I.Q. & Academic Giftedness in Children

What Does Academically or Intellectually Gifted Mean?

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) students perform or show the potential to perform at substantially high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experiences or environment. AIG students exhibit high-performance capability in intellectual areas and/or specific academic fields. As such, Academically or Intellectually Gifted students may require differentiated educational services beyond those ordinarily provided by their regular educational program. If you believe your child may be gifted, you should consider seeking AIG services in the North Carolina Public School System.

Signs of Giftedness & High Intelligence In Children:

Do you wonder if your child is Gifted because he or she is an early reader, has an excellent memory, or relates well to adults? Parents can often sense that their child may be brighter than average when witnessing these kinds of advanced abilities. Although there is no official list, here are some example characteristics to help determine if your child may be Gifted or have a high IQ. Remember, your child doesn't need to have all of these traits to be considered Gifted:

• Extremely curious
• Asks thoughtful questions
• Intense interests
• Excellent memory
• Long attention span
• Fluent, flexible, elaborate, and original thinking
• Well-developed powers of abstraction, conceptualization, and synthesis
• Quickly and easily sees relationships in ideas, objects, or facts
• Excellent reasoning and problem-solving skills
• Good at guessing correct answers
• May become bored in school because he or she already knows most of the answers
• Gets good grades and test scores even without much effort
• Learns quickly, with less practice and repetition
• Gets involved physically and mentally (taking in information even when seemingly not paying attention)
• May be self-critical or perfectionistic
• Expresses strong feelings and opinions
• May prefer the company of older peers or adults
• Interested in philosophical and social issues
• Very sensitive, emotionally and even physically
• Concerned about fairness and injustice

What To Do If You Think Your Child May Be Gifted

If you suspect your child is highly intelligent and/or gifted, the first step is to verify this though Gifted / IQ / Academic Testing. Testing your child with an experienced professional provides valuable information about their general strengths and weaknesses. The results of Academically/Intellectually Gifted (AIG) Testing can help identify your child for a Gifted program and advocate for appropriate educational accommodations. Testing can also provide details about learning needs (including strengths and weaknesses) and discover any learning disabilities requiring intervention. Learn more about our specific evaluations on our Gifted / IQ / Academic Testing page.