Since it is widely agreed upon in the educational and
child development communities that early recognition of
the characteristics of a gifted child, is a key factory
in successfully developing the child, it is important
for the parent to have at least a general understanding
of these gifted characteristics.
First of all in order to be classified as a gifted
child, the child must have the ability to perform at a
level that is significantly beyond other children of
like age. O.K. So, for a parent, what might this look
like or what should I look for in my child?
The following are some guidelines to help your awareness
when it comes to recognizing the characteristics of a
gifted child. Keep in mind that there are varying levels
of giftedness, as you view the guidelines.
Cognitive Skills (thinking or thought processing)
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Ability to master new skills with extraordinary
speed.
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A deeper knowledge than other children the same age.
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Extraordinary memory and recall of events, facts,
and/or figures.
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Advanced creativity and ability to improvise.
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Acute alertness to their surroundings.
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Advanced or more complex sense of humor.
Learning Patterns
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Great and constant curiosity along with high level
of motivation to learn.
-
As a result of the previous, being bored easily if
not challenged
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Advanced ability to stay focused or lengthy
attention span. Even with more difficult topics.
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Advance organizational or planning skills.
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Advance logic and problem solving skills.
Speech and Language
-
Well developed word vocabulary and language compared
to children of the same age.
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Creative uses of words and sentence structure and
again, sense of humor.
-
Ability to adapt their use of the language to a
given level to fit the situation.
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Ability to understand and carry out complex
instructions.
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General advanced ability in reading, writing, and
working with numbers.
Social
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Sensitivity to other's feelings
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Use of their advance language skills to resolve
conflict or debate.
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Organize and direct behavior of other children (may
seem bossy to other children).
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Many times will feel more ‘at home' with older
children.
-
May have high expectations of themselves (and
others) that can lead to frustration and even anger.
Other
