You can detect gifted childrens If you know the characteristics and symptoms that they normally show, whether they are 3, 5 years old or teenagers. In this article I will show you the most important signs and keys that you have to observe.
Françoys Gagné, Doctor of Psychology from the University of Montréal, explains: “lGifted children are those students whose potentials are 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 he can reach his potential.
In other words, without adequate stimulation from the environment, innate intelligence may not develop.
Article index
1 Are IQ tests useful for detecting gifted children??
2 9 Symptoms to Watch for in Gifted Children
2.1 They have adult, science or literature interests
2.2 Advanced language skills
2.3 Developed cognitive abilities
2.4 Emotional and behavioral abilities
2.5 Leadership ability
2.6 Developed psychomotor skills
2.7 Artistic skills developed
2.8 Other skills to watch
2.9 Covert Skills
Are intelligence tests useful to detect gifted children??
Tests that calculate intelligence quotient (IQ) are often not sufficiently accurate and adequate when it comes to detecting gifted children. With what these children can obtain an average score in these tests.
The reasons can be diverse. Sometimes the levels of anxiety that they may present when taking the test interfere with 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 taken the test more quickly..
Thus, those children who are very perfectionists and respond more slowly because they seek precision in their answers, will obtain a lower score in the total IQ..
A child with great activity may also have greater difficulty concentrating on more structured tasks such as those that these tests usually incorporate.
As we can see, the tests that evaluate the IQ are limited when it comes to identifying children with special abilities, therefore, the tests must be interpreted as one more piece of the puzzle.
9 Symptoms to Watch for in Gifted Children
If you suspect that your child may be gifted, it is important that you are informed so that you can detect it as soon as possible. These keys can help you in the process:
Have adult, science, or literature interests
The best way to recognize gifted children is through observation by teachers and, above all, parents. They should watch out for any signs that seem out of the ordinary..
If we fail to identify gifted children, we can run two risks:
First of all, that the child feels socially maladjusted, since he feels different from other children and does not understand why.
For example, Javi is an 8-year-old boy who likes to read about the universe in his free time. When several families get together with other children of his age, Javi tries to play with them but soon after he gets bored and goes where the parents are.
Finally choose to stay with them trying to participate in a conversation or simply listening.
This example shows us a 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 they let him know. This makes them feel that they are strange and different from others, which negatively affects their self-esteem.
The second mistake we make when not identifying gifted children is losing the special abilities that a child with these characteristics can bring to society..
It should be clear that a gifted child does not project it on school grades or test results.
Therefore, it is not a relevant factor to take into account when recognizing a gifted child. You have to have a look that goes beyond the academic results.
What can parents do to enhance and take advantage of their abilities?
Focus on reading
Play games like Scrabble, Rummikub, Boggle ...
Assign personal tutors
To travel
Advanced language skills
While most children develop the ability to articulate sentences and understand complex language by the age of two, gifted children usually develop it at a younger age..
The characteristics of language to take into account when identifying whether a child is gifted are the following:
High vocabulary development as well as easier to learn 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 starting school..
They continually ask the why of what they see and what they hear, hoping to get an answer or an explanation.
They have the ability to adapt their language depending on the situation in which they find themselves. For example, they are able to speak in a more complex and organized way when speaking to adults, and instead adapt their language to a simpler and more careless way when speaking to younger children..
They are capable and tend to get into adult conversations. They have a knack for understanding subliminal or ulterior messages, so be careful what you say!!
Unlike normal children of the same age, gifted children are able to understand and carry out commands that involve multiple tasks, such as: make the bed, put the teddy bear in the closet, put your suitcase in the car and then take out the trash.
Developed cognitive abilities
All children have an urgent need to know and investigate the world around them. What distinguishes gifted children is the way they do it.
Their brains are constantly developing mental sponges and they are unstoppably incorporating new information and new ideas. They have a series of natural abilities such as the following:
They have a great capacity for observation and for giving meaning to what they see. They have a detail-based observation.
They quickly establish cause-and-effect relationships between things.
They usually have an internal storage of a large number of themes and can access them quickly.
They have good capacity in the analysis of complex elements, 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 have a knack for picking up inconsistencies and inconsistencies. Critical capacity.
They have a great ability to abstract, conceptualize and synthesize.
They tend to enjoy intellectual activities.
They tend to be more interested in books recommended for children older than their age.
They have originality in their thoughts. They tend to make unusual and unconventional associations.
They have the ability to make relationships between objects or ideas that apparently have no relationship whatsoever.
They do not feel inhibited when it comes to expressing their ideas and opinions. Frequently express disagreement in an emotionally intense way.
They have a flexible mentality and when faced with a problem they can see different alternatives and different ways of approaching it..
Emotional and behavioral abilities
Gifted children are often more sensitive than other children. They tend to feel a greater emotional intensity, they are empathetic with the feelings of others in situations in which other children feel indifferent.
Emotional characteristics that gifted children possess can be:
Having that sensitivity, they tend to appreciate music and art. They may also be easily excited by the natural beauty of the mountains, sunrise, the sea, or animals..
They enjoy spending time alone. Unlike other children who prefer to hang out with other children or with their family members, gifted children enjoy doing activities on their own, such as writing, painting, reading or simply delving into their thoughts..
It seems that they are not running out of batteries because they have a high level of activity. They are constantly moving, talking, exploring, browsing.
They often feel that other children speak very slowly and become nervous about it. As well as feeling restless when they see that the person they are talking to goes around a lot and takes time to get to the important point.
They tend to be able to change in a new direction.
Due to their advanced abilities, they have a knack for interacting with older children as well as adults..
Leadership
They show great leadership skills in a natural way.
They are good at stimulating the potential of other people and recognize their successes and abilities.
They have the ability to organize others in different tasks.
They are empathetic people and therefore have a great capacity to listen to others and understand their feelings. That is a fundamental aspect that makes them become leaders..
They are not authoritarian but because of their abilities they end up exercising authority but in a responsible way. Without ever abusing her.
They tend to support group members when they think it is necessary.
They are good team coordinators.
Others usually wait for a response from you when making a decision.
Recognize the successes of a group.
They understand how people feel and how groups work.
They are able to give directives in a clear and effective way.
Developed psychomotor skills
They are rhythmic.
They are athletic.
They have coordination, balance and feel safe in physical activities.
They are original when it comes to changing the game mode and finding new variants.
They are energetic.
They are able to understand the intellectual aspect of psychomotor activities.
They demonstrate toughness and persistence in physical activities.
Artistic skills developed
Music
Good sense of rhythm.
Understand musical relationships.
Ability to discriminate sounds.
Good rhythmic coordination.
Good musical memory.
They use music to express feelings and experiences.
They make original tones.
Body expression
Shows interest and enjoys body expression activities such as theater.
They immediately feel good playing the roles of other characters.
They communicate feelings with good facial, gestural and postural expression.
They use their voices to reflect mood swings.
They like to evoke emotional responses from their listeners.
Art
They draw a wide 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 watch
Unusual alertness since childhood.
Idealism, morality, and a sense of justice at a young age.
Aware of social problems and political and justice issues.
Long-lasting attention span and intense concentration.
Great memory capacity.
Absorbed in their own thoughts - dreamers.
Unusual sense of humor.
Perfectionist.
They like structure and order.
Covert skills
Not all gifted children meet these abilities in different areas. Often they show only a few of the many signs discussed above. For example, some begin to speak later than expected or are more emotionally reserved..
It is not a question, therefore, of establishing rigid patterns but of helping parents and teachers to have a starting point. From which, the differences are evident.
You should also bear in mind that a gifted child may have a great capacity in learning and emotional skills, and not have an exceptional ability in cognitive abilities..
What often happens is that these children hide their abilities in order to better fit in with other children their age, or to avoid pressure to meet high expectations..
And what other signs have you seen in gifted children??
Yet No Comments