difference between mildly, highly, profoundly gifted

[pranava]

Some of the posts in a recent thread mention that mildly or moderately gifted kids may do just fine in public schools, while profoundly gifted kids may find it a struggle to get what they need there.  So, how do you determine to what level your child is gifted?  I know Hoagies has a descriptive list, but it seems really vague to me.  Also, if it's based on test scores, and kids are either too young to be tested or just haven't been for whatever reason, how would you know if they were mildly gifted or profoundly gifted?  If level of giftedness could be used to choose early school placement, it would be nice to know. 

ETA :  maybe it wasn't hoagies?  ruf's level has the vague description maybe?

[Galatea]

I don't know, but that is a good question.

[Galatea]

When you google it, your thread is already #3!!!!  Here you go:

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a77225/distinguishing_hg_from_moderate_giftedness

[zebra15]

Ruf's has levels 1-5

[JollyGG]

I'm going to differ from most in the gifted community and say that I don't think the differences between mildly, moderate and highly gifted are that marked. Firstly because it's all a continum. The person at the high end of one range is more closley related to the person at the low end of the next range then they are to the people at the low end of their own range. I also just really don't think that any testing is accurate enough to really differentiate between the ranges of gifted. Once your are reaching the 95% of a population and above it just gets so hard to be pin point accurate.

I think the differences have more to do with personality and interpersonal differences. I think that a person who doesn't fit is more likely to be labeled as highly gifted. But I don't think it is a simple matter of intellect.

[whatsnextmom]

It is supposed to be based on test scores. I have some issues with this topic. 10-years-ago, you very rarely heard of a profoundly gifted child let alone met one. The term was reserved for 10-year-olds at the university and the like. In the last few years, suddenly you hear it all the time. It could be due to the SBV and latest WISC. The general cut-off for gifted moved from 130 to 120  and the HG/PG numbers greatly compressed. I feel bad sometimes because I'll be listening to someone talk about their profoundly gifted child and I'm thinking "really?" PG just doesn't seem to look like it used to look. I'm not suggesting they're lying. I just never would consider my own kids PG and yet they are often years ahead of tested PG kids we've met.

My kids were tested in school at the 99.9th percentile. I take it with a grain of salt because the measure used is not the greatest. This does qualify my DD for the HG program in her high school. My DS's GATE program doesn't differentiate. 98th percentil and higher is just considered gifted.

Level of giftedness is only part of the picture when finding an educational fit. Personality, drive, exposure, opportunity, social awareness, all sorts of things influence how a child works in school. I've met tested MG kids who don't fit AT ALL in school. I've met kids with PG scores who do well with no agressive accomodation.

Edited by whatsnextmom - 3/14/11 at 7:56am

[loraxc]

I also just really don't think that any testing is accurate enough to really differentiate between the ranges of gifted. Once your are reaching the 95% of a population and above it just gets so hard to be pin point accurate.


I think the differences have more to do with personality and interpersonal differences. I think that a person who doesn't fit is more likely to be labeled as highly gifted. But I don't think it is a simple matter of intellect.

I agree with this. Though I think that a kid who tests PG surely is, I wonder about making bright lines when you get over that 99th percentile.

DD tested MG (as to whether the test was "right"--I don't know, as it was only a half-hour test, and she scored very highly on 3 subtests and average on the other), but her personality is such that regular school has not been a great fit. Her brother certainly also seems very bright, but he is a really different personality and I suspect he might do fine in a less specialized environment.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom 

 Personality, drive, exposure, opportunity, social awareness, all sorts of things influence how a child works in school. I've met tested MG kids who don't fit AT ALL in school. I've met kids with PG scores who do well with no agressive accomodation.

agreed.  I've had people make comments about exactly how gifted one of my children ISN'T because she does really well social -- she easily accommodates herself to others.  Part of it is her personally and part of it is no doubt because she has a special needs sister. She's still wicked smart.

I think that the list of personality traits tied to levels of giftedness lead to people trying to assign labels to kids by watching them -- which is just silly. It also sometimes causes parents to not want to work through their children's social problems because they believe the problems are a sign of brilliance. (which is pretty twisted when you think about it)

As far as "how do you know when you child is really little" -- you don't. It's a really small thing to live with. My other child has special needs and I constantly have to repeat to parents on the special needs board that part of having special needs child is making peace with the not knowing. For school things, just make the best choices you can for now. Sometimes I think the reason that my *just* gifted DD does as well as she does emotional (as well as intellectually) is because life could never revolve around her and how smart she is.

[loraxc]

Sometimes I think the reason that my *just* gifted DD does as well as she does emotional (as well as intellectually) is because life could never revolve around her and how smart she is.

I would guess that your family situation has helped her in some ways, but in another universe I think you could easily have had a SN kid AND a GT kid who was having a lot of trouble. DD and DS both have had some serious health scares such that we were very preoccupied with that for long periods, but DD's personality didn't change as a result of that, YK? Instead it was like "Agh--on top of this much more important worry with X, we still have all this other stuff with DD butting in when we really don't have the time to deal with it." Also, there was a lot of "Why is DD acting like this? Is it the 5 meds she is on? Is it because she feels like crap from coughing/fatigue/allergies? Is she ASD? Is she just smart and quirky? Do we just suck as parents??"

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by loraxc 

I would guess that your family situation has helped her in some ways, but in another universe I think you could easily have had a SN kid AND a GT kid who was having a lot of trouble.

....Do we just suck as parents??"

I haven't "easily handled" raising my children. I have asked, lots of times, if I just suck as a parent.

[reezley]

I think by "easily" the pp only meant that it could also have been likely to happen a different way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linda on the move 

I haven't "easily handled" raising my children. I have asked, lots of times, if I just suck as a parent.

[loraxc]

Yes, reezley is right. I guess I just mean, with all due respect, that it feels a little sticky to me to speculate in that way. I think a child can learn a lot from having a sib with SN, and the family might benefit in certain ways, but that also children certainly are not guaranteed to respond that way to more urgent needs in the family. Sometimes it can even exponentially increase problems.