Is
my child gifted? How
to identify a gifted child can be a difficult process.
Many parents are scared to dare think their child
has a talent above the norm and may find other parents
and teachers may not believe them thinking they
are just overly proud of their child.
The truth is that
most schools are not equipped to deal with gifted
children as they are fewer and further between than
the average child and since they learn what they
need to easily the teacher ignores them to concentrate
on the less gifted ones.
Using these 12 points
you can gain some insight into your child's potential
genius.
Generally a young
child who shows many of the following traits is
likely to be gifted, however other less gifted children
may show some of these characteristics and a
gifted
child will very rarely show all characteristics.
While this guide
is written for young children many of the points
can also apply to older children.
1.
Advanced Development
A young
gifted child frequently achieves certain milestones
such as first speech and walking much earlier than
other children. They may also have a greater vocabulary
than other children of the same age and love to
define words, read books and can often be self taught
readers at pre-school and kindergarten.
2.
Early Intellectual Talent
Gifted
young children can have a very good memory and can
learn simple math, science and social studies concepts
eagerly. They may also grasp onto a particular topic
(Space and planets for example) and have an amazing
understanding of the subject! They can also simply
have a wide interest in everything and a thirst
to learn all they can moving from one area to another
very quickly.
3.
A Thirst for Knowledge
Gifted
children often have a drive to learn and a ¡®thirst
for knowledge¡¯. Without having any particular agenda
children often want to discover and learn for the
sake of discovering like a true scientist or philosopher.
They may study everything or pull toys and devices
apart to see what makes them work. Or may be overly
interested in simple things then discard them quickly
looking for a new learning challenge.
4.
High Level of Activity
Unlike
hyperactivity which can often have no focus just
amazing amounts of energy a gifted child can often
be very active and have a reduced need for sleep
as they divert this energy to a purpose. Also, unlike
hyperactivity a gifted child may have a long attention
span when they find something of particular interest.
5.
Cautionary
A gifted
child may have a great ability to read more into
situations and the future than their peers. Because
of this they may seem to hold back in new situations
as they work out the implications and possibly worry
about the possibility of failure. While this may
make them appear shy or slow a gifted child can
show their true ability by answering questions brilliantly
or excelling at the task given.
6.
Sensitivity
Some
young gifted children can be very sensitive, general
anger or criticism is taken personally; they suffer
along with the starving children on TV, the injured
animal, etc. and when overloaded with impressions,
may become introverted and withdrawn.
7.
Uneven Development
Some
children are gifted in a narrow field while others
have a more ¡®all round¡¯ aptitude; however there
is often a large gap between their mental, social,
physical and emotional development. This can lead
to frustration and confusion on the child¡¯s behalf
as their advanced mind may be trying to grapple
with concepts they are not emotionally advanced
to deal with. Examples may be over concerned with
death, the future or sex. Also their manual dexterity
may lag behind what they are trying to achieve in
a task.
8.
Can Distinguish Between Reality and Fantasy Early
This
may lead to discussions on, and the acceptance of,
the inevitability of death; the frequent need to
analyze stories to see which parts "really could
happen" and awkward questions about Santa and the
tooth-fairy!
9.
Early Insight Into Social and Moral Issues
Some
gifted children have a highly developed social conscience
and can become worried about war, pollution, injustice
and violence. They can often see through adult hypocrisy
and can become angry and scared when they see that
adults are inconsistent and unreasonable.
10.
Greater Reasoning Power and Manipulation
A young
gifted child tends to use their verbal ability rather
than actions when communicating, this means you
can often reason with a gifted child from a young
age. This ability with their greater logical prowess
and understanding of relationships can sometimes
lead them to understand the benefits of dishonest
behavior such as lying, stealing and cheating. Being
able to manipulate adults can be a very disturbing
feeling for a child however who needs a parent¡¯s
security.
11.
Individuality
A great
number of gifted children can be seen as ¡°odd¡±
or unconventional and learn in different ways. Strictly
organizing a child like this can hamper their development
as they need some time to do their own thing to
bring forth their creativity.
12.
The Importance of Adults
Gifted
children may not be interested in very structured
activities or meeting other's standards, often preferring
to develop their own projects. Despite this, adult
guidance is very important - to help them determine
in which situation it is necessary to conform and
when it is O.K. to be "different", to put realistic
limits on an often overambitious project, to lend
a hand when manual dexterity doesn't meet mental
visions and to avoid self-criticism becoming destructive.
Help may be needed to set realistic standards.
More
related articles....
- Homeschooling
Gifted Children
- 8
Mulitiple Intelligences in children
- What
is multiple intelligence theory? What is the M.I.
theory?
About
The Author:
Esther Andrews is an expert in how
to develop your Child's genius!
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