Why do high capacity detection?

Every child is different

When it comes to gifted children, it cannot be ignored that there is great diversity among PIDs (as well as among gifted adults):

Far from being an army of clones, if they have points in common - in particular, of course, their high intellectual potential - the differences are also numerous, depending on their profile ...

Among the broad character or behavior traits that are often repeated are for example (even more so when they are very young), incessant questioning, perpetual negotiations, refusal to ask for help, ears that crawl everywhere, a notice about everything, of the non-standard centers of interest for your biological age, etc.

Doubt is not a disease, nor a defect or a problem in itself, but rather the gaps and misunderstandings with the outside that make a person suffer excessively.

The reactions in front of them

Children's profiles are similar and can lead to practical reactions that seem radically opposite.

Fear of failure, for example, can translate into the refusal of some to take risks, while guaranteeing excellent school results, sometimes on the verge of obsessive perfectionism (make sure to always be the first to make sure you do not find yourself in a situation " failure "estimated, even when it is not the rest).

In others, this fear will take on airs of opposition to the teachers & to the duties they must return (not to work so as not to risk fainting!), Or even to a paralyzing anxiety that will make the child ineffective.

Now, to identify a gifted child, one must be aware of these differences, know them, understand them and assimilate them, so as not to overlook more discreet children.
Not all EIPs correspond to the "(very) good student" image conveyed by the ever-tenacious beliefs in the minds of many teachers and parents!

Some high-potential children are, indeed, but they are only a small fraction of gifted children. I would say that the most easily identifiable part, especially by educational teams, but certainly not the one that groups the most gifted children, since this part only concerns one of the 6 defined profiles & that I am going to detail :(

Let's not lose sight of all those who do not carry these characteristics!

The 6 types of children with high abilities

In the 1980s, two American specialists, Georges Betts (a specialized professor at the University of Colorado and president of the National Association of Battered Children) and Maureen Neihart (a doctor of psychology), revealed 6 great profiles of students with high intellectual potential, continues several years of study and observations. Download the PDF document

Note: Profiles II, III, IV and V are characterized by personality traits that can hide or diminish the high intellectual potential of these children. And this both at the school level and in the results of a psychometric balance!
A psychologist with little knowledge of the doubt will then be able to overlook if he does not limit himself to a coded balance without a true analysis of the 10 subtests.

Type I - "The successful", the successful student

It is considered that 90% of the HQI / THQI children identified in primary school by teacher advice match this profile. The student who achieves without worries learns well, functions without difficulty in school, without being noticed and obtains very good results in IQ tests. It is often highly appreciated by teachers.
Always seeking approval from adults, or people who play a role in his life, he is conformist and not especially affirmed. You risk little for fear of being put in a situation of failure. Generally (very) perfectionist, he rarely experiences behavior problems in school.

Type II - "The Challenging", the provocative student

Extremely creative and divergent thinking, however, he may come off as stubborn, tactless, or sarcastic. This second profile is infrequently identified as HPI by teachers, as it does not fit the school system! Their boredom in class is evident, and the attitude of this type of student can be a source of conflict.
He has a strong tendency to correct adults, to question the rules, to control his emotions very badly and to defend his convictions in a frontal way, both at school and at home.

Type III - "The underground", the discreet student

Often female, this student finds himself in denial of his unusual intellectual abilities. He refuses to admit his overconfidence to be accepted by others, which results in significant adaptive abilities (he is an excellent chameleon), but goes hand in hand with immense frustration, intense pressure & a
Difficulty expressing your deep feelings. Everything that gives a lack of confidence and very low self-esteem.
School results range from medium to good, it is a profile that is often found at the end of primary school or at the beginning of secondary school.

Type IV - "The Dropout", the student who drops out

He is angry (on the other hand, in English literature he comes under 2 names: "the Dropout" and "the Angry") & always on the defensive: he blames adults, society as a whole, but also himself.
You have the impression that the school system has failed to respond to your needs for several years. Having very low self-esteem, you feel rejected & are often bitter and full of grudges. This student refuses to do his homework and his results, as well as his school performance are not uniform. It gives the impression of having average or even inferior intellectual capacities.
This profile can take the form of children who annoy and take advantage of others or, on the contrary, of students who are very erased and not present in class.

Type V - "The Twice-Exceptional", the doubly exceptional student

He is a child who, despite his high intellectual potential, accumulates learning problems, affective disorders or an autism spectrum disorder, a physical disability. In short, it is not "that" gifted, there is a second peculiarity that makes him doubly exceptional, but also, that at times can make the identification of his excess of doubt more complicated.
He is often ignorant of his great abilities and has low self-esteem. Your work may be of inferior quality or relatively incomplete due to the slowness of the classes to complete the requested tasks. Failure is a great source of anxiety for him and he may engage in ongoing disruptive behavior.

Type VI - "The Autonomous Learner", the autonomous learner

He is an independent student, confident & very enthusiastic about the idea of learning. Often self-taught, accepting and fully capable of taking risks.
He is persistent and likes to challenge, easily defends his convictions and is very well accepted by his peers as well as by teachers and other adults.
This student freely expresses his feelings, his needs and his goals. You have a favorable self-esteem, in short, you are successful and you use the school system to create new opportunities. It often elicits admiration and sympathy.

Conclusion

This is for all six profiles, but things are often more complicated than they appear. Indeed, the doubt of a child can take a very different form according to the ages, according to what he has lived, what he has perceived from the world & from the people around him.

Between your first steps in nursery school and high school, things can change a lot. Circumstances change, whether or not the EIP is identified and recognized as such in a positive way ... or on the contrary in a negative way also has a great importance in the way in which the child will behave. But other variables come into play, such as the gaze of the parents, the family and all the actors around the child, which can also change with age, puberty, family changes (divorce, birth, etc.).
Of course, all of this can affect a child, and also an intellectually precocious and hypersensitive child.

Thus, a gifted child cannot be summarized to a profile number, nor can it be defined with an IQ score.

For example, a child may manifest all the signs of a Type IV (student dropout) & after a balance that highlights his excess, feel liberated from this anger and give free rein to the creative and divergent thoughts that he had buried in the bottom of it, to find himself in a type II profile (the provocative student), before evolving further over time.
Nothing is frozen in time, and the growing feeling of self-awareness, therapies or the chance of encounters can cause a child to switch "boxes."

Gifted children, like all other children, need to feel understood, accepted and recognized both in their intellectual needs and in their relational, emotional and social needs;)

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