Is It Intelligence, Neurodivergence, or Something Else? What “Gifted” Means in 2026

The term “gifted” has been around since 1916. At the time, it was used to describe children with higher-than-average IQs, and was first used by psychologists Leta Hollingworth and Lewis Terman. While Hollingworth and Terman implied something positive about their assessments of unusually high intelligence, the term has taken on a slightly different meaning today.

Over the decades, “gifted” was used to describe children with prodigy-like abilities. The more modern-day psychology one learns, the more amorphous these traits become. In 2026, “gifted” is closely associated with neurodivergence and how one's brain functions. This brings forth a new question: Is “gifted” even an accurate description of a child's talents? And if not, could it be misleading or even offensive?

For many neurodivergent people, and even their children, “gifted” means more than excelling at something. We speak with Dr. Theresa Haskins, a professor who focuses on neurodiversity and is a neurodivergent parent herself, to learn more.

What Does “Gifted” Actually Mean?

“Gifted” is typically defined as a person having “beyond high intelligence.” This could apply to any subject matter, skillset, or high IQ score. The latter is sometimes considered outdated, or at least limited in its results. Dr. Haskins tells us more about what “high intelligence” means in education.

“Most schools use a combination of IQ testing, achievement scores, and teacher or parent nominations,” she says. These usually have a cutoff around 125-130 points. “Others identify students in the top percentile of their school or district. This means ‘gifted’ can mean something very different depending on where you live,” she adds. In both cases, the process identifies ‘gifted-bright’. This term is slightly different from “gifted.” Instead, it targets high performers who thrive in structured environments and respond well to speedy learning.

This is not the same as being “profoundly” gifted. “True giftedness isn’t about learning faster, and it’s an entirely different cognitive profile. Profoundly gifted children make connections non-linearly and sometimes arrive at the right answer without being able to show you how they got there,” she explains. “That’s disorienting for systems built around measurable, linear progress. And what humans can’t track, they tend to dismiss.” The distinction, Dr. Haskins says, is essential.

Do “Gifted” and “Neurodivergent” Mean the Same Thing?

Depending on a child's behavior, the two can sometimes be intertwined. Excelling with numbers, reading comprehension, or even pattern recognition is often found in “gifted” children. The way a neurodivergent brain functions often means that a child processes information more quickly. Many times, this is the resulting “gift.” But is there a distinction between the two?

“I want to reframe the premise slightly, because this is where a lot of the confusion starts,” Dr. Haskins stresses. “Giftedness is itself a form of neurodivergence. And if we're defining neurodivergence as a variance in neurocognitive functioning, a profoundly gifted brain isn't operating the way a neurotypical brain does. It processes differently, connects differently, and develops unevenly.”

Dr. Haskins says the question isn't whether or not “gifted” means “neurodivergent. “Rather, what kind of neurocognitive variance are we looking at? Are there multiple kinds present at once?” She adds that a gifted-bright child often shows a relatively even profile. They excel, but you don't see the classic flags of neurodevelopmental differences. These include social struggles, attention dysregulation, or co-occurring learning disabilities. These are typical markers for neurodivergence. “Their variance shows up as strength, and it's legible to the systems around them,” says Dr. Haskin.

Twice-Exceptionally Gifted Children

It's also possible for a child to be twice-exceptional, otherwise known as 2-e. This complicates things slightly when there are underlying neurodivergent traits. “The giftedness and other neurodevelopmental differences interact and often mask each other. The giftedness compensates for academic struggles, so they go unnoticed. Or, the struggles suppress the full expression of the gift, so the giftedness goes unrecognized. They fall through every crack,” Dr. Haskins says. She adds that these children are often too capable for support services. Additionally, they may also be too dysregulated to thrive in traditional gifted programs.

“The pattern I have observed is that the traits people use to retroactively diagnose figures like Tesla and Einstein may simply be what profound giftedness looks like when fully expressed,” Dr. Haskins says. She adds that this hasn't been proven, but the evidence is there. “We've been misreading the profile by mapping it onto diagnostic categories built for different populations, and overpathologizing it carries real risk. We start treating the giftedness itself as the problem.”

How Educators Can Support Gifted Children

Exhaustion and burnout are all too often a result of overthinking and mental overexertion. We see it time and time again in neurodivergent children as well as adults. At school, Dr. Haskins encourages educators to check in with students. “Stop assuming they’re fine,” she says bluntly. “That assumption is where most of the harm begins.” She emphasizes that educators should also focus on where a student's thought process differs. “Don’t penalize non-linear thinking. A child who arrives at the right answer through a path you can’t trace isn’t cheating.”

Teachers should also pay attention to their reactions to “gifted” behavior. “Educators who are frustrated that a gifted child isn’t performing in expected ways can do real damage without realizing it. That child isn’t broken,” Dr. Haskins says. “The gift is theirs, and it may not feel special to them the way it looks from the outside. For example, a child reading at a college level may still struggle to regulate emotions or navigate peer relationships.”

How Parents Can Encourage Without Pressure

All any parent wants is to create a safe space for their child to learn and grow. For gifted children, this becomes paramount to either their success or their burnout. Dr. Haskins shares wise words on how parents can lend support, and it's not what you'd expect.

“Give your child permission to be bad at something, and mean it,” she says, adding that this should be valued. “Gifted children who are praised for being smart often develop a quiet, paralyzing fear of failure,” she explains. “They’d rather not try than try and not be immediately excellent. That’s not arrogance. That’s a kid who has learned their worth lives in their ability and isn’t willing to risk it.” Going out of your way to protect unstructured time, letting boredom win, and doing things that have nothing to do with achievement are key.

Dr. Haskins adds that language also plays a significant role in how a child views their gifts. “You’re so smart' teaches a child that smartness is fixed. Research by Carol Dweck shows process praise, [such as] ‘I noticed how hard you worked on that,' builds more resilience than ability praise.” If you're worried your child is headed for burnout, there will be signs. Dr. Haskins says to look out for this:

• Disengaging from activities or interests they love
• An increase in perfectionism or a rigid attitude
• Complaining of physical ailments or illness without being sick or injured
• Becoming irritable at home or having meltdowns
• Losing their curiosity toward the world and subjects in general

“When a child who used to ask a hundred questions goes quiet, something important has shut down,” Dr. Haskins says.

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