Characteristics of Students with High Ability

Characteristics of Gifted Students

Cognitive Traits

  • Very observant
  • Extremely curious
  • Intense interests
  • Excellent memory
  • Long attention span
  • Excellent reasoning skill
  • Well-developed powers of abstraction, conceptualization, and synthesis
  • Quickly and easily sees relationships in ideas, objects, or fact
  • Fluent and flexible thinking
  • Elaborate and original thinking
  • Learns quickly with less practice and repetition
  • Unusual and/or vivid imagination
  • Social and Emotional Traits

  • Interested in philosophical and social issues
  • Very sensitive emotionally and even possible physically
  • Concerned about fairness and injustice
  • Perfectionist
  • Energetic
  • Well-developed sense of humor
  • Intrinsically motivated in areas of choice
  • Relates well to adults
  • Language Traits

  • Extensive vocabulary
  • May read early
  • Reads rapidly and widely
  • Asks "what if" questions
  • Additional Traits

  • Enjoys learning new things
  • Enjoys intellectual activity
  • Displays intellectual playfulness
  • Prefers books and magazines meant for older children
  • Skeptical, critical, and evaluative
  • Asynchronous development
  • From giftedkids.about.com