16. Designing 145+ IQ tests for hyper gifted children with Femke Hovinga
Femke Hovinga knows from experience which challenges hyper giftedness can entail. Despite a hefty portion of potential, she underperformed for years and developed fear of failure. Teachers thought she was a strange bird, classmates teased her. Femke obtained her diploma by hanging and strangling, after which she followed courses in journalism and business administration. And finally: challenges became opportunities. She developed through participating in student life, politics and administrative work. She trained as a talent coach and from there she specialised in 145+ IQ. At Talentissimo she guides children, parents and schools. She also gives lectures, both at Talentissimo and on location. In addition to Talentissimo, Femke is engaged in developing an IQ test for gifted children with SCALIQ. She also works with gifted adults at InterIQ, a recruitment and coaching company for gifted talent. Femke is listed as a professional in the Quality Register for Giftedness.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
Gifted children might be underachieving in school as they can be bored with the regular curriculum in school.
Gifted children experience asynchronicity when they have the cognitive function of teens or adults but they are still children with children’s interests.
Gifted children might not learn how to deal with challenges & failures and they might not learn how to study.
In Dutch the 145+ IQ group is called “Hyper Gifted”
One in a 1000 is in the category of 145+, it is a very small group and it is difficult to find research data on this group.
The people in 145+ are more sensitive and they do not have a lot of developmental peers
People need to mirror with other people in order to develop ourselves and to learn what is normal and what do do in certain situation. People in the 145+ category do not have a lot of people to mirror with.
There are big T traumas (big traumatic experience) and little T traumas (small trauma accumulating). If you are so different from the normal population you probably have a lot of those little T experiences.
The people in the 145+ category need to be seen! And in order to be seen you must be first recognised.
To know where you are on the gifted spectrum helps 145+ realise why they still might not fit in with members from Mensa as the IQ range and difference can be huge.
The traditional IQ test are not made for gifted children, they start too easy.
Autistic children have lower IQ scores on traditional IQ tests than non-autistic children. With the new IQ test from SCALIQ this seems to be not the case anymore.
The SCALIQ IQ test does not include time pressure and also detect the full potential of dyslexic, dyscalculia or color blind children
The SCALIQ IQ test is like testing the motor of a car to it’s full potential, not just how fast the car is going on the road (traditional IQ testing)
Gifted people can have resumés which make them look a bit crazy
The NAGC (The National Association of Gifted Children in the US) estimates that 25 % of children who fall into the gifted range do not finish their education!
In the Netherlands an educated guess estimates that 33 % of gifted people do not work in a place where they can show their potential. 33 % are working in a place where they do OK and only 33 % work in a place where they thrive and can use their full potential
If we want to solve the big issues of today’s world, such as climate change, Covid-19, world peace, we need to include the brightest talents of our societies.
We shouldn’t see people only for their education and resumes but for their talents
Companies sometimes see giftedness as a disability
Be that person you needed as a kid!
If you are currently in a place where you are struggling, please know that there are people like you. Please reach out because finding your peers is important for being happy and finding fulfilment.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Talentissimo website | facebook
InterIQ recruitment & coaching for gifted talent (Netherlands and Belgium)
SCALIQ 145+ IQ tests | Symposium 10th March 2021
Book Dr. Russel Warne In The Know
Book by Dr. Paul Beljan Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, Depression, and Other Disorders
NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children)