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(Unit 8) Topic 5: The Gifted Child 

2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Barriers to Identifying Giftedness

​Topic 5 Page 10

It is important for educators to identify the common barriers that are present when identifying a gifted or talented child. Some children may show obvious signs of above average intelligence or capability in many areas while others may show this in one area and underachieve in many others. Sometimes these stark differences can be attributed to language barriers, personalities, or unknown biases.  

Some common barriers to identification include:

Culture
​Believe it or not, many people have unknown biases based on another person’s culture or ethnicity. This can cause us to doubt a person’s ability especially when the notion of giftedness is in question. Likewise, we may assume that a person from a certain culture is gifted based purely on their culture or ethnicity. This comes from unknown or implicit biases.

Language
Sometimes there can be language or communication barriers in place between educators and children causing information to be missed or miscommunicated. Children who are non-native English speakers usually are less likely to be identified as gifted because of communication challenges. Children with speech delays or hearing challenges may also be less likely to be identified as gifted.

Gender
Statistically speaking more boys than girls are identified as being gifted or talented. Some experts attribute this to self-confidence, while others attribute this to those implicit gender biases that some educators and parents may have. It is important to see past gender and see the child and their individual capabilities.

Achievement
Gifted children do not always present as high achievers with stellar grades. Instead, they sometimes have very low or failing grades in some or even all areas. This can usually be attributed to the type of learning environment or learning experiences. Perhaps the gifted child becomes bored with the art project or is under stimulated by the literacy and math centers. They may disconnect or lose motivation altogether. 

Sensory Challenges
Some children who present as gifted may also have sensory challenges that make learning and some activities very difficult. Sensory challenges can include all 5 senses and usually more than one sense is involved. This can cause behavior challenges, serious aversions to spaces or situations, and often make any learning experience next to impossible. Educators may find that these children do not fit the usual mold of the gifted child but should avoid this assumption altogether. 

​Personality or Behavior
Children with behavioral or personality differences or challenges are often overlooked for giftedness. Again, this is usually due to an implicit bias or a level of under achievement if the child is unable or unwilling to complete tasks at school. 

Disabilities
A learning or physical disability will often make a gifted child go unnoticed due to accommodations that are necessary. Educators may perceive that a child with a disability is unable to be gifted, but this is absolutely untrue. Any child can be gifted!

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​It is important to note that identifying gifted students isn’t always clear-cut. There will be instances where there may be some question or concern over a child’s ability levels. This is to be expected, but just because a child isn’t identified as being gifted, doesn’t mean that their needs (academically, socially, and emotionally) do not need to be met. You can and should adapt your program to meet all learner’s needs.

(Unit 8) Topic 5: The Gifted Child ​* Navigation Menu