Gifted and Talented Children's Association of South Australia

PO Box 1111 Unley, SA 5061 Ph: 1300 950 594 E: giftedsa@gtcasa.asn.au

p r ess r el ease
Gifted and Talented Childrens Association of South Australia Prospective Members no longer need IQ Assessment
Gifted children are arguably, one of the least understood groups of children in our schools today. According to a Senate enquiry, these children, when denied an appropriately differentiated schooling suitable to their abilities, very often suffer underachievement, boredom, frustration and psychological distress... we have a duty to help all children realise their potential. Far from being elitist, gifted children can be found in all socio-economic, ethnic and national groups. According to Dr Linda Silverman, when provisions are denied to the gifted on the basis that they are elitist, it is the poor who suffer the most. The rich have other options. For over three decades, the Gifted and Talented Childrens Association of South Australia (GTCASA) has been helping gifted children and their families. The oldest gifted childrens association in Australia, GTCASA provides an environment where gifted children from around South Australia can meet and extend their minds in ways they may not get an opportunity to at school. During the school term, GTCASA holds Saturday Club, where a variety of interesting topics are presented. Gifted children in years 8, 9 & 10 can attend a yearly workshop which runs over three days. The workshops this year will be held from October 4 - 6 and include Nanoworld, Mathematics of Beauty and Busking Science. More information can be found at www.gtcasa.asn.au. GTCASA provides an environment where parents and families of gifted children can interact and share their experiences. There are also parent workshops and a library of resources available for parents and teachers of gifted children. According to Dr Silverman, Director of the Gifted Development Center in Denver, Colorado, Parents are excellent identifiers of giftedness in their children. This year, volunteer based organisation, GTCASA has changed their membership procedure to ensure that prospective members are no longer required to be nominated by a teacher or get an IQ assessment. This simplifies the joining procedure and minimises costs for parents whose resources are already stretched. For information about Gifted and Talented Childrens Association of South Australia: Please visit our website: www.gtcasa.asn.au Find us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gtcasa follow us on Twitter: @giftedinsa or call: 1300 950 594 /END Silverman, L. K. (2002). Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner. Denver: DeLeon