Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Drawings a sign of giftedness?

Hi all!

I'm just wondering if anyone might have a similar experience with a DC. We are going to have our DS6 tested this spring as per his grade 1 teacher's suggestion, and I have long wondered whether he was gifted. In the meantime, I am so curious about the way his mind works.

One thing that has always intrigued me about him is that he is very prolific with his drawing and he always draws such interesting, complex pictures. For instance, he has drawn the solar system (not accurately, mind you), comets hitting a distant planet and all sorts of aliens doing interesting things, mountains with swinging bridges, Batman in his Batcave with all sorts of computers and evildoers shooting laser beams from their lair and with a generator to power it, an old abandoned building (complete with boarded up windows and cobwebs) amidst a sea of fire and batpeople swooping in, and that's just a tiny sample.

It's not that they're exceptionally accurate or that it comes from any deep level of knowledge, but I find his creativity to be so much fun.

I have a child who has tested with a GAI in the highly gifted range, and he has been drawing since he could hold a pencil/crayon etc. He draws creatures, fish, solar/planetary systems, whatever he is currently interested in. He is incredibly prolific, drawing at least 25 drawings a day often more (that said, his current media of choice is a pencil, so he doesn't spend any time coloring them in). His are not always accurate, but most of his drawings are original creations out of his head, so I don't really worry about that. So yes, I think art and imagination can be part of it. Sometimes creative kids have a hard time with regular school, especially if they would prefer to draw things that they are imagining than the things that the school project requires that they draw. Or the things they are imagining in their heads are more compelling than what the teacher is teaching.. etc.

Also, if both your child's teacher and you think your child is possibly gifted, he probably is. If either you or your child's other parent tested gifted as a child, well, there's a strong genetic component so then the only question is how gifted, and what if anything you need to do about it

From what you described, your DS is definitely very creative. My DS7 started drawing alphabet characters since he could hold a pen. He loves using colors in his drawings although he doesn't like the coloring book that much. He's tested with DYS qualifying score.

Ajinlove,

DYS qualifying score? I am new to all of this...

Davidson requires IQ or achievement test scores at certain level to apply for the Davidson Young Scholars program. I know the WISC-V score should be 145+ for Full Scale IQ, GAI or a couple of subtest scores. If you are interested, you can check out their website.

http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/

You've received great replies above. I'll just add that the definition of "gifted" provides at least a partial answer to your question. Definitions of gifted can be found on many websites, including the US Department of Education (USDOE), National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), The Davidson Database, Hoagies Gifted Education Page, and others. There are also lists of commonly observed behaviors of gifted kids on these websites and others.

Individuals who have tested in the intellectually gifted range (generally IQ 132+) may have exhibited early and/or frequent drawing/rendering/sketching/doodling skills... however not all creative/artistically gifted individuals are also intellectually gifted.

In general, giftedness can occur in one or more realms: athletic, artistic/creative, leadership, intellectual, and/or specific academic strength. In addition to exceptional gifts, children may have one or more learning differences or learning disabilities therefore be termed twice-exceptional (2e). For the most part, gifted forums focus less on athletic gifts because there are other sources of support for developing those gifts, and focus more on developing the gifts and meeting the needs toward the end of the lists earlier in this paragraph.

Thanks to each of you.

Indigo, I'm guessing that he is probably gifted with language as well. He has always loved to play with words and has an impressive vocabulary (at least I think he does). From the age of 3, he would use words like "soaring", "investigating", "gather", "chorus", "hypothesis", etc. And he speaks so differently than most kids - "leave the door ajar", "quench my thirst", "harvesting snow", "good engineering", "scurried across", "slipped past", and so on. The other day, we were reading a Batman book and he said "Poison Ivy said 'divine', get it?". It took me a second. I'm assuming his strong vocabulary is also a possible indication that he could be gifted.

It's all pretty fascinating to me. And while I was never tested as a child (we lived in a small rural town and it was never even considered as an option), I think I probably would have tested as gifted. I learned to read before heading off to school, don't remember a single time when I ever actually had to "learn" anything at all through school, and struggled a bit at first at university because I had never learned to study.

Mind you, I should add that DS is probably only MG. And quite frankly, I think most people and their DC on here are on a whole different level. I thoroughly enjoy reading posts just to see what some of these DC are accomplishing!

For my 2 cents: your child is probably more than moderately gifted. It is sometimes difficult for gifted parents to see profound giftedness in their child as the child may blend in well with gifted parents (who may also underestimate their level of giftedness... an "imposter syndrome" corollary of the Dunning-Kruger effect).

Advanced vocabulary can be a sign of giftedness and/or reflect the words and phrases which a child commonly hears in an enriched home environment.

Over time, if the use of vocabulary seems to develop in a manner which others may describe as stilted, formal, or pedantic and does not help a child connect with others, this may possibly be a sign that the child is on the autism spectrum. And/or would make a good lawyer someday.

If a child is both gifted and has a learning difference/disability, this called twice exceptional (2e) and the child is eligible for special education services such as remediation/accommodation to help them fully access their education. This can help a child connect well with others to best develop his/her gifts. The Wrights Law website is an excellent source of information.

Testing may help reveal your child's profile. All are welcome on the forums, regardless of IQ, test results, profile, etc.

He is definitely in a somewhat enriched environment (I'd say we regularly use advanced vocabulary around our DC and we read to them A LOT), but part of it is also innate. He comes up with expressions and phrases and words that I know we don't use.

Thankfully, it's not at all stilted. That's part of what is so funny - we'll be having a perfectly normal conversation or they'll be playing some imaginary game or something and he'll throw one of these zingers with no affect whatsoever. The other day, we were at the pool and I was helping him with "sit-dives" and he said "You just made me dive seamlessly!" and laughed with giddiness. Whatever this all means, this aspect of it sure is fun to witness.

As for making a good lawyer, one of those is enough in the family.