How can you tell if a child is gifted?

Question

How can you tell if a child is gifted?

Answer 1

Being one of those former "gifted" kids myself, I'm going to give a few suggestions. I'm trying to be polite -- I'm just wearing a few chips on my shoulders. Keep in mind that, if I get a little bit snarky, it isn't at you.



I can only put this frankly: be extremely sure that, in trying to find out, you have the child's best interests at heart. So many parents think, however unconsciously, that having a gifted child is another kind of status symbol that they can flaunt around. It absolutely isn't. Parents also tend to heap unrealistic expectations regarding academic performance on the child. I promise, by doing this, you'll only cause the child to lose all interest in his or her studies. I've seen more than a few of my fellow "gifted and talented" students drop out of school.



Don't ever call the child "gifted". Don't call him or her anything. They'll be able to figure out for themselves that they're different than other children, and in exactly what kind of way. If you dote over their abilities, you're likely to give them too much cocksure confidence in them, and that isn't helpful or healthy. They need to learn their abilities and limits on their own. Also, trust me when I say that, by the second grade, "gifted" carries the same stigma as "retarded". Students do not enjoy it when one of their classmates becomes a teacher's pet (this sometimes happens). Teachers sometimes do not enjoy having "gifted" students (this happens just as often). In either case, whoever is offended by the child will lash out at him/her.



Finally, you have to understand that children need to be children. It is not important at all that the child has some kind of long record of outstanding academic or artistic work. If the child doesn't want to study, don't fight any harder to make him or her do it than you would with any other child.



I've seen a lot of parents try to live vicariously through the success of their children, and a lot of undue expextations placed on gifted children. I've seen a lot of child prodigies rise to excellence, only to have them vanish without a trace shortly after.



I was in a lot of those G&T schools and programs when I was young. Most of the students either dropped out of high school or didn't do anything after they graduated from high school. Two of them killed themselves, and one is in prison. Some, but not all, of those who are left are rather unable to interact socially with other people in a normal setting.



Now, there is some benefit to knowing whether or not the child has an above average set of talents. If the child is doing poorly in school, it's a very good idea to arrange an IQ test or an aptitude test of some kind before you let the school counselor scream "ADHD" at you (actually, as a rule of thumb, no matter what your school's counselor tells you, you should blow it off and remind her that she didn't make it into graduate school with her BA in Psychology and marginal GPA, and also doesn't know what she's talking about). It's possible that the courses aren't being paced quickly enough. That does NOT mean that you should give the child more of the same work just to keep his or her pencil moving all of the time. And never, EVER make the child feel as though her performance is tied to how much you care for her.



I guess the answer is, as long as the child isn't suffering academically, don't worry about finding out whether or not your child is gifted. I'm doing fine (I'm working on a doctoral degree, and I'm teaching math at a university), but I'm still pretty angry at a lot of people.

Answer 2

There are many types of giftedness. Musical, reading, math, physical, artistic, etc. If a child seems to like art, take him/her to places to do art. Same with music and athletics. Go to the public library storyhours and check out books to share with your child. Do some family math problems and encourage interest in math and science.



Do not worry about telling if your child is gifted at a young age, it will become very obvious eventually.



Regardless of his or her gift, the child needs to be able to get along with others in the class. Many a person in Mensa has problems relating to others. Try to make your child a "well rounded" individual.



You may consult your child's teachers. Most schools have gifted programs for those that qualify.

Answer 3

somehow you just know. still you can always seek to have the child tested through the school. if they are not school age then you can compare them to the ones that are in their age range and the average development of those children compared to yours. keep in mind, the difference could just be the amount of time and effort you put into teaching your child and the amount of exposure to different things. all my children are gifted, one more than the rest. he is gifted in all areas they test, while the other two in certain areas. my daughter is just over 2yrs and can speak eng and span., sign, count, say abc's, knows her colors, and so much more. everything i seek to teach her, she obsorbs like a sponge. she is even potty trained to the degree that she will not only go, but dump her potty, rinse it under the tub faucet, place it back, close the lid and flush the toilet. remove her potty bowl so she can get to the stool part, put it to the sink, wash her hands with soap and water, dry them, fix her potty back, and then she is done. she just turned two late nov. these are just some of the things you can look for in a toddler to be doing in order to sorta gage whether or not your child is gifted. i hope this helps, sorry so long.

Answer 4

there is not any thank you to tell at 5 months if a baby is proficient. don't be so hung up on labels - they do no longer even use that call in colleges to any extent further by way of connotations of it. there is not any experience in comparing siblings, or perhaps your infants with different infants, by way of fact each and each progresses at distinctive rates, and that does no longer propose one is smarter than the different. all of them seize as much as one yet another, probably by using age 3. Write us back while your then 12 months previous is composing symphonies. then you relatively can call her "proficient". finding on your college equipment, intelligence attempting out may well be executed as early as Grade One. the place I stay, they use those outcomes, coupled with different attempting out executed in Grade 3, to make certain regardless of if a baby takes an accellerated software or no longer. My son substitute into interpreting at 3 years previous, examined off the charts at the two Grades One and 3. We had him in an prolonged learning opportunities software in Grades 5 by using 8, yet desperate to no longer do the Honours classes in intense college, just to permit him be a "in many situations taking place" baby. the two his dad and that i examine early and that i, too, substitute into placed specifically classes, and did Grades One and a couple of in one year.

Answer 5

All children are gifted and talented in one way or another.