Children who are gifted are as diverse and individual as any who are grouped according to their commonalities.To know who the gifted are, the cognitive and affective characteristics commonly displayed by them should be explored. Distinguishing features of the gifted become apparent from an early age. As giftedness is both developmental and diverse, not all gifted students will display all of these characteristics.

Common cognitive (learning) characteristics include:

• ability to understand and use abstract symbol systems at much younger ages than usual
• ability to ask reflective and probing questions
• being absorbed in work that they find interesting
• exceptional memory
• rapid pace of learning
• dislike of slow-paced work
• advanced reasoning ability
• complex thought processes

• vivid imagination

• passion for learning

• capacity for reflection.

 Common affective (social emotional) characteristics include:

• emotional intensity
• well developed sense of justice and fairness
• ability to empathise with the feelings of others
• unusually mature sense of humour
• preference for the companionship of older children
• perfectionist tendencies
• acute self awareness.