You can detect gifted childrens If you know the characteristics and symptoms that normally show, are already 3, 5 years old or are adolescents. In this article I will show you the most important signs and keys that you have to observe.
Françoys Gagné, PhD in Psychology at the University of Montréal, explains:"l Gifted children are those students whose potential is Differ from the average in one or more of the following domains: intellectual, creative, social, and physical ability ".
For Gagné the key word is the potential . It gives more importance to environmental factors than to innate intelligence; A child needs to be Stimulated so that it can reach its potential.
Put another way, without proper stimulation by your environment, innate intelligence may not develop.
9 Characteristics of gifted children
If you suspect your child can be gifted, it is important that you be informed so that you can detect it as soon as possible. These keys can help you in the process:
Watch it
The best way to recognize gifted children is through observation by teachers and, above all, parents. They must be attentive To any signal that seems to them out of the ordinary.
If we fail to identify gifted children we can run two risks:
- First, make the child feel socially maladaptive because they feel different from other children and do not understand why.
For example , Javi is an 8 year old boy who enjoys reading about the universe in his spare time.
When several families get together with other children of his age, Javi tries to play with them but after a while he gets bored and goes where the parents are.
He eventually chooses to stay with them by trying to engage in some conversation or just listening.
This example shows typical behavior of a gifted child.
What we see happening with children like Javi is that other children his age see him as the strange child and so they let him know. This makes them feel That are strange and different from others, which has a negative impact On your self-esteem .
- The second mistake we make in failing to identify gifted children is to lose the special capacities that a Child with these characteristics.
It must be clear that a gifted child does not project it on the school grades or In the results of the exams .
Therefore, it is not a relevant factor to take into account when it comes to recognizing a gifted child. You have to have a look that goes beyond the academic results.
What can parents do to empower and take advantage of their abilities?
- Focus on reading
- Play games like Scrabble, Rummikub, Boggle...
- Assign personal tutors
- Travel
Look at language skills
While most children develop the ability to articulate phrases and understand complex language over the two years, gifted children They usually develop it at an earlier age.
The characteristics of the language to take into account when identifying if a child is gifted are the following:
A high vocabulary development as well as greater ease in learning new words.
Tendency to speak fast.
They learn to read at an earlier age than children their own age. A large number of gifted children learn to read before even Begin the school year.
They continually ask why they see and what they hear waiting for a response or an explanation.
They have the ability to adapt their language depending on the situation in which they are. For example, they are able to talk about a More complex and organized way when they talk to adults, and instead adapt their language to a simpler and more neglected form when They speak to younger children.
They are able and tend to get into the conversations of adults. They are easy to understand subliminal messages or with second Intentions, so be careful what you say!
Unlike normal children of their own age, gifted children are able to understand and carry out orders that carry multiple Tasks, such as: make the bed, keep the teddy bear in the closet, upload your suitcase to the car and then take out the trash.
Analyze the Cognitive abilities
All children have an imperative need to know and investigate the world around them. What distinguishes gifted children is the way how do they do that.
Their brains are mental sponges in continuous development and in an unstoppable way they incorporate new information and new ideas. They have a series of natural abilities like the following ones:
They have a great ability to observe and give meaning to what they see. They have an observation based on detail.
They quickly establish cause-effect relationships between things.
They usually have an internal storage of a large number of themes and can access them quickly.
They have good ability in analyzing complex elements by separating them into more elementary components and analyzing them systematically.
They can easily extract principles and can make generalizations about objects, people or events.
They are easy to grasp inconsistencies and inconsistencies. Critical ability.
They have a great ability of abstraction, conceptualization and synthesis.
They usually enjoy intellectual activities.
They tend to be more interested in books recommended for older children than their age.
They have originality in their thoughts. They usually perform unusual and unconventional associations.
They have the ability to make relationships between objects or ideas that apparently have no relation whatsoever.
They do not feel inhibited when expressing their ideas and opinions. They often express disagreement in an emotionally intense way.
They have a flexible mindset and can see different alternatives and different approaches to a problem.
Observe emotional and behavioral abilities
Gifted children are often more sensitive than other children. They often feel a greater emotional intensity, They are empathetic With the feelings of the Others in situations where other children are indifferent.
Emotional characteristics possessed by gifted children can be:
By having that sensitivity, they usually appreciate music and art. They can also feel easily aroused by the natural beauty of Mountains, sunrise, sea or animals.
They enjoy spending time alone. Unlike other children who prefer to hang out with other children or their families, children Gifted people enjoy doing activities on their own, such as writing, painting, reading or just getting into their thoughts.
It seems that they do not run out of batteries because they have a high level of activity. They are constantly moving, talking, exploring, prying.
They often feel that other children talk very slow and get nervous about it. As well as feeling restless when they see that the person with whom They are talking about many laps and they are slow to reach the important point.
They are often able to move to a new direction.
Because of their advanced skills, they are able to relate to older children as well as adults.
Do you have leadership skills?
- They manifest great Leadership skills In a natural way.
- They are good at stimulating the potential of others and recognize their successes and abilities.
- They have the ability to organize others in different tasks.
- They are empathetic people and therefore have great ability to listen to others and understand their feelings. That is a fundamental aspect that Makes them become leaders.
- They are not authoritarian but by their abilities end up exercising authority but in a responsible way. Never abuse her.
- They often support group members when they think it is necessary.
- They are good coordinators of equipment .
- Others often expect a response from you when making a decision.
- They recognize the successes of a group.
- They understand how people feel and how groups work.
- They are able to give guidelines in a clear and effective way.
Evaluates psychomotor skills
- They are rhythmic.
- They are athletic.
- They have coordination, balance and feel secure in physical activities.
- They are original when changing the game mode and find new variants.
- They are energetic.
- They are able to understand the intellectual aspect of psychomotor activities.
- They demonstrate hardness and persistence in physical activities.
Consider artistic abilities
Music
- Good sense of rhythm.
- Understands musical relations.
- Ability to discriminate sounds.
- Good rhythmic coordination.
- Good musical memory.
- They use music to express feelings and experiences.
- They perform original tones.
Body expression
- Demonstrates interest and enjoys in activities of corporal expression like for example the theater.
- They immediately feel good interpreting roles of other characters.
- Communicate the feelings with a good facial expression, gesture and postural movement.
- They use the voice to reflect mood swings.
- They like to evoke emotional responses to their listeners.
Art
- They draw a variety of objects.
- They draw with depth and good proportions.
- They like to make three-dimensional figures with clay or plasticine.
- They use art to express emotions and experiences.
- They treat art seriously and enjoy it.
- They like to try new materials.
Other skills to observe
Unusual alertness from infancy.
Idealism, morality and sense of justice at an early age.
Aware of social problems and political issues and justice.
Capacity for lasting attention and Intense concentration .
Great Memory capacity .
Absorbed in their own thoughts - dreamers.
Unusual sense of humor.
Perfectionist .
They like structure and order.
Detects covert skills
Not all gifted children meet these skills in different areas. Often, they show only some of the many commented signs previously.
For example, some people start talking later than expected or are emotionally more reserved.
It is not, therefore, a matter of establishing rigid patterns, but of helping parents and teachers to have a starting point. From which, the Differences are evident.
You should also keep in mind, that a gifted child may have a great ability in learning and emotional skills, and not have a skill Exceptional in Cognitive abilities .
What often happens is that these children hide their skills in order to fit better with other children their age, or to avoid Pressure to meet high expectations.
The tests that calculate the intelligence quotient (IC) are often not accurate enough and adequate when it comes to detecting gifted children. With What these children can get an average score in these tests.
The reasons may be different. Sometimes the anxiety levels that they can present at the time of the test interfere in their score.
Another factor of interference is that these tests usually have timed subtests in which the highest scores are obtained by those who Have performed the test more quickly.
Thus, those children who are very perfectionists and respond more slowly because they seek accuracy in their answers, will get a lower Score in the total CI.
A child with great activity may also have greater difficulties to concentrate on more structured tasks such as those usually incorporated tests.
As we see, the tests that evaluate the IQ are limited when it comes to identifying children with special abilities, so we must Interpret the tests as one more piece of the puzzle.
To complete the puzzle, it is necessary for the adults in the environment to be perceptive, observant and able to detect them, so that Stimulate and empower these children to develop their exceptional abilities.
And what other signs have you seen in gifted children?