Is your child talking too much, jumping into adult conversations, has a long attention span, learns rapidly and independently? .

These characteristics are associated with gifted and talented children and should be encouraged according to Central Queensland University Education Lecturer Avril Rose.

“This is an equity issue. These children need to get the attention they deserve and this can be done by giving schools and families the skills required to cope with these students in the classroom or home,” she said. .

“I would hope teachers would allow these students to work with like-minded peers, to become creative risk takers and accelerate their learning. Independent interest-based projects are an easy way of challenging these children.” .

“Currently funding for these children comes under the umbrella of special needs. This needs to change as Government need to ear-mark a specific category so these children don’t miss out on funding.” Mackay parent Karen Gill noticed three of her five children were able to complete difficult puzzles and had extensive vocabulary skills. .

“A psychologist assessed their intelligence and at a school level they were positioned in the upper percentile for their age,” she said.

“In the middle years of schools there is a good standard for their learning, but there is no real differentiation for these children in the younger years. They were a little bored in class as the work they were given was often too easy or not challenging enough.” Mrs Gill believed nightly reading sessions helped her children develop.

“We always have lots of books around the house and they have a love of literacy as we would spend about 10-15 minutes reading to them each of them in the evening.” .

“Socially our first child had some issues and she seemed to think differently. She thought the other children were a little immature towards their studies and was sometimes intolerant as to how other children learn. Now that she is at high school she is coping quite well as the quantity and level of work is more challenging of her and she isn’t bored.” .

Ms Rose will discuss matters relating to gifted and talented students at Mackay North State High School from 7pm on Tuesday.