Giftedness Part 2 - How Can I Tell If My Child Is Gifted?
It’s common for parents to disregard the idea that their kids might be gifted. I did. But my preconceived idea of giftedness was all wrong.
My son didn’t read or play chess at a year old. He didn’t start speaking like an adult with an unexplained british accent. And despite playing classical music while pregnant, he didn’t instinctively become a concert pianist in utero. Yes, I’m exaggerating, but it’s not too far from what I thought being gifted looked like.
Being gifted is different than being bright. Bright kids typically respect authority and excel in structured environments. They get great grades and enjoy school. They're even-tempered and make friends easily.
That's not usually giftedness.
What is it?
“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains.
Gifted individuals are in the top 10% of their peers in at least one area. Yes, you can be gifted in one area and have a learning disability in another area. Intrigued? Google twice exceptional /2e.
So, is your kid gifted? Here are common traits (not all will apply):
-Reaching developmental milestones early
-Poor sleep or not needing as much sleep
-Sensory sensitivities, ie hunger, thirst, lights, etc.
-Explosiveness/poor emotional regulation
-Being inappropriately harsh/severe
-Endless energy
-Easily bored
-Insatiable curiosity
-Ability to understand on a deeper level
-Talking early and rapid vocabulary growth
-Early interest in letters/numbers
-Questioning authority
-Advanced sense of humour
-Ability to understand complex ideas
-Love of puzzles
-Vivid imagination
-Anxiety, depression, self harm at young ages
-Superior memory
-Friendship difficulties
-Imobilizing perfectionism and fear of failure
If not handled correctly, many of these traits have negative long term implications. Understanding how a neuro-diverse brain processes information/emotions is absolutely necessary if the goal is to guide them in healthy ways. There's no relying on traditional parenting methods and coasting through for us.
So yes, it is important to know. I'm here if you need help.
My son didn’t read or play chess at a year old. He didn’t start speaking like an adult with an unexplained british accent. And despite playing classical music while pregnant, he didn’t instinctively become a concert pianist in utero. Yes, I’m exaggerating, but it’s not too far from what I thought being gifted looked like.
Being gifted is different than being bright. Bright kids typically respect authority and excel in structured environments. They get great grades and enjoy school. They're even-tempered and make friends easily.
That's not usually giftedness.
What is it?
“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains.
Gifted individuals are in the top 10% of their peers in at least one area. Yes, you can be gifted in one area and have a learning disability in another area. Intrigued? Google twice exceptional /2e.
So, is your kid gifted? Here are common traits (not all will apply):
-Reaching developmental milestones early
-Poor sleep or not needing as much sleep
-Sensory sensitivities, ie hunger, thirst, lights, etc.
-Explosiveness/poor emotional regulation
-Being inappropriately harsh/severe
-Endless energy
-Easily bored
-Insatiable curiosity
-Ability to understand on a deeper level
-Talking early and rapid vocabulary growth
-Early interest in letters/numbers
-Questioning authority
-Advanced sense of humour
-Ability to understand complex ideas
-Love of puzzles
-Vivid imagination
-Anxiety, depression, self harm at young ages
-Superior memory
-Friendship difficulties
-Imobilizing perfectionism and fear of failure
If not handled correctly, many of these traits have negative long term implications. Understanding how a neuro-diverse brain processes information/emotions is absolutely necessary if the goal is to guide them in healthy ways. There's no relying on traditional parenting methods and coasting through for us.
So yes, it is important to know. I'm here if you need help.