Signs Indicating a Child is Gifted

Have you ever wondered if your child is gifted? If undiagnosed, gifted children can develop problems at school. It’s important to speak to your child’s teacher if you do think your child is gifted, because gifted children don’t always display the signs at school.

Perhaps your child taught themselves to read at an early age?

Maybe they display empathy towards others beyond their years?

Some gifted children can manipulate numbers ten years before their age peers.

Vanessa Rendall is a Teacher Librarian and the force behind EducateEmpower – a site sharing book reviews and teacher tips.

Vanessa has a Masters in Gifted Education and has worked closely with gifted children for many years.

‘One issue many gifted children have is not being recognised by their teacher,’ Vanessa said. ‘Parents often have a good sense (but sometimes doubt themselves or don’t know who to compare their children to) of what their children can and can’t do – and need to pass this onto their child’s teacher.’

‘In order for our children to be supported we need to recognise the gifts they have and support them.’

Indicators of Gifted Children:

• Walk and/or talk early
• Have an unusual sense of humour
• Be very curious and ask complex questions
• Show an early or intense interest in books, often learning to read at a young age
• Make unusual connections between topics
• Be self motivated, perfectionist, persistent or independent
• Have a long attention span and unusual memory for details or facts
• Learn rapidly, with little practice
• Think faster than they are able to write
• Prefer the company of older children
• Have unusual perception and problem solving ability
• Worry about adult issues and problems
• Need less sleep than most children
• Not always show their abilities in a school setting.

Vanessa says it is important to remember that:

1. Giftedness is not static – it is always changing so don’t assume that just because your child can’t read at two that they are not gifted.
2. Anyone can be gifted – It is not restricted to age, race, gender or disabilities/abilities.
3. Being gifted does not always mean you are gifted in everything – you may only be gifted in one particular area.

There are many different ways gifted children can be supported depending on their needs, some are:

• Subject acceleration
• Grade acceleration
• Mentoring
• External programs with like minded peers
• Working alongside teachers in planning how they learn.

‘One of the problems gifted students face is boredom in the classroom which can lead to low self esteem, poor behaviour and disengagement with education.’

If you’re a Parent or Teacher looking for advice or resources for gifted children contact Vanessa: nes.ryan@bigpond.com or follow EducateEmpower blog.

Vanessa recently reviewed a children’s picture book by one of Hawkeye Books’ authors saying ‘Discombobulated by Cate Sawyer is a fun book to learn about sounding out, syllables and inquisitiveness. It also allows children to look at the importance of being different and following what we hope for ourselves … [and] can lead you into many wonderful conversations about how different things can be discombobulated and why.’

The Umbilical Family is another of Cate Sawyer’s books that explores big words in a fun way, while opening a conversation around the diversity of family. Especially in regards to adoption, fostering, IVF donation, surrogacy, same sex parenting, and step parenting.