Why 'challenging'? The errors of the label 'gifted'

I don't actually feel the label 'gifted' is appropriate.

Firstly, it conjures images of elitism and almost suggests the 'gifted' child were fortunate to received a gift or present at birth while other children did not. It seems like there is only one 'gift' and if you receive this one gift or you don't.

Every child is a gift.
And every child has their own abilities or 'gifts'. To label possessing a higher IQ as gifted - and thus by default implying other characteristic of a child do not qualify as gifts - seems crazy. The person born the ability to be the fastest runner in the world is not 'gifted'?? Oh...they are a 'gifted athlete'. This would be ok if the person with the IQ was labelled 'gifted IQ'. But this is not how the label is used.

Saying 'gifted' alone to describe intelligence implies their is only one true gift.

This suggestion of the 'one true gift' even if not an intended suggestion, can only create a backlash negative reaction. An negative perceptions and treatments of 'gifted IQ' children already abound although that will be discussed in another post.

Another problem is that the label 'gifted' completely avoids the feeling that such children have any negative consequense of their 'gift'.
The reality is that 'gifted IQ' children, their parents, their carers, their teachers all must cope with both postive and negative aspects of this 'gifted IQ' characteristic.

This is why I prefer the term 'challenging'. A criticism is that the word already has a meaning although - but so did 'gifted'. If this term was widely used people would come to associate it correctly, just as the association with 'gifted' has been learned. However I believe this term would not bring the same negative consequences.

So why challenging? Well these children tend to challenge all that is put before them. Rules, social order and knowledge. They also challenge their teachers and parents and carers. The challenges brought include both positive challenges and also negative challenges. In many ways, the mind of these children bring the children difficult challenges in dealing with the world around them. The concept that 'all is not automatically positive' which the term 'challenging' carries, I think makes it a better as well as more descriptive label.