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Linda Kreger Silverman
From a developmental perspective, the characteristics associated with giftedness become apparent early in life. The following list of descriptors has been used successfully for nearly 19 years at the Gifted Development Center to predict performance in the superior and gifted ranges of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Silverman, Chitwood & Waters, 1986), WISC-III, and other standardized intelligence tests. The Characteristics of Giftedness Scale was designed specifically for parents as part of a phone intake procedure. It was developed as a result of research findings and clinical observations, as well as many years of teaching experience with this population.
The descriptors were selected according to the following criteria:
* Representative of the majority of children assessed
* Descriptive of children with various talents
* Appropriate at varying degrees of ability
* Applicable to a wide age range
* Generalizable to children of different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds
* Easily observed in the home environment
* Brief and clearly worded for ease of interpretation by parents
Several studies were conducted between 1981 and 1986 to determine the validity of this set of characteristics, and the list has been refined to incorporate the research findings. The following 25 characteristics have resulted:
Characteristics of Giftedness Scale
1. Good problem solving/reasoning abilities
2. Rapid learning ability
3. Extensive vocabulary
4. Excellent memory
5. Long attention span
6. Personal sensitivity
7. Compassion for others
8. Perfectionism
9. Intensity
10. Moral sensitivity
11. Unusual curiosity
12. Perseverant when interested
13. High degree of energy
14. Preference for older companions
15. Wide range of interests
16. Great sense of humor
17. Early or avid reading ability
18. Concerned with justice, fairness
19. At times, judgment seems mature for age
20. Keen powers of observation
21. Vivid imagination
22. High degree of creativity
23. Tends to question authority
24. Shows ability with numbers
25. Good at jigsaw puzzles
If a child demonstrates more than three-fourths of these traits, it is likely that he or she is gifted. In a study by Rogers (1986), the following characteristics clearly differentiated the development of 38 gifted and 42 average third and fourth graders (p. < .01): rapid learning ability; extensive vocabulary; good memory; long attention span; perfectionism; preference for older companions; sophisticated sense of humor; early interest in books; ability in puzzles and mazes; maturity; curiosity; perseverance; and keen powers of observation. (See Table 1.)
A pilot study (Silverman, Rogers, & Waters, 1982) was conducted with 16 families (both parents) at a school for the gifted, using similar questions in an open-ended, narrative format. Among the traits that surfaced in the pilot study in a relatively high frequency of cases were compassion, sensitivity, and high levels of activity.
Research
Characteristics of Giftedness Scale:
A Review of the LiteratureLinda Kreger Silverman
From a developmental perspective, the characteristics associated with giftedness become apparent early in life. The following list of descriptors has been used successfully for nearly 19 years at the Gifted Development Center to predict performance in the superior and gifted ranges of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Silverman, Chitwood & Waters, 1986), WISC-III, and other standardized intelligence tests. The Characteristics of Giftedness Scale was designed specifically for parents as part of a phone intake procedure. It was developed as a result of research findings and clinical observations, as well as many years of teaching experience with this population.
The descriptors were selected according to the following criteria:
* Representative of the majority of children assessed
* Descriptive of children with various talents
* Appropriate at varying degrees of ability
* Applicable to a wide age range
* Generalizable to children of different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds
* Easily observed in the home environment
* Brief and clearly worded for ease of interpretation by parents
Several studies were conducted between 1981 and 1986 to determine the validity of this set of characteristics, and the list has been refined to incorporate the research findings. The following 25 characteristics have resulted:
Characteristics of Giftedness Scale
1. Good problem solving/reasoning abilities
2. Rapid learning ability
3. Extensive vocabulary
4. Excellent memory
5. Long attention span
6. Personal sensitivity
7. Compassion for others
8. Perfectionism
9. Intensity
10. Moral sensitivity
11. Unusual curiosity
12. Perseverant when interested
13. High degree of energy
14. Preference for older companions
15. Wide range of interests
16. Great sense of humor
17. Early or avid reading ability
18. Concerned with justice, fairness
19. At times, judgment seems mature for age
20. Keen powers of observation
21. Vivid imagination
22. High degree of creativity
23. Tends to question authority
24. Shows ability with numbers
25. Good at jigsaw puzzles
If a child demonstrates more than three-fourths of these traits, it is likely that he or she is gifted. In a study by Rogers (1986), the following characteristics clearly differentiated the development of 38 gifted and 42 average third and fourth graders (p. < .01): rapid learning ability; extensive vocabulary; good memory; long attention span; perfectionism; preference for older companions; sophisticated sense of humor; early interest in books; ability in puzzles and mazes; maturity; curiosity; perseverance; and keen powers of observation. (See Table 1.)
A pilot study (Silverman, Rogers, & Waters, 1982) was conducted with 16 families (both parents) at a school for the gifted, using similar questions in an open-ended, narrative format. Among the traits that surfaced in the pilot study in a relatively high frequency of cases were compassion, sensitivity, and high levels of activity.
