Because of the Hit TV Series, Many Parents Think Their Child is “Gifted (HPI)”!

Following the success of the French TV channel TF1’s series “HPI” (“Haut Potentiel Intellectuel”, French for High Intellectual Potential), doctors’ consultations have multiplied, with parents believing their child had an IQ above 130. But a hypersensitive, overactive mind is not enough on its own to qualify as gifted (HPI). Let’s find out together how to identify it, and above all, who is qualified to make this diagnosis…

Gifted (HPI) individuals brought into the spotlight by the eponymous series

Airing from April 2021, Stéphane Carrié’s series “HPI” follows the busy life of Morgane (Audrey Fleurot), a single mother of 3 children. With a stated IQ of 160, her exceptional abilities are quickly noticed by the Lille police. For the needs of their investigations, they offer her a position as a consultant, one that proves far from smooth sailing given her blatant defiance and issues with authority.

Thanks to the series’ strong ratings, the concept of being “HPI” (gifted) has become widely popularised, even though it applies to only 2.28% of the population, or around 1.5 million people in France. Despite this small percentage, this form of giftedness, suddenly thrust into the spotlight, has created a strange phenomenon: a rise in doctor consultations from parents who believe their child is gifted (HPI).

“As soon as there’s something in the child’s behaviour, or anything that departs from typical development, we get parents coming in, thinking their child is highly gifted,” reports Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist[1].

How can a gifted (HPI) child be identified?

Online, many tests let you calculate your IQ, but gifted (HPI) cases cannot be “self-diagnosed”: like magazine quizzes, these tests hold no real value. With the success of the TF1 series, there is a genuine trend effect, with both a negative and a positive side.

On one hand, this increases the risk of missteps, with the emergence of unsuitable tests offered by psychiatrists or child psychiatrists. But be careful: only psychologists can carry out a properly informed assessment, through the Wechsler test suited to the patient’s age. Indeed, there is one set of questions for under-6s, another for 6-17 year-olds, and a final one for adults.

On the other hand, “since far more parents are now walking through a psychologist’s door, more and more gifted (HPI) children are being identified,” explains Jeanne Siaud Facchin, clinical psychologist.[2] In other words, cases aren’t actually multiplying, children are simply being tested more.

This test costs between €250 and €500 and is not reimbursed by French social security (Sécurité Sociale). But once the diagnosis is made, it sheds light on certain behaviours in the child, for both parents and teachers. Although there is no specific classroom support for gifted (HPI) children, parents can turn to doctors and school psychologists to find the keys to their child’s integration.

[1] Citation: https://www.bfmtv.com/sante/hpi-votre-enfant-est-il-a-haut-potentiel-intellectuel-il-faut-faire-un-diagnostic_AN-202208250032.html

[2] Citation: https://rmc.bfmtv.com/actualites/societe/les-hpi-ou-haut-potentiel-intellectuel-comment-detecter-et-accompagner-ces-nouveaux-surdoues_AV-202208280117.html