Signs that my child may be gifted or highly capable

What does it mean to be gifted? Is it the same as having high abilities? And what does it mean to be a precocious child? These are three meanings that we commonly confuse, but that do not mean the same thing, and even less so if we apply them to children of different ages.

Being a precocious child means that you have or display the qualities or abilities of an adult at an unusually early age. Some of the characteristics they present are a high ingenuity in their language, the ability to learn quickly and a high level of observation. Precocious children usually walk before 12 months , learn to speak before 2 years, and control reading between 3 and 5 years. However, this does not mean that the child is gifted, since a greater physical and psychological development is needed to determine their state.

Gifted children are those who show extraordinary ability to reason and learn, and who also develop competencies in one or more fields. These can be of an intellectual nature such as mathematics, language or music , which have their own symbols, or they can be on the other hand that they stand out for their sensorimotor skills, such as sports or dance. The gifted are 2% of the population , who obtain a score equal to or greater than a value of 130 as IQ in the specific tests of the Intelligence Test.

Gifted children, like gifted children, also have an IQ of 130 or higher on intelligence tests. However, to consider that a person shows high capacities, the result that they obtain in cognitive tests such as memory or processing speed has to be 120 or higher.

Although the value of 130 is usually used as a cut-off point, high capacities are more than a number and must also be associated with the creativity factor and set of characteristics of the child’s vital functioning.

HOW CAN I KNOW IF MY CHILD IS GIFTED?

The characteristics at this age may already be the following:

– The child has learned to read before the first year of primary school, quickly and understanding what he reads.

– They enjoy talking to adults.

– They are children who ask a lot and always want to know the why of things.

– They have an immense desire to learn.

– They have an excellent memory and great attention span.

– They reason quickly and clearly . They have the most open mind.

– They are very creative children, with a wide capacity for imagination.

– They relate ideas to objects or facts very quickly.

– They do not need a previous explanation or a lot of practice to learn.

– They are generally self-taught.

– They tend to be perfectionists.

– His vocabulary is much larger than normal.

– You can do two or three things at the same time.

– Sometimes they get too abstracted, developing a clueless behavior.

– They are very sensitive .

– Their self-esteem is not very high and they are often introverted.

– They tend to question the rules and authority.

– He is bored in class because his intelligence is above the established educational programs.

– They have very little motivation towards the teacher.

– They are independent.

– If you have not identified your child’s giftedness in time, it can manifest itself in poor academic behavior, emotional disorders, such as depression, conduct disorders due to the lack of motivation and creation of knowledge that these children need.

– They’re not good at listening to people. They can be very manipulative if they want to.

They do not follow the pre-established schedules well

– They have symptoms of hyperactivity and attention deficit

– They are vulnerable to failure and the opinions of others.

We must teach discipline and limit their behavior as we would with other children. Being gifted does not mean that you are superior to anyone, and you have to follow family rules like everyone else.

For all this, it is important to detect and act early on children with high capacities or gifted; gifted boys and girls need special education.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS DO IN THIS SITUATION?

If you think that your son or daughter can be gifted it is necessary that you turn to a specialist, the school counselor can take care of it or recommend who to go to. The specialist, who will be a psychologist, a pedagogue or a psychopedagogue, will do the pertinent tests; the first will be the test whose result will indicate what your IQ is. From here you will be able to know what you are up against, and with the help of the specialist you will know which educational method is best for your child. Remember that it is very important to provide the necessary help to the child, otherwise they will not be able to develop their skills correctly.

Although it is not always easy, the ideal is to quickly identify the high capacities or giftedness of the child, in this way the appropriate environment will be provided to his condition. So you have to have a conversation with the class tutor your child to make it to the current situation . You can pass on the results obtained in the specialist and exchange views on what the school can do.

However, Spain has a large pending account on this issue, since, although it does offer programs for the development of the capacities of gifted people, these are minimal throughout the geography of our country. The most common solution is to overtake those who show high abilities, but this is often not the most satisfactory result . Another option is to go to one of the few specialized centers that are located in Spain. They deal with both the academic and social spheres, but the biggest drawback is their high cost.