What Is Giftedness? Understanding Strengths, Sensitivities, And The Need For Insight
Giftedness is not simply about potential, it’s about connection, creativity, and emotional depth.
In a city as dynamic and demanding as New York, it’s easy to focus on performance and achievement while overlooking what lies beneath. Many bright children (and adults) struggle in ways that don’t match their potential. For example, they may learn quickly yet feel misunderstood, or they might perform well yet feel restless or anxious. Sometimes what looks like distraction, perfectionism, or emotional intensity is actually something deeper: giftedness.
What do we mean by that term, though? Let’s take a look.
What is giftedness?
The term gifted is often used to describe someone with high intelligence or impressive academic skills, and while that is certainly true, it is also a far more complex term. Gifted individuals will often show advanced reasoning skills, strong curiosity, creativity, and deep emotional awareness from a young age.
Along with these strengths, gifted individuals tend to feel and process the world intensely. They may experience deep empathy, heightened sensitivity to sounds or criticism, or strong perfectionistic tendencies. This combination of mental quickness and emotional depth can be both a gift and a challenge.
At Aspire Psychotherapy, we specialize in recognizing and understanding these nuances, especially in children and adults whose giftedness has been overlooked or misunderstood.
Giftedness is more than a high IQ
While intelligence testing is one part of the picture, giftedness extends far beyond just IQ scores. Many gifted individuals experience what is referred to as “overexcitabilities,” and this includes things such as heightened sensitivities in areas like imagination, emotions, or intellect. For some, this can look like perfectionism, anxiety, or difficulty fitting in socially, and what appears as restlessness or distraction may actually be a mind working several steps ahead, or an emotional system tuned more finely than most.
Recognizing these patterns matters, as when gifted traits aren’t understood, children may feel alienated, while adults may wonder why they feel driven, self-critical, or unsatisfied even when they’re successful. Because gifted individuals often think and feel differently, their needs can be missed in traditional environments, which can lead to anxiety, self-doubt, or burnout.
In some cases, giftedness coexists with other neurodevelopmental differences like ADHD, autism, or dyslexia, a profile known as twice-exceptionality (2e). A 2e individual might excel in some areas while struggling in others, making their true potential easy to miss without a thorough evaluation. At Aspire Psychotherapy, we understand these complexities and specialize in identifying both strengths and challenges, so each person’s full profile can be seen and supported. If you’re exploring 2e traits, you might also like our guide on Unmasking Twice-Exceptionality.
How psychological testing can help
Psychological testing, also referred to as psychological evaluation or neuropsychological testing, can provide individuals and parents with clarity, and it goes far beyond simply IQ testing. It helps to map out patterns of learning, attention, memory, processing, and emotional functioning, and for gifted and twice-exceptional individuals, this insight is invaluable.
Testing can help highlight both exceptional strengths and subtle areas that need support, and here at Aspire Psychotherapy, our evaluations are thoughtful, collaborative, and tailored to each individual. We take the time to understand the whole person, not just test results, so families and adults leave with a clear picture of how their mind works and what kind of environment or strategies will help them thrive.
Reach out today
Giftedness is not simply about potential, it’s about connection, creativity, and emotional depth. When those qualities are recognized and supported, gifted children and adults can thrive not just academically or professionally, but personally.
If you suspect that you or your child might be gifted, then our team is here to help. Our clinicians provide comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations designed specifically for gifted and 2e individuals, so reach out today to book an appointment.
For families seeking a single-session IQ evaluation (WISC-V, Stanford-Binet, WPPSI, WAIS) primarily for gifted programs or school applications, learn more on our Gifted & IQ Testing in NYC page.
About the Author: Brie Scolaro, LCSW
As an LGBTQ+ licensed clinical social worker and Co-Director of Aspire Psychotherapy, Brie Scolaro, LCSW, is a highly experienced therapist in NYC. Known for their warm but direct style, Brie provides individual therapy and performance-focused coaching for adults and teens navigating anxiety, OCD, burnout, ADHD, identity exploration, and relationship stress. Integrating an array of proven NYC therapy techniques, they integrate CBT, ACT, biofeedback and sports psychology to help clients build emotional resilience, clarify goals, and make meaningful changes in their lives