Module 24

Giftedness Identification Checklist

Score your child across four domains to identify gifted traits and intensity levels

Rate each item: 0 = rarely, 1 = sometimes, 2 = frequently, 3 = almost always. Total each section and compare to the scoring guide below.

Intellectual Characteristics

Score: ___ / 30

Learns new concepts unusually quickly with minimal repetition

Asks complex, probing questions beyond age expectations

Has an unusually large vocabulary for their age

Remembers detailed information after a single exposure

Draws connections between unrelated concepts

Prefers complex explanations over simple answers

Self-teaches skills or subjects out of curiosity

Understands abstract ideas earlier than peers

Shows intense focus on topics of interest for extended periods

Challenges rules or authority with logical arguments

Creative Characteristics

Score: ___ / 24

Generates unusual or unexpected solutions to problems

Has a vivid, active imagination

Creates elaborate stories, worlds, or systems

Prefers open-ended tasks over structured ones

Questions 'the way things are done'

Shows a strong sense of humor, often with wordplay or irony

Sees multiple ways to approach a single problem

Produces original artwork, music, writing, or inventions

Emotional Intensity (Overexcitabilities)

Score: ___ / 24

Feels emotions more deeply than peers

Shows strong empathy or concern for fairness and justice

Experiences anxiety about world events, death, or existential topics

Has intense reactions to sensory input (sounds, textures, tags)

Forms deep attachments to people, animals, or objects

Is highly self-critical or perfectionistic

Cries or becomes upset more easily than expected for age

Has a strong moral compass that can feel rigid or inflexible

Psychomotor Characteristics

Score: ___ / 18

Has surplus physical energy — always moving, fidgeting, restless

Talks rapidly or compulsively when excited

Needs less sleep than peers yet functions well

Shows nervous habits when thinking (pacing, tapping, chewing)

Prefers fast-paced activities and becomes impatient with slow ones

Acts impulsively out of enthusiasm rather than defiance

0-25% of max

Typical range — traits present but not dominant

25-50% of max

Moderate — some gifted traits emerging

50-75% of max

Strong — likely gifted in this domain

75-100% of max

Very strong — seek formal evaluation

Not a Diagnosis

This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Formal identification requires evaluation by a psychologist trained in giftedness, typically using the WISC-V or Stanford-Binet 5.