How Do You Know If A Child Is Gifted?
Just as every child is unique, no two gifted children are exactly alike. If you’re wondering how to tell if a child is gifted, you should keep in mind that there are some indicators that can help you find out.
Contrary to what most people think, intelligence is not exclusively the mark of a gifted child, as there are many other indicators.
Therefore, we want to use the following article to provide some clues that will allow us to decipher how to know if a child is gifted.
What does gifted mean?
The term “gifted” is used by different schools, organizations and cultures in different ways.
Some use it strictly to indicate people with much higher-than-average intelligence as calculated by IQ scores, while others cover a broader range of criteria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a gifted person as “one who has an IQ above 130”. However, recognizing a gifted child is not easy.
Only 2% of the child population equals or exceeds the IQ to qualify as such, and nearly half are often problematic children, with poor academic performance and, in some cases, school failure.
How do you know if a child is gifted?
To assess whether a child is gifted, you must first trust the test results.
Yet, as we discussed earlier, many educators look for other signs of exceptional intelligence that cannot be measured by a test or exam.
Likewise, gifted children are very different from each other. However, they have a number of traits and characteristics in common.
To identify these signs, language and learning skills must be taken into account, as well as emotional characteristics.
1.- Language skills
While most children can form recognizable sentences and understand complex language by the time they reach about 2 years of age, gifted children often reach these developmental milestones earlier.
These are characteristics of a gifted child that you should keep in mind when considering language development:
- Highly developed vocabulary .
- Ability to learn new words easily.
- Tendency to speak quickly.
- Early use of complex sentences.
- They often ask many questions that require complex answers.
- They learn to read prematurely.
- Ability to participate in conversations with adults.
- High comprehension ability.
2.- Learning skills
Gifted children acquire knowledge naturally and joyfully.
In fact, their brains seem to be sponges that effortlessly absorb information.
Generally, they show some of the following characteristics in the classroom:
- Great ability to assimilate concepts quickly and efficiently.
- Premature development of motor skills that affect balance, movement and coordination.
- Excellent memory.
- They don’t need to be instructed to perform an activity.
- They need to talk to older children.
- They like to learn.
- Creative ability to solve the exercises.
- They only focus when the subject is of interest to them.
- They have a greater knowledge of the world around them than usual.
3.- Emotional and behavioral traits
Emotionally gifted children are often very intense and sensitive.
In addition, they are very empathetic in situations that are not suitable for children their own age.
These are the emotional or behavioral traits that include:
- They enjoy the activities they do individually, such as reading, writing or playing.
- They are able to relate to children and adults, due to their cognitive ability.
- They act as natural leaders with their peers.
- They seem tireless and with an infinite source of energy.
- They have a critical ability to appreciate natural beauty such as animals, flowers, paintings, etc.
- They speak and think very quickly.
Finally, it is important that parents and educators understand that there may be specific learning differences that affect school performance.
In this sense, it is important to help the child to develop their talents.
If you are wondering how to tell if a child is gifted, you should consider the indicators cited above.
But never forget: some young people only show some of the listed signs or even show characteristics that are completely opposite to what you would expect.
