While children with High Potential (HP) all have exceptional intellectual abilities, with an IQ above 130, their needs, emotions and behaviours make them sometimes very different child profiles. Two American researchers, Georges Betts and Maureen Neihart, identified 6 distinct profiles: the successful student, the autonomous learner, the underground child, the dropout, the challenging child, and the twice-exceptional child.
“The Successful,” the brilliant child
The typical profile of the top of the class, the student who succeeds effortlessly and sails through school without difficulty. Often well-liked by teachers, they seek approval from adults and from people who matter in their life. Rather conformist and perfectionist, they don’t take many risks in order to avoid failure. Faced with a difficulty, they freeze and take the easy way out, which damages their self-esteem. In adolescence, they can suddenly go from brilliant child to dropout student…
“The Autonomous Learner,” the independent student
Self-taught, this student is independent, persistent, and loves setting themselves challenges. They do well and make effective use of the school system to create new opportunities for themselves. They have a very positive self-image, and are well accepted by their peers, inspiring both liking and admiration. When this fairly rare profile realises they don’t have all the autonomy or control over their environment to meet their needs, they can slip into low mood, bitterness and cynicism.
“The Underground,” the quiet child
Mostly girls, this profile rejects giftedness, eager to be like everyone else in order to fit in. A chameleon, this child gets good, even very good, school results, which delays identification until the end of primary school or the start of secondary school. Naturally, by hiding their abilities, they develop frustration and struggle to express their deeper feelings. This results in a clear lack of confidence and poor self-esteem.
“The Dropout,” the child who disengages
This profile is recognisable by their anger, expressed either passively (depression, withdrawal) or actively (defensive, violent responses), towards adults and towards themselves. Not diagnosed as gifted, they feel that the school system doesn’t meet their needs; they are bitter, full of resentment, feeling neglected and rejected. As a result, they refuse to do their homework and give the impression of having average or even below-average intellectual abilities. This shows up as a student who either disrupts or takes advantage of others, or who is very withdrawn or completely absent in class.
“The Challenging,” the provocative child
Firmly anti-conformist, this profile questions authority and the established order, and won’t hesitate to defend their beliefs. They show great creativity, may lack tact, and can seem as stubborn as they are sarcastic. Marked by boredom in class, their behaviour can be a source of conflict. Often frustrated by a school system that doesn’t know how to make the most of their talents and abilities, they develop poor self-esteem and struggle to fit in.
“The Twice-Exceptional,” the doubly exceptional student
This profile describes a gifted child who also has a disability, whether a DYS disorder (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia…), Asperger’s syndrome, or high-functioning autism. This additional disorder then makes it harder to identify their giftedness. Often unaware of their own abilities, they struggle to carry out the tasks asked of them. As a result, failure triggers significant anxiety, sometimes leading to disruptive behaviour in class…
Identifying which profile a child fits will help adapt teaching strategies and direct school support towards their specific needs.
