Is my child gifted?
Many parents begin to wonder about giftedness when they notice their child learning, thinking, or questioning the world in ways that seem different from their peers.
Some of the first things parents notice is that their child:
- Learns new concepts very quickly
- Asks deep or complex questions
- Has an intense interest in specific topics
- Uses advanced vocabulary or reasoning for their age
- Notices patterns, fairness, or details that others miss
Gifted children often experience the world with heightened curiosity and intensity. They may love learning about big ideas such as space or history while other children their age are happily playing with toys and other children in the playground. They may have a preference for conversations with older children or adults who have the knowledge and experience to answer their questions.
However, giftedness doesn’t always look like the typical straight A-grade student or effortless school success. Gifted children can often become disengaged if learning feels repetitive or unchallenging. Others may hide their abilities because they want to fit in socially.
Gifted children can also experience emotions deeply. Their sensitivity, perfectionism, or strong sense of justice can sometimes be misunderstood as behavioural difficulties rather than a reflection of how intensely they experience the world.
Because of this, parents often sense that their child is capable of more than what is showing up at school but may not yet have the language to explain why.
How a Psychological Assessment Can Help
A comprehensive educational and psychological assessment can help build a clearer understanding of how your child thinks, learns, and processes information.
These assessments typically explore areas such as:
- Cognitive strengths and reasoning abilities
- Academic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics
- Attention and executive functioning
- Social communication and interaction
For gifted children, assessment helps identify areas of advanced ability while also exploring factors that might be impacting their learning or wellbeing.
The goal of assessment is not simply to produce a score or a label. Instead, it provides a detailed learning profile that helps parents and teachers better understand how to support a child’s development and learning. Research shows that if the learning needs of gifted children are not met, they are more likely to experience anxiety, social problems and depression.
This information can guide decisions around school adjustments, extension opportunities, and strategies that help children stay engaged in learning.
What is Twice-Exceptionality?
Some gifted children also experience learning differences or neurodevelopmental conditions. When a child is both gifted and has a learning or developmental difference, they are often described as twice-exceptional (or “2e”).
Twice-Exceptional children may be gifted while also experiencing:
- ADHD
- Autism
- Specific Learning Disorders such as dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia
- Anxiety or emotional regulation challenges
Because strengths and challenges can interact in complex ways, twice-exceptional children are often misunderstood in educational settings.
For example:
- A child’s intelligence may help them compensate for a learning difficulty for many years.
- A learning difficulty may hide their giftedness because school performance does not reflect their true thinking ability
- A child may work extremely hard to meet expectations, which can lead to exhaustion, frustration, or school disengagement over time.
Many Twice-exceptional children describe feeling like they are both capable and struggling at the same time.
Why Assessment Matters for Twice-Exceptional Learners
For twice-exceptional children, assessment can be particularly important because it helps identify both strengths and support needs.
Rather than focusing only on areas of difficulty, a strengths-based assessment looks at the full learning profile. This can help explain why certain tasks feel easy while others are unexpectedly challenging.
Understanding this profile can support:
- More effective learning support – schools can better tailor learning adjustments, extension opportunities, and classroom strategies.
- Targeted intervention – supports can be introduced for areas such as attention, learning differences, or emotional regulation
- Self-understanding and confidence – many children feel relief when they understand how their brain works and their learning style. It helps them see that their experiences are not due to a lack of effort but simply reflect the way their brain works.
A Strengths-Based Approach
Every child deserves to feel understood.
For gifted and twice-exceptional children, this means recognising that strengths and challenges can exist together.
A strengths-based approach focuses on understanding each child’s unique learning profile and providing the supports to them thrive emotionally, socially and academically.
Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented is a wonderful resource:
https://www.aaegt.net.au/giftedness-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was
Meagan Bedelis, Psychologist
Meagan joined the Step by Step Psychology team as a Provisional Psychologist in 2026. She is currently completing the research component of her Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology/Doctor of Philosophy. Her doctoral research explores masking in twice‑exceptional (2e) autistic adolescent girls, reflecting her passion for supporting neurodivergent young people in ways that honour their strengths, identities, and lived experiences.
