We Are All Individuals

Everyone has their own individual gifts which need to be identified, supported and mentored by family, teachers and others. Other strengths can support a gift (e.g. a good footballer and game analyst will understand team mate's strengths, etc.). Someone may have gifts in different areas (e.g. maths & art (the best computer games designers are good at this combination) or science & sport (e.g physiotherapists).

National tests focus on core subjects and not all gifts are measurable by pen & paper tests. Ask child to score themselves out of 10 for each subject, and explore which subjects they would like to do better at, and which they enjoy and why. When all is going well, feedback from child and school is similar. Quick thinking children can have low boredom thresholds and need extra challenges, and may prefer conversations with adults rather than peers. Equally they may be model students but underperform in tests or be the class clown.

Frustration with a topic or subject - gentle conversation to find out why. Good spelling is useful but is not interdependent on intellect. Always celebrate positives.

• Bossy boots are good at leading and facilitating and see problems from different angles.
• Code crackers love riddles, crosswords, jigsaws, maths and science problems.
• Enquirers are natural magpies of objects and subject information.
• Visionaries are highly imaginative and creative and may work obsessively on an idea.
• Constructors love building and creating, have good spatial ability and may take things to pieces to see how they work.
• Fairy tale tellers have wild imagination and creative thinking, can be either loud and chatty or quiet, use any or all mediums and may appear dreamy.
• Abstract thinkers can be good at non-verbal puzzles or tests that do not rely on numbers or letters, enjoy open-ended questions where they can research interesting facts.
• Great entertainers have skills in writing songs, acting, singing and dancing; as well as working in film and music industries, they may also be very good scientists who are also good teachers.
• Turbo-chatterboxes never stop talking and are naturally gifted communicators.
• Little old men/women seem to have innate wisdom and strong commonsense, and are good in management and counselling roles.
• Young tycoons are natural entrepreneurs who hold garage sales and money making projects.

But beware - labelling a person as one thing may mask other gifts.

People on the autistic spectrum have the same range of intellectual abilities as other people. # Those with Aspergers (the higher functioning aspect of the autistic spectrum) often have high abilities in specific areas. # Dyslexia can take many forms, but more likely to be visual thinkers and can make good artists and architects. 

Main source: Make Your Child Brilliant by Bernadette Tynon. Quadrille, 2008 (ISBN 978-184400-579-6)