Hello everyone,
I came across this thread while researching Brigance results and was hoping to get some guidance from those with more experience.
I’m trying to better understand my daughter’s development rather than label her. She is currently 5 years old. On her most recent Brigance III screening (at 4 years 9 months), she scored 98, with a gifted cutoff of 92. Her breakdown was:
* Cognitive: 130
* Language: 121
* Physical: 111
At 3 years 9 months, she previously scored around 83%.
What I’m trying to understand is how to interpret this alongside her current behavior, which feels somewhat asynchronous.
**Strengths:**
* Advanced vocabulary and grammar for her age
* Can hold complex conversations and ask thoughtful, sometimes abstract “what if” questions
* Strong interest-driven learning (e.g., animals—she can go very deep and retain a lot of information)
* Shows good reasoning and curiosity when engaged
**Areas of inconsistency:**
* In structured settings, she may say “I don’t know,” even when she later demonstrates that she does know the answer
* Can be influenced by peers and sometimes follows behavior she knows is not appropriate
* Engagement depends heavily on interest—she may disengage if something feels repetitive or not challenging
* At times seems to struggle with retrieving information on demand (she once described it as her “brain being full and not knowing what to take out”)
Because of this, her performance can appear inconsistent depending on the situation.
I’m trying to understand:
* Does this pattern align more with high ability or emerging giftedness?
* How common is this type of inconsistency at this age?
* What should I be focusing on as a parent right now (evaluation, support, or observation)?
I’m happy to share more details if helpful, and any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
