“We are an HPI family”

A person with High Intellectual Potential (HPI) can have several profiles but the common characteristic of HPI is to have a cognitive intelligence above average, with an intelligence quotient greater than or equal to 130. Some people experience it badly or hide it, for fear of being judged. For others, having been identified as HPI allowed them to better understand themselves. This is the case of Aurore, 36 years old, mother of two children also with high intellectual potential.

Aurore was identified as HPI at school, in CE1. “I was lucky to be in a class with a double level and a teaching staff who listened. Compared to my classmates in CE1, I was aheadI finished my exercises before the others. Once the exercises were finished, I listened and understood the CE2 course. Once identified, I finished the last two months of the year in CE2. I didn’t see any difference in level and I didn’t feel in difficulty. It was fluid and natural In my opinion” she tells us. To confirm her high intellectual potential, she took the WISC-V test with a psychologist. “I have a very clear memory of it. I told myself that it was easy, even funny. The psychologist asked me a lot of questions that I had to answer. She would ask me to define words or answer certain questions, like “what is the stamp for?. The test is divided into several categories, with a language part, a part including positioning in space, general knowledge and memorization speed tests.

“At the age of 4, she knows her alphabet by heart and counts to 50”

“When the psychologist told me that I had high intellectual potential, I took it very well. I found that liberator to be able to understand myself better, to know myself. I understood why I had these learning abilities and how to move forward. Ultimately, I was comforted to know this. Now, as an adult, I better understand my reactions and my continued need to have side projects. Today, I accept myself willingly.” The most surprising thing in Audrey’s case is that she is not the only one to be HPI in her family. “My brother is also HPI identified, but with a more heterogeneous profile and more complex than mine. At school he had difficulties. As a child, he asked questions that were beyond his age and had in-depth knowledge about the solar system. My two children also have high intellectual potential. My daughter has a profile similar to mine: she is very academic, calm, with interpersonal skills. Thanks to her emotional intelligence, she leads her own negotiations with flying colors! At the age of 4, she knows her alphabet by heart, counts to 50…” On the other hand, she knows nothing about the planets, which is not the case for Aurore’s son. “My son has a similar profile to my brother. Very curious and very alert, at 3 years old, he asked questions not suited to his age, about the Big Bang, on the universe or on death. He knew everything about firefighters and leafed through books that were not at all his age, like encyclopedias.”

Finally, how do we live in an HPI family? A game of chess at the speed of light every day? No. Monitoring had to be put in place for Aurore’s son, who absolutely had to take an academic profile. “Writing, for example, was almost a phobia. for him. His motor skills were not as fast as his brain, which created distortions in his graphic gestures. For two years, he was followed by a psychomotor therapist and by an orthoptist for spatial localization. Certain HPI profiles require heavy monitoring, particularly to adapt to school” Aurore confesses.

Also, she encourages parents and teachers to avoid confusing behavioral problems with high intellectual potential. Sometimes it is very difficult for HPI children to fit into a box and this causes a lot of discomfort and unhappiness for them. “Parental support is important and we cannot claim that a child is HPI if he or she has not had the tests carried out by a professional.” Generally speaking, Aurore and her family are happy today. “We have a very rich family life. In adult life, I think that we must above all listen to ourselves to know ourselves better and not let ourselves fade.”