A closer look for parents and teachers
Giftedness: what it means and how to recognise it in children, signs and tools
Giftedness, or high cognitive potential, means intellectual abilities significantly above average for a child's age. In psychometric practice the most common reference point is a full scale IQ of 130 or above, which applies to about 2% of the population; more recent definitions also take creativity, motivation and context into account.
Profiles vary widely and are often uneven. Only a professional psychological assessment can identify high potential.
Recognising a child with high potential means reading their reactions as a request for meaning, and for the adult it means changing grammar.
In the fairy tale, the child with high potential is a Sunchild: the sun and its intense light are the energy that surrounds so many children considered «too much». A Sunchild flourishes when someone recognises their light early enough to teach them to protect it, guide it and share it. A light that is recognised can become a direction, a map.
The Sunchild is a symbolic and interpretative figure developed within the world of Solomon J. nel villaggio dei Pepileni. It is in dialogue with themes from the literature on high potential, sensitivity and child development, while keeping the narrative and theoretical character of the book.
Eight things to observe
No single sign is enough on its own: what counts is how they recur over time, in different settings. Their meaning becomes clear in a professional assessment.
- 01
Emotional intensity and a sense of justice
Strong emotional reactions for their age: moved by an injustice or an injured animal, quick to stand up for the weaker ones, needing rules that make sense.
- 02
Early existential questions
Questions about death, time and infinity, and a wish to return to them weeks later.
- 03
Rich language
A wide vocabulary, complex sentences, a love of wordplay and of books with plenty of text.
- 04
Deep curiosity
A few subjects explored in depth, from dinosaurs to space to mythology, with independent study and a memory for detail.
- 05
Quick learning
Understands the first time and prefers a challenge to repetition. When the pace stays slow, boredom can set in.
- 06
Perfectionism
Wants an exact result and feels the gap between what they imagine and what they can achieve.
- 07
Friendships with adults and older children
Looks for people who share their interests, and often finds them among adults or older children.
- 08
Uneven school performance
Excellent marks in favourite subjects, lower ones elsewhere. A mark, on its own, says little about potential.
If you recognise your child or a pupil, what to do
Observe without labelling
A small diary of the moments that struck you, with dates and concrete examples, will be invaluable to whoever supports the child.
See a psychologist
A developmental psychologist combines standardised cognitive tests, such as the WISC scale, with the child's developmental history and a conversation with the family. Online tests carry no weight as an assessment.
Talk to the school
In Italy, Ministry of Education Note no. 562 of 3 April 2019 allows pupils with high potential to be considered within Special Educational Needs. The teaching team or class council decides independently on a personalised path, including a Personalised Learning Plan, with no certification required.
The questions we hear most often
What is arborescent thinking
A popular expression, especially widespread in France, describing thought that branches out like a tree. It helps many families put their experience into words; in scientific research and assessment it remains an image, not a criterion.
Giftedness and ADHD together
The two profiles can coexist: this is called twice exceptionality, which also covers giftedness alongside specific learning difficulties or autism. A careful assessment recognises both and helps choose the right strategies.
Giftedness at school
The guidance is summarised above. You will find more in school and pedagogy.
How to talk about it with the child
The symbolic route works well: a story offers words and images a child recognises as their own. It is the path chosen in Solomon J. nel villaggio dei Pepileni.
Readings and resources
- John Bowlby, on attachment theory and the secure emotional base.
- Donald Winnicott, on the false self, play and the function of the good enough environment.
- Kazimierz Dąbrowski, on the theory of positive disintegration; in the book, overexcitability remains a symbolic figure within Solomon J.'s story, not a clinical category for describing high potential children in general.
- Lev Vygotsky, on the zone of proximal development, a reference for tailored teaching.
- Solomon J. nel villaggio dei Pepileni, the fairy tale by Anusha Bhama Gukhool: a symbolic way to tell a child, and their family, about giftedness.