High Achiever, Gifted Learner, Creative Thinker Bertie Kingore, Ph.D. Article
High Achieving vs High Ability
Characteristics of giftedness that can present challenges.
Characteristics that may keep a student from being recognized as gifted.
A gifted child exhibiting any of these traits may not be readily identified for gifted education services:
• Is disengaged with routine tasks, refuses to do rote homework
• Has difficulty moving into another topic
• Is self-critical, impatient with failures
• Is critical of others, of the teachers
• Often disagrees vocally with others, with the teacher
• Makes jokes or puns at inappropriate times
• Shows intense emotional sensitivity—may overreact, get angry easily, or be quick to cry if thing go wrong
• Is not interested in details; hands in messy work
• Refuses to accept authority; is nonconforming, stubborn
• Tends to dominate others
Characteristics of gifted student who are “disengaged”
A gifted child who is disengaged may exhibit any or all of these traits:
• Has a poor attention span
• Daydreams frequently
• Has a tendency to begin many activities but sees few through to completion
• Development of judgment lags behind intellectual growth level
• Has an intensity that may lead to power struggles with authorities
• Has a high activity level; may seem to need less sleep.
• Has difficulty restraining desires to talk, may be disruptive
• Questions rules, customs, routines, and traditions
• Loses work, forgets or doesn’t do homework, is disorganized
• Has apparent carelessness
• Has high sensitivity to criticism
Characteristics that may keep a student from being recognized as gifted.
A gifted child exhibiting any of these traits may not be readily identified for gifted education services:
• Is disengaged with routine tasks, refuses to do rote homework
• Has difficulty moving into another topic
• Is self-critical, impatient with failures
• Is critical of others, of the teachers
• Often disagrees vocally with others, with the teacher
• Makes jokes or puns at inappropriate times
• Shows intense emotional sensitivity—may overreact, get angry easily, or be quick to cry if thing go wrong
• Is not interested in details; hands in messy work
• Refuses to accept authority; is nonconforming, stubborn
• Tends to dominate others
Characteristics of gifted student who are “disengaged”
A gifted child who is disengaged may exhibit any or all of these traits:
• Has a poor attention span
• Daydreams frequently
• Has a tendency to begin many activities but sees few through to completion
• Development of judgment lags behind intellectual growth level
• Has an intensity that may lead to power struggles with authorities
• Has a high activity level; may seem to need less sleep.
• Has difficulty restraining desires to talk, may be disruptive
• Questions rules, customs, routines, and traditions
• Loses work, forgets or doesn’t do homework, is disorganized
• Has apparent carelessness
• Has high sensitivity to criticism
