7 Ways To Tell That Your Child Is Gifted - And Whether It Actually Means Anything At All

Sep 03, 2018

Raising a child while nurturing its best traits to give it an advantage in life is every parent's goal. Some parents are rewarded with a child who picks up on these lessons exceptionally well and seems to be more advanced than other children in many different ways.

There are many subtle traits that denote whether your child is gifted. These traits can often be mistaken for other things such as learning disabilities or behavioral issues. If your child exhibits some or all of these traits, you could be dealing with a gifted child and not a troubled child.

Most children experience only a few emotions during their younger years. These emotions manifest as basic ones such as fear, anger, and happiness. If your child starts exhibiting more intense and complex emotions, such as empathy, it is a sign that your child is gifted.

This emotional maturity can also manifest as other emotions generally associated with those who are considered adults. A gifted child will be more understanding, more forgiving, and more empathic towards other children.

A gifted child has a mind that is years ahead of where they are currently placed in school. If the teacher is discussing math problems that your child already knows, your child will mentally check out of the discussion due to boredom. If the teacher is helping other students learn how to read but your child has already begun reading books on their own, your child can become restless and desire to talk instead.

These behaviors are seen as bad behaviors by teachers and staff, leading your child to be classified as 'acting out.' In reality, your child is simply not stimulated by the current load of classwork because their knowledge is beyond the current curriculum.

It's still up for debate on the exact causes for the development of a gifted child. Some experts believe that it's a nature versus nurture issue and that a gifted child is created to be gifted through heavy parental guidance and early learning. Still, other experts suggest that a gifted child has strong neural connections which allows them the benefit of advanced motor skills. Gifted children can be spotted early in age as they will begin to talk and walk much sooner than other children.

Children have a cute way of talking. It's always enjoyable for parents to engage in 'baby talk' with their children, but not all children remain in the 'baby talk' stage of communication for as long as other children. If you've noticed that your child is using advanced words and is retaining a large vocabulary then you might have a gifted child on your hands. These communication skills also allow them to understand complex instructions and to create long sentences.

Curiosity is the mark of an intelligent mind. When a person is curious, it shows a higher level of thinking, a strong skill for analysis, and sharp critical thinking abilities. Curiosity is also a sign that your child's mind is open to new possibilities and information. A gifted child will often ask a lot of thought-provoking questions and become a fountain of knowledge that astounds parents and teachers alike.

It is very common for children to express an extremely excited nature. Children are often very scatterbrained and moving from one interest to another as new concepts and toys are introduced to them. Gifted children have a tendency to have a more erratic attention span. They will show extreme focus and patience for things that interest them while showing complete boredom and disinterest in everything else.

These changes in attention often lead teachers to diagnose your child as having ADHD or ADD. Before you allow the school to place this diagnosis on your child, have them tested by a children's mental health specialist.

When most people hear about a gifted child, they automatically assume that it means a child who brings home straight A's, has perfect attendance and is a social butterfly.

This is far from the truth.

Gifted children tend to excel in one or two subjects and struggle in the others. Alternatively, a gifted child could have exemplary grades but have difficulty relating to other children their age and possess poor social skills.

Children who are gifted often feel exhausted due to monotonous school work and trying to fit in with others so they'll ask to stay home from school more often. A gifted child does not always translate into high test scores and perfect attendance.

How many of these gifted traits does your child exhibit? Let us know! And don't forget to take your child for professional testing so that you can learn effective ways to nurture their gifts and brighten their future potential.