Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent

The field of gifted education defines its special population around two key concepts: giftedness and talent. Most professionals in gifted education commonly use these two terms conjointly, in expressions like “the gifted and talented are …” Yet in almost every discussion of the giftedness construct, scholars mention one particular idea; namely a distinction between early emerging forms of giftedness, genetically rooted and usually manifested in childhood, and fully developed, adult forms of giftedness. The differentiated model of giftedness and talent (DMGT) was conceived to exploit that distinction as the basis for clearly differentiated definitions of the terms giftedness and talent: Giftedness designates the possession and use of outstanding natural abilities (called high aptitudes or gifts), in at least one ability domain, to a degree that ...