Mariam
klyohoWhen a child is developing skills at a faster pace than peers, not only are parents aware, but others (friends, relatives, caregivers, and doctors) may also talk about the differences. At first it’s exciting to watch a young child’s abilities grow; however, at some point parents begin to wonder what it really means if their child has cognitive, artistic, physical, musical, or sensitivities far beyond others of his or her age.
These concerns usually fall into three main questions:
1. How can I know if my child is gifted?
Informal Assessment
- Early use of advanced vocabulary
- Keen observation and curiosity
- Retention from varied sources of information, i.e. evidence of a dynamic memory
- Periods of intense concentration
- Ability to understand complex concepts, perceive relationships, and think abstractly
- A broad and changing spectrum of interests
- Strong critical thinking skills and self-criticism
- Early demonstration of talents in music, art, athletics, and/or the performing arts
2. How do I help my child develop his or her potential?
“The most consistent findings point to the strong influence of the home and to the extra investment parents of gifted children make, not so much in securing outside classes, but in reading to and playing with their children, enriching their experiences, and helping them focus on potential opportunities for learning.” The author of Parenting the Very Young, Gifted Child, Nancy Robinson, points out, “We have no strong evidence that special preschools, early teaching, or computer technology significantly advance the development of gifted children.”
According to Stephanie Tolan, author of Giftedness as Asynchronous Development, “The young gifted child may appear to be many ages at once. He may be eight (his chronological age) when riding a bicycle, twelve when playing chess, fifteen when studying algebra, ten when collecting fossils and two when asked to share his chocolate chip cookie with his sister. This variability in behavior and perception is difficult for parents and schools to handle and difficult for the child as well. It is hard to ” fit in ” consistently when so much of the child’s environment is structured by chronological age, an age which may be for the gifted child the least relevant aspect of his development.”
