Characteristics and Identification

Gifted Scales for the Very Young Gifted Child

How do I know if my child is gifted? How early do children manifest characteristics? When is it important to know if my child is gifted?

Generally, the first sign that your child might be gifted is having that intuitive question. Dr. Michael Sayler and Dr. Linda Silverman have developed infant and toddler scales for that purpose. If you suspect your very young child might be gifted, you may request the "Things My Young Child Has Done" Scale at no cost from the link provided. You might also find it useful to compare your records of your child's 'milestones' with those Dr. Silverman developed in her "Characteristics of Giftedness" Scale. These are not used to diagnose giftedness; they are strong indicators, however. It is of benefit to the child that the parent be aware of extraordinary potential in order to better understand him and his needs.

Things My Young Child Has Done Scale
Sayler, M.

Characteristics of Giftedness Scale
Silverman, L.K.

Testing our gifted children
GT-World

Nature of gifted children

The Cheetah

Tolan, S.

Thought-provoking story of the nature of cheetahs and the nature of giftedness

Animal School (click icon on this page to run the short allegorical movie)

What we have learned about gifted children
Silverman, L.

Highly Gifted

The Highly Gifted Baby
Kearney, K.

Frequently asked questions about extreme intelligence in very young children
Kearney, K.