All-rounder or G&T

[Enb76]

This is more a request for discussion than anything.

A friend of mine has a very bright child who I would consider G&T, he has some associated traits that would fit. She put me onto a website for children that are G&T for my child but I have come to the conclusion that my daughter is actually a very bright all-rounder and not G&T according to most definitions. The website was Potential Plus.

There seems to be a difference in that G&T children also have associated issues which my child doesn't have though she does tick most of the other boxes.

The website says:

The distinguishing feature shared by all HLP children is asynchronous development. Asynchronous development is the process whereby the intellect develops faster and further than other attributes such as social, emotional and physical development.

My child seems to be developing all of these at the same rate but just more in advance of other children. So her emotional development is ahead, she's very good socially, she's physically at the same ability as an average someone of her age would be except perhaps in fine motor skills where she is way, way ahead of both her peers and the child I mentioned earlier

So what I want to know is this, where is the line where bright all-rounder and G&T merge?

Is the categorising even useful?

Is my child not 'G&T' because she doesn't fit the criteria?

Would she miss out on the extra input these children are given at school even though she is as able as them and in some aspects more so?

[Showy]

Would being declared G&T help your child? Would she suffer if not? You can only work within the framework provided by your child's school. Does she need a label? Will it change anything?

We don't have G&T at our school and they operate on the principle that all children should be afforded the opportunity to fulfil their individual potential. Provision isn't determined by your presence on a meaningless list.

I think if you look hard enough you can find all manner of definitions for gifted and talented. Most people who talk about g&t don't actually mean g&t at all. Truly gifted or talented children aren't as common as some people believe.

My dd is the all rounder you describe. She is in Y3 and works at a Y6 level at least in every area except PE where she's just above average for her age. She is socially and emotionally fine. She is just an all rounder.

Will she miss out? Only you know that. What does your gut tell you she needs? If it's to be included on a list because that's where the provision is, then is that going to happen for her. If she's being stretched and fulfilled anyway, does she need a label?

[Enb76]

I'm not really worried about my daughter - I'm an interested enough parent that she will be fine. It was a wondering rather than a 'what shall I do?'.

I don't think they have G&T at our school. The very fact that there's another child in the class who is very advanced academically is helping my daughter as they are able to challenge each other. Also, she's being stretched sideways by other things. However, both I and my friend do tend to find that our children are not a priority (fair enough, other children are struggling) and we have to push for them to get even 3/4 the same attention that the other children have e.g. it took until after half-term of the first term of Y1 for them to have guided reading sessions like the other children did as they didn't have a 'group' that they fit into.

[JustRichmal]

My dd did not fit the criteria for G&T on the potential plus website. I did not worry about labels or classifying dd. I just looked at what I could teach her. I wish more people would do the same and stop worrying if they have or have not got innate intelligence. How well they do academically also depends on how much they are taught. TBH I find the list on the Potential Plus website a rather bizarre way of measuring potential.

[Hakluyt]

Hang on- did you say Year 1??

[yonisareforever]

A friends son is extremely bright, at private school. He has different work set for him and he was moved up a year ( year 2 now should be year 1). Its great there are two of them. Try and keep abreast of where they should be, whats going on and what other schools would be doing with them.

[Mistigri]

My DD never fits the typical "is your child G&T" criteria you get on this type of questionnaire, which tends to focus on a subset of bright kids who also have some behavioural and/or developmental issues. However, her (French) school referred her for cognitive testing by an ed psych a few years ago, and she is objectively well into highly-gifted territory. Apart from having been an exceptionally early reader she does not fit the stereotype at all. Academically she is an all-rounder, her fine motor skills are very good, and she's emotionally and socially mature for her age (one year ahead of her age peers at school and we have been offered, but refused, further acceleration).

My son fits the criteria rather closely - very good at maths, doesn't like writing, some social issues mainly relating to his difficulty understanding that other kids do not spend their lives with their noses in science books (I remembering him once trying to engage his best friend, then aged about 6, in an earnest discussion of the greenhouse effect). I don't know if he's gifted or not, but I can say with confidence that he is less able, overall, than his sister.

I'm not a fan of labeling (I would NEVER use the term gifted in front of either of my children) and I doubt that intervention is really necessary for children who are likely to be successful academically whatever you do. It is probably more useful for children whose weak points - often handwriting - are holding them back in other areas.

[BlackeyedSusan]

Websites can only generalise. No child is the same as another; they will all have different profiles, like dislikes, rates of development, strengths and weaknesses etc. Some children have high intelligence (tested) and little of some of the potential "difficulties" listed. Some with less high numbers have more of the traits listed.

Thank your lucky stars that you don't have the asynchronisity,it is not pleasant to live with.