Most people understand that giftedness entails being bright and having high potential, and existing definitions of giftedness typically focus on capability and achievement as identifiers of giftedness. The federal definition of giftedness, originally developed in 1971 and called the Marland report, revolves around “high achievement capability”:
"The term 'gifted and talented,' when used with respect to students, children or youth, means students, children or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities." (Marland, 1971)
Generally, though, existing definitions typically are based on the federal definition. For instance, the National Association for Gifted Children’s (NAGC, n.d.-b) definition also revolves around high capability:
"Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports)." (para. 1)
Students with gifts and talents perform - or have the capability to perform - at higher levels compared to others of the same age, experience, and environment in one or more domains. They require modification(s) to their educational experience(s) to learn and realize their potential. Student with gifts and talents:
Come from all racial, ethnic, and cultural populations, as well as all economic strata.
Require sufficient access to appropriate learning opportunities to realize their potential.
Can have learning and processing disorders that require specialized intervention and accommodation.
Need support and guidance to develop socially and emotionally as well as in their areas of talent.
Require varied services based on their changing needs.
The state of Missouri defines gifted children as “those children who exhibit precocious development of mental capacity and learning potential as determined by competent professional evaluation to the extent that continued educational growth and stimulation could best be served by an academic environment beyond that offered through a standard grade level curriculum." (Section 162.675. RSMo )
When discussing characteristics of gifted children, any one of these characteristics may be present or not present—there are so many variables at work. Furthermore, these common cognitive and affective characteristics do not comprise a comprehensive list. Cognitive attributes that appear often among gifted individuals include:
Above-average general intellectual ability
Ability to find and solve difficult and unusual problems
Ability to process and learn information quickly
Ability to see connections, relationships, and multiple perspectives
Ability to understand abstract and complex concepts
Extensive and detailed memory
Intense love of reading
Advanced vocabulary and communication skills
Curiosity in many areas
Desire to ask a lot of questions
Intense, sustained passion in one area, which may change over time
Ability to concentrate for long periods of time on projects of interest
From an affective perspective, research has yielded consistent conclusions that gifted individuals are as well-adjusted as any other student group and are not any more vulnerable or flawed than their peers. However, Robinson et al.’s (2002) landmark compilation of research examining the social and emotional lives of gifted students uncovered common affective characteristics. Gifted individuals may exhibit:
Perceptiveness and awareness of being different
Nonconformist behaviors
Desire to become all they are capable of becoming
Need for mental stimulation and preoccupation with understanding
Perfectionism
Introversion
Anxiety
Heightened sensitivities, particularly emotional intensity
There are clear differences between high achievers and gifted learners (Davis & Rimm, 2004; Juntune, 2013):
They develop differently. Although a high achiever’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains may seem to develop more quickly than an average student, those domains still move in sync with one another. Gifted learners, however, show asynchronous development, as both the cognitive and emotional domains develop faster.
They are motivated differently. High achievers are motivated extrinsically. They make good grades, please their teachers, show interest in assignments, understand and memorize easily, and thrive on knowing the answer. Gifted learners are motivated intrinsically. They typically show interest and perform well if the activity is meaningful, individualized, and related to their passions. Instead of memorizing and practicing already-mastered skills, gifted learners prefer to pondering ideas, looking at multiple perspectives, and asking—rather than answering—the questions.
They perceive and react to the world differently. While both high achievers and gifted learners may be intuitive and sensitive individuals, children who are gifted tend to exhibit even more awareness, sensitivity, and emotional intensity than their non-gifted peers. The difference lies in the degree. Generally, gifted students seem to intuitively understand situations, people, and behaviors more completely than their peers and react to situations more intensely.
They replenish their energy differently. Both average and high-achieving youth typically recharge and thrive when spending time with others: studying in groups, calling friends, and “hanging out.” Children who are gifted tend to exhibit more introverted behaviors and find groups—especially of the same age—distracting.