisions in real-life situations. For this reason, intelligence can extend far beyond the limits of IQ, because a person's work productivity, ability to adapt to life situations and emotional health cannot be predicted from their IQ score.

What Is the Average IQ?

A score of 100 is said to be the average IQ, and any score above it is above average intelligence for the person's age. IQ is based on a statistical calculation that takes into account the people expected to have a certain IQ. For this reason, an individual's IQ score is calculated relative to their age-based peer group. A person's IQ does not exist in isolation. An IQ score represents how a person's results compare with those of other people their age.

What Are the Differences Between Aptitude Tests and IQ Tests?

The differences between aptitude tests and intelligence quotient (IQ) tests are as follows:

Aptitude Tests

Most aptitude tests assess a specific set of skills; cognitive ability tests can measure a wide range of abilities and provide separate scores for each ability. Cognitive ability testing can be done through standard tests or game-based assessments.

Cognitive ability testing can be done through standard tests or game-based assessments.

• These tests can measure specific areas of intelligence.
• Age has no effect.
• Each category has its own score.
• These tests are quite predictive of job performance.
• They are most commonly used as pre-employment tests.

IQ Tests

These are standard tests that cover a wide range of questions, usually including logical, visual, spatial, classification, analogy and pattern-based questions. IQ is determined by the deviation between your test score and the average test score of people your age. IQ is considered a rough measure of general intelligence.

• These tests measure general intelligence.
• Age is used to determine the IQ score.
• A single overall score is given.
• They are moderately predictive of job performance.
• They are most commonly used in research, education and psychiatric assessment.

How Can You Tell If Your Child Is Gifted?

Determining whether your child is gifted is not an easy task; there is an abundance of definitions, characteristics, assessments, theories and information, much of which we assume you have probably already discovered. There are many ways to determine whether a child is gifted. At its core, as stated in the definition of “What is giftedness?”, it is described as “children are gifted when their abilities are significantly above the norm for their age.” These abilities can be displayed in various areas: creativity, intellect and musicality, or academically in specific subject areas such as mathematics, language arts or science.

Signs of Giftedness in Children Include:

• An intense need for constant mental stimulation
• Learning and processing complex information quickly
• A need to explore subjects in surprising depth
• Insatiable curiosity, as evidenced by endless questions and inquiries
• The ability to understand material several grade levels above their peers
• Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age
• Enthusiasm about unique interests and topics
• An unusual or mature sense of humor
• Creative problem-solving and imaginative expression
• Absorbing information quickly with little repetition
• Being self-aware, socially conscious and aware of global issues

Gifted children may show some of these traits but not all of them; every child is different. To determine the extent of your child's abilities, testing or a full assessment may provide some of the answers you are looking for. Because there are no federal mandates or national policies requiring gifted education, it is important for parents to review which gifted identification policies and procedures are in place in their area before seeking a test or assessment.

Should I Have My Child Tested for Giftedness?

Deciding whether to pursue giftedness testing or a full professional assessment will depend on your overall goals and the questions you are seeking answers to.

In fact, it may be helpful to write down the specific questions that led you to seek information about having your child assessed. What do you hope to discover about your child's abilities? Will you use the results to gain admission to a particular program? If so, which tests do they accept? Will you share the results with your child's school? Which tests do they find most informative in understanding a student's learning profile? Do you have concerns about your child's performance or behavior?

On the other hand, if you are looking for a more complete picture of your child's abilities, strengths, challenges and needs, experts recommend a comprehensive assessment of the child's abilities rather than simple testing. The rationale for an assessment usually focuses on the need to understand a child's relative strengths and weaknesses and how they relate to educational and social settings.

When Should I Have My Child Tested to Find Out If They Are Gifted?

As for when your child should be tested, testing is generally believed to be most reliable and most predictive between the ages of six and nine. Although many assessments are approved for use with children as young as two, there is consensus among professionals that testing is rarely needed before a child is ready to start school and that testing at younger ages may not provide reliable results.

Finally, remember that test scores or the results of a full assessment do not change who your child is. The results are intended to give you specific words and tools to better understand your child.