| A: How to identify and deal with a “gifted” child can be tricky. On the one hand, parents should encourage and help a child develop specific talents. However, labeling a child as gifted can also lead to undue pressures on a child and a sense of feeling different which may interfere with his or her emotional and social development.
What is giftedness?
To add to the difficulties, there is no universally accepted definition of gifted. While some consider IQ testing as one measure, it is too restrictive and misses a wide range of other qualities. The United States Department of Education issued a report, National Excellence: A Case for Developing America’s Talent in which high performance in one or more of the following areas were included in their definition:
- General intelligence
- Specific academic ability
- Creative or productive thinking
- Unusual leadership ability
- Excellence in the visual and performing arts (for example in music or painting)
- Psychomotor ability (such as in dance and athletics)
In fact all children are gifted in their own way, such as in sensitivity and compassion for others. Children who have learning disabilities or ADHD may also be gifted but more difficult to identify.
How are “gifted” children identified?
Early developmental milestones generally do not correlate with giftedness, especially those recited from rote memory, like counting and the alphabet. Parents often recognize advanced development in their children based on a number of characteristics (Robinson and Olszewski-Kubillus), which include:
- One developmental area that stands out way above the others.
- Understanding of concepts and problem solving skills.
- Insatiable curiosity and capacity for independent, self directed activities.
- Exceptional talent in a specific area (drawing, music, math, reading)
- Conversation and interests more like older children or adults
- Advanced language and reasoning skills
When should testing be done?
If testing is indicated, it’s best to wait until school age when the results can be acted upon in a constructive way. Testing a child too early and too young often is not reliable. Test results may also raise expectations so that a child may be pushed too hard and develop emotional problems. For testing, an experienced child psychologist is needed, working together with the child’s pediatrician and/or a pediatric developmental specialist. In selective children, testing can be a helpful adjunct to obtaining special programs or resources.
What can parents do?
A truly gifted and precocious child is still a child who needs love, security, stimulation, encouragement—and the same behavioral limits as any child. This will take time and energy, but it’s equally important, particularly when there are siblings, to not have family life revolve around just one child. Enrichment should be provided in the form of stimulating excursions, frequently reading to the child and close communication with teachers advocating for the needed resources.
| -- Take Home Message -- |
| There is no universally accepted definition of giftedness. If a parent suspects a child is gifted, discussion with the pediatrician will be helpful in determining whether referral to a developmental specialist and/or psychologist is indicated. Test results can be helpful in advocating for necessary educational resources. With proper guidance, the long-term outcome should be positive particularly if the child’s emotional and social needs are met. |
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