Should My Child be in a Gifted & Talented Program?

Is your child highly focused? Does she ask a lot of questions? Is he a fast learner, and lazy in the classroom? These are all characteristics of a gifted child. A local expert shares more qualities to look for, and what you can do to help your gifted child.

Spotting giftedness early is important because if you don’t and your child is truly gifted he or she is at risk for bullying and social ostracism for being considered ‘quirky.’ However, knowing if your kid is gifted or not is not as easy task. You may find it surprising but most gifted kids are never identified as such.

My first experience with a gifted child was early in my psychology career as a psychological tester for a large preschool. A teacher came to my office and asked me to test one of her students who was making trouble in class and seemed hyperactive and unhappy. Later that week when the 4-year-old arrived in my office he sat down, crossed his legs like an adult, looked me straight in the eye, and asked, “Well Dr. Ferraro, what would you like to talk about today?” Here before me was a 30-year-old mind in a 4-year-old body. It turned out his IQ was 145, which was in the top 1 percent of intelligence. So I learned early on that giftedness can not only be a problem for teachers and peers, but it is often misdiagnosed as an illness.

Here are 10 of the more common traits of the young gifted child:

Frequently very sensitive, overactive, and moody
Asks many questions
Highly focused and even obsessed when he finds something that interests him
Can be critical and skeptical
Develops a large storehouse of knowledge
A very fast learner, which can at times produce laziness since she never has to work very hard to get by
Curious and inquisitive
Playful, possesses a good sense of humor, and is creative
Has a well-developed aesthetic sense and appreciates beauty and nature
Develops a high ethical sense and gets angry when he sees injustice

If your child has five or more of these traits:

Observe what she is interested in over time and support this interest with information, material things, and lessons
Make sure you give him a ‘romance phase’ in his hobbies and keep the hobby or sport fun for the first few years
Ask the teacher or coach if she seems exceptional to them
As he begins to excel in his hobby, sport, or art form, be prepared to support him emotionally by listening and safeguarding him from the pressure that will come

The parents’ ability to identify and support the child’s talent is just as important as the child’s gifts. Research now tells us that it is only when the young prodigy is surrounded by ongoing parental support that the gifts can grow. And the very first step in this process is early identification.

Find an after-school class to support your child’s hobbies