What is HLP?

What exactly do we mean when we say 'gifted' or 'High Learning Potential'?

High learning potential (HLP), or giftedness, refers to a child’s ability to rapidly learn and use new information to understand and solve problems, in a manner that is considered exceptional for a child of their age.

A gifted child will often have a fantastic memory, and be able to recall facts and ideas from months ago that their parents would likely have assumed had been long-forgotten.

Usually HLP is defined as those with cognitive abilities in the top 1-5% of children for their age group, but there are a variety of different definitions depending on your source.

We prefer the term 'HLP'

While you can call it whatever you like, we prefer the term ‘high learning potential‘ over adjectives such as ‘gifted‘ and ‘talented‘ because it implies that it requires effort on the part of the educator or parent.

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They have the potential to do very well indeed, but it’s going to take a lot of effort.

Gifted is a very passive word, suggesting the child is inherently able to do things with ease and therefore does not require further help, and that this help should instead be directed to those with ‘special needs’. On the contrary, ‘high learning potential‘ children frequently have very particular needs as a result of their often asynchronous development, without which they cannot flourish to the best of their ability.

Is my child High Learning Potential?

If your child has a profound curiosity and interest in learning, a strong vocabulary and very good memory, or is an early and enthusiastic reader, they may well be demonstrating signs of HLP.

HLP kids learn very quickly, and often have a wide array of interests, with a strong attention span when they are interested. They are creative, with a particular interest in solving problems and understanding new ideas and concepts. Their imaginations run wild, with hugely complex ideas and games that their peers often struggle to follow. As a result, they may prefer to spend time around older children and adults, who they feel closer to in terms of interests and conversational ability.

HLP children are often very emotionally sensitive, with a strong sense of justice, what is right and wrong, and may get very upset by events or situations they perceive to be unfair. This may lead to them (rightly in our opinion) questioning authority and not ‘falling in line’ like other kids. Coupled with this, they are frequently very intense, with powerful explosions of emotion at seemingly minor triggers, that can often be misconstrued as disobedience or disruptive behaviour by adults in their company. They can also be very self-critical and get terribly upset at their own inability to do something when they struggle.

What is asynchronous development?

Children with high learning potential may have very advanced language and mathematical skills, but simultanously can struggle with other, seemingly basic, tasks such as social interaction and fine motor skills.

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Because of their exceptional ability in one field, it is easy to forget just how young and vulnerable they are when they struggle unexpectedly with something else.

Children with fantastic vocabulary love to talk and often end up taking over conversations, completely caught up in their innocent enthusiasm. If they simultaneously find it hard to pick up on social nuance and cues, then they can find themselves being admonished by adults for being ‘rude’ or ‘disruptive’ as they fail to allow other children or even adults to speak.

While they may have fantastic memories, and a powerful attention to detail with projects that interest them, they can easily be distracted, and this may lead to arguments where a parent or teacher has asked repeatedly for one thing to be done, only to find that it has repeatedly been ‘ignored’. The child probably had every intention of doin as asked, but got distracted by a particularly interesting new idea or toy along the way. Likewise, children that learn quickly become bored easily too, and may appear as if they are not engaging or listening, however when questioned they can easily recall everything that has been said. This can make the standard classroom environment very challenging for everyone involved.

What is dual exceptionality?

Dual or multiple exceptionality (DME) refers to children with both high learning potential and a special educational requirement as a result of a learning difficulty or disability. Some people, especially in the USA, call it ‘twice exceptional‘ or ‘2e’.

Between 5 and 10% of HLP children have some form of special educational need

The idea is that a child may have exceptional ability in one area, but a disadvantage elsewhere that means they require specific support, such as having a fantastic memory and ability with numbers, but also struggling with an attention deficit disorder or autism spectrum disorder.

The Bottom Line

All personality, ability and development is on a spectrum, and everyone has their own strengths, weaknesses and requirements. While the majority of children can be supported in their education through conventional schooling, there will be a proportion of children at both ends of the spectrum who need extra or different support and teaching styles, and some children are simultaneously at both ends of the same spectrum.

Our view is that no person is better placed to identify and support these complex and nuanced facets of a child’s personality than their parent(s), and that is a large part of the reason we’ve decided to pursue home education, rather than following the conventional schooling route.

You can take this online questionnaire with Potential Plus to see whether your child may demonstrate high learning potential.