How Do You Know That Your Child Is Gifted?

A gifted child is one who has advance cognitive (understanding) skills and motor skills for her age. She can walk, talk, and reason earlier than average. She will be a high achiever in most areas, and she may have an IQ over 150.

Having a gifted child is rare. Although many children may be advanced for their age in a particular skill at a particular time, only about 2 per cent of the population are truly gifted. If your child is gifted, however, it is likely that you as a parent will be the first to notice.

Diagnosing a Gifted child becomes easier as the child gets older, but one of the first signs is early language acquisition, particularly speaking fluently before that age of two. Early reading may be another sign of giftedness. Many able children learn to read at the age of three or four and 6 per cent learn to read before the age of two.

Other possible qualities of gifted children are as follows.

? Good powers for reasoning
• A good memory for places and names
? A strong creative and imaginative drive
? Sharp powers of observation
? Being curious and always asking questions
? More at home with adults than with children
? An ability to grasp abstract ideas
? Independence
? Ability to solve problems or puzzles
? Having an extensive Vocabulary.
• Assimilating facts very quickly
? Long concentration span
? Ability to describe events, people and situations accurately and vividly
? Eage
ess to spend time studying or learning
• A specific talent, such as artistic ability
• A high IQ

Will Your Gifted Child be Provided Adequately?
Although you may think giftedness as an asset rather than a problem, your gifted child may not always be provided for at school and she will have specific emotional needs that are different from those of the average child.

The gifted child may find it hard to relate to her peers. She may be impatient with other children for being slow and this may make her unpopular. Although your child may be condescending towards other children she will probably still want to be part of their group and this may lead to frustration and isolation. Alte
atively, your child may try to conceal her talents in order not to seem different, so that she will be accepted by other children.

Interacting with adults can also be a problem.,
Teachers may treat gifted children as arrogant, precocious or cheeky. Gifted children are likely always to know the answers to questions and to be able to point out inconsistencies, and question the reasons for doing something. The gifted child does not mean to be attention-seeking or trouble-making and the negative response she gets from adults can make her withdrawn and antisocial.

A gifted child who is denied the chance to exploit her potential may show a confusing mixture of intellectual prowess and immaturity. She may sulk and have temper tantrums she may be bored by basic school subjects and if she’s restless and inattentive, her teachers far from recognising her talents, may believe that she is of low ability. You may have to intervene and discuss with your child’s teacher the kind of specialized or accelerated learning your child requires and make sure that she gets it.