4 Differences Between High Abilities And Giftedness
Intelligence refers to the cognitive capacity of the human being. When a person stands out above the average in one or more intellectual aspects, we could speak of high capacities. Although, in particular, we could also be facing a case of giftedness.
To be clear about the differences between high capacities and giftedness, we have prepared this article. So, remember that there is no single intelligence, but there are multiple. Psychologist Howard Gardner states that we actually have at least eight types of intelligence:
- Linguistics.
- Musical.
- Mathematical logic.
- Body-kinesthetic.
- Visual-spatial.
- Naturalist.
- Intrapersonal.
- Interpersonal
Difference in the definition of high abilities and giftedness
What are high capacities?
High abilities refer to the presence of a level of development, knowledge or skills higher than expected for the chronological age. This term encompasses different extraordinary intellectual profiles. Thus, high capacities can be classified into:
- Giftedness: level quite high or above average in all intelligences.
And in three types of talents:
- Simple: Above-average level in a single intellectual skill.
- Multiple: above-average performance in various intellectual skills that are not closely related.
- Complex: values above the average in several intellectual aspects that are used in combination. Within this category are academic talent and artistic talent.
Therefore, high abilities encompass talented and gifted people.
What does it mean to be gifted?
Gifted people are a class of highly capable cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers that a person is gifted when his IQ is equal to or greater than 130. But according to the Renzulli Three-Ring Model, in addition to this criterion, two more characteristics must also be gathered :
- High creativity.
- High involvement in the task.
4 differences between giftedness and giftedness
In addition to the definition itself, there are four fundamental differences between children with high abilities and those who are considered gifted. Although, it should be noted that none of these characteristics should be generalized.
Intelectual skills
Most gifted children display specific abilities in one or more areas of intelligence. They are considered talented.
While, specifically, the gifted stand out in all intellectual capacities, including the eight previously mentioned intelligences, memory and creativity.
Social skills
In general, gifted children tend to have socialization problems. In fact, they have difficulty communicating and bonding with other children of a similar age to their own.
On the other hand, those who are within the group of the gifted, do not usually have significant problems in terms of social skills or emotional, since they have high interpersonal intelligence, the ability to understand others.
Academic results
Contrary to expectations, school failure also appears in gifted students. This is because they do not receive an adequate educational response, which causes them to end up getting bored in classes and deciding to stop studying.
Although you can also find the opposite extreme. That is, obviously, there are children with high abilities who get excellent grades and stand out for their school curriculum.
But, if we look only at the gifted, we will surely find that their academic results are normal. In fact, they are usually students who go unnoticed in the classroom.
Self-esteem
Regarding self-esteem, children with high abilities generally have high self-esteem. They have a very good perception of themselves and confidence in their abilities. Which even leads them to treat their classmates disparagingly.
In the case of the gifted, they present a balanced personality; They show a good level of self-esteem, but without becoming overestimated. This is explained by their high intrapersonal intelligence, that is, the ability to know and understand oneself.
Conclusion on the differences between giftedness and giftedness
Now that you know the definition and differences between giftedness and giftedness, you can now stay on your toes. Your child may be in these groups.
Families are very important in the detection and evaluation of children with high capacities, since they are the people who best know the characteristics of their children and can help define their capacities and areas of interest.
So, if you have any suspicions, immediately contact the school or a professional in this field. Remember that it is essential to offer these children a series of resources to enhance and promote the development of their abilities and qualities.
