Understanding Giftedness: A Parent’s Guide to Assessments in Calgary
Parents often come to me with questions about giftedness: Is my child gifted? How do I know? What does the process look like? If you’re exploring gifted assessments, you’re likely hoping for clarity about your child’s learning profile, whether it’s to apply for specialized programs like Westmount Charter School or the Calgary Board of Education’s GATE program, or simply to better understand your child’s strengths and needs.
What Does “Gifted” Mean?
Giftedness is more than just being a quick learner. Gifted children often show advanced reasoning skills, strong problem-solving abilities, and creative ways of approaching challenges. They might surprise you with their vocabulary, grasp of abstract ideas, or ability to make connections others don’t see.
But every gifted child is unique. Some excel across subjects, while others have “spiky profiles,” with standout strengths alongside challenges in areas like attention, social-emotional skills, or specific academic tasks. That’s why an individualized assessment is so important.
Why Do Parents Seek a Gifted Assessment?
Families often pursue an assessment for one of two reasons:
Program applications. In Calgary, this often means Westmount Charter School or CBE’s GATE program, both of which require updated IQ testing (often the WISC-V).
Understanding your child. Parents want to know how their child learns, what environments help them thrive, and how to best support both their strengths and their struggles.
Whether you’re pursuing placement in a specialized program or simply seeking clarity, an assessment can give you a comprehensive picture.
What Does the Gifted Assessment Process Involve?
At Chickadee Psychology, the process is clear and supportive:
Parent Intake (online, 30 minutes). We’ll meet on a secure video platform to discuss your child’s history, strengths, and your goals for the assessment.
Cognitive (and Academic, if needed) Assessment (child, in person). Your child spends about 2 hours completing engaging, puzzle-like activities that measure reasoning, problem-solving, and learning ability. If your child is applying to the Calgary Board of Education’s GATE program or you’d like to understand their academic standing (for example, when considering a grade skip), we’ll also include academic testing (2.5 hours) as part of the process.
Report. You receive a clear, parent-friendly written report that meets requirements for program applications like Westmount and GATE.
Feedback Meeting (online, 30 minutes). We’ll walk through the results together and discuss next steps for school and home.
What Will the Results Tell Us?
An IQ or gifted assessment doesn’t just give a number: it paints a picture of how your child thinks and learns. We’ll highlight areas of strength and, if applicable, areas where support may be needed. Many families find this information invaluable, whether or not they choose to pursue a specialized program.
Gifted Programs in Calgary
If you’re applying to Westmount Charter School or CBE’s GATE program, updated cognitive testing is required as part of the application. At Chickadee Psychology, our assessments are designed to meet these requirements while also giving you practical insights into your child’s learning profile.
Why a Gifted or Psych-Ed Assessment Matters:
It gives you clarity: understanding how your child learns, not just what they know.
Helps you advocate for your child in school, request appropriate challenges, accommodations, or enrichment.
Prevents boredom, frustration, or mislabelling (like “lazy” or “disinterested”) when the real issue is lack of challenge or mismatch in learning style.
Offers a long-term picture: identifying cognitive strengths & weaknesses, attention or processing differences, and guiding supports at home and school.
Still have more questions?
See our post on the most frequently asked questions about giftedness and gifted assessments in Calgary.
Next Step: If you’re considering a gifted or IQ assessment in Calgary, you can start by booking an intake meeting. From there, we’ll guide you through every step.
