How do you tell? When did you just know that you had a gifted child? Or, how did you know that they were accelerated, but not truly gifted?
Of course, everyone wants their child to be gifted. And in certain things, I think all kids definitely have their own 'gifts'. But I'm talking the teaching-themselves-to read, algebra-at-8 type of learner.
I have suspected for a long time that my daughter may be gifted. She is certainly accelerated. She knew how to read when I began ignorantly teaching her phonics at age 3(and she was frustrated with me for it). She is now 5.9 years old and reads between a 4th and 5th grade level, with comprehension. She may be able to read beyond that but I haven't provided her with material that advanced. Her vocabulary is 5th to 7th grade. Grammar is frustrating for her, because she intuitively knows how to form sentences correctly but she isn't interested in taking them apart and learning why.
She has not been in a public school environment and has not been tested for ADHD, but I am also almost certain she has it. Yes, she is young, and that is an attention factor for sure, but she is also incredibly distracted, fragmented almost. She overreacts to everything. She catches on to concepts incredibly quickly, but before she has figured something out, she immediately whines that she can't do it. Then, (20 seconds later), she knows the concept, is off and running, and doesn't want to hear another word about it from me! She doesn't forget it, either.
Okay, so that was too much info, but I guess the real question is: she's homeschooled, so is there really any advantage to knowing one way or the other? And what do we do as parents to keep up with them as they rocket through life?
I don't want her to feel labeled, so I'm really only asking for my own knowledge. Even if she is gifted...which she well may not be...I probably wouldn't test her. That would only make her feel even more 'different' if you KWIM.
I hope this came across as an honest question and not just a brag :-)