Not every child possesses the intellectual abilities necessary to be considered gifted. For this reason, many kids have no need for gifted education and, as a result, a large number of parents may never learn about programs and schools designed especially for these unique youths. While this is fine, a lack of knowledge also has the potential to yield misinformation and misconceptions.

As a result, parents must be careful - especially if their children have taken an IQ test for kids and were found to be gifted. If they make decisions regarding their children's education based on misconceptions, their kids could suffer. To ensure that this does not happen, parents should pay attention to these common misconceptions about gifted youths and the education that is designed for them:

Gifted children do not need special education
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding gifted children is that they are incredibly smart and, as a result, do not require a different approach to instruction. This simply is not true.

According to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the very fact that these youths are often more advanced than their non-gifted peers could put them at risk in the wrong academic environment. After all, students who are bored or frustrated are unlikely to perform well at school. Gifted kids can only benefit from learning alongside like-minded pupils and receiving instruction from educators who have been trained to teach advanced learners.

It is important for parents to remember that just because their children are considered to be gifted does not mean they have what it takes to learn and challenge themselves on their own.

"A beautiful flower inherits certain traits," wrote speaker, educator and author Carolyn Coll, in a recent post on CNN's Schools of Thought blog. "But if it is not watered and fed and if it does not get the right amount of sunlight, it does not develop as it could. The same is true for gifted children."

All gifted children excel academically and socially
No two gifted youths are alike, so it is impossible to say that all of them know how to get good grades or rise to the top of the school social ladder. Coll wrote that there are gifted kids who could be considered model students. At the same time, there are those who some teachers could see becoming problem pupils down the line. These individuals get low grades, are disorganized, put off doing their work and challenge their instructors. As a result, individuals who wish to stereotype gifted children as the ideal students need to forget their assumptions and look at the facts.

Furthermore, the NAGC states that an estimated 20 percent to 25 percent of gifted children experience social and emotional difficulties. These figures serve as one more example as to why placing gifted youths in a regular school environment may not be best for them.

Every child is gifted
Parents tend to think their children are special, so why would they not think their kids are gifted as well? The only problem is that different youths have different IQs and educational needs. It is important for parents to understand what separates a gifted child from a typical youth.

According to the NAGC, gifted children possess an advanced capacity to learn and apply their knowledge in at least one subject area or the arts. While every child is indeed special, it may be in parents' best interest to have their little ones take an IQ test for kids and gain a better understanding of their learning capacity.

"All gifted students need programs and services to ensure their growth rather than the loss of their outstanding abilities," Coll wrote.