When people hear the label "Gifted" they often confuse it with achievement.  Rather "Gifted" is a more fluid concept which includes the potential for achievement along with demonstrated achievement.  Gifted ability can manifest as a general intellectual giftedness or may be specific intellectual giftedness such as a specific intellectual ability in mathematics.  Giftedness may also look different in different contexts and cultures and therefore will vary among different students.  

 

Gifted children may develop asynchronously: their minds are often ahead of their physical growth, and specific cognitive and social-emotional functions can develop unevenly.  Some gifted children with exceptional aptitude may not demonstrate outstanding levels of achievement due to environmental circumstances such as limited opportunities to learn as a result of poverty, discrimination, or cultural barriers; due to physical or learning disabilities; or due to motivational or emotional problems.

 

A gifted child may have some of the following traits: creative, extreme curiosity, sensitive, perfectionist, vivid imagination, resourceful, independent, quick thinking, self-critical, excellent reasoning skills, learns quickly without extra practice, advanced sense of humor, extensive vocabulary, an avid reader, leadership abilities, very observant, interested in cause-effect relations, dominate discussions, variety of interests, good at synthesizing, self-confident, concerned with justice and fairness, risk-taker, very inquisitive, full of energy, able to work independently.

 

Definitions provide the framework for gifted education programs and services, and guide key decisions such as which students will qualify for services, the areas of giftedness to be addressed in programming (e.g., intellectual giftedness generally, specific abilities in math), when the services will be offered, and even why they will be offered.