Have you ever wondered if your child is gifted?

Gifted learners or exceptionally capable learners are children who advance in learning at a much higher rate compared to their same-aged peers.  Many gifted students require differentiated learning experiences (e.g., adjustments in the level, depth, and pace of academic curriculum) for the areas in which they demonstrate high levels of performance. In order to provide gifted children with the academic challenge they require for their optimal development, early identification of giftedness is important.

Although there are varying definitions of “giftedness”, many specialized educational programs for gifted children require that a child’s cognitive abilities are at the 98^th percentile (i.e., the same or better than 98 out of 100 children of the same age), or higher.

The following is a list of early signs that may indicate that your child is gifted:

• Early development of language
• Abstract thinking and a strong ability to reason through novel problems
• A strong ability to retain information
• Intellectual curiosity- generally loves learning and is motivated to learn
• Learns new skills quickly and easily
• Ability to see connections among ideas
• A vivid imagination

In order to determine whether or not your child meets criteria for giftedness, a cognitive assessment completed by a registered psychologist is usually required. At Evolve Psychology, we offer gifted assessments, which are tailored to the specific requirements of gifted programs within Calgary. We also offer more detailed psychoeducational assessments which look into more detailed aspects of a child’s cognitive abilities, academic achievement, as well as social, emotional, and behavioural functioning. Our psychoeducational assessment reports always have a detailed recommendation section with specific suggestions to help optimize your child’s learning and development.

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Evolve Psychology was founded and is led by Dr. Michelle Kincade.  Dr. Kincade is a Registered Psychologist practicing in Calgary, and has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Neuropsychology. She has extensive expertise in developmental psychology and developmental neuropsychology.  Based on this expertise, she is able to provide comprehensive services for clients of all ages and has many years of experience providing therapy and counselling services with children, teenagers, and parents.  With her background in developmental neuropsychology, she is uniquely qualified to provide psychoeducational assessments and neuropsychological services to help understand students with learning disabilities and attention challenges (ADD / ADHD).