How to Tell if a Child is Gifted

Most parents think their child is the smartest, most charming, most well-spoken and quickest learner on the block. In today's society, there's so much pressure on parents to have super-achieving children that many parents invest untold sums of money in early learning aids and educational tools. However, giftedness is an innate quality that a child is born with. No amount of money or encouragement will "make" a child gifted. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Intellectual Characteristics

1. Observe whether the child reasons well. Were you, for example, able to give your child multi-step directions at a young age and have him carry them out successfully?

2. Listen to the child's speech. Did she say her first words at an early age? Did she start speaking in full sentences before her peers? Does she have an advanced vocabulary for her age?

3. Ask yourself whether your child is an avid reader. Children who begin reading independently at an early age or who revel in being read to for long periods of time by caregivers may be gifted.

4. Watch for signs that your child learns quickly and retains information easily. Fast learners with good memories may be gifted.

Emotions and Judgment

1. Examine whether your child is highly sensitive. Are his feelings easily hurt? Is he unusually compassionate for such a young child?

2. Identify whether your child is perfectionistic. Oftentimes, gifted children hold themselves to super-high standards of perfection. Some even get frustrated or angry when they cannot immediately master a task.

3. Observe whether your child is morally sensitive. Does she have a preoccupation with justice and fairness? Does she tend to question authority when she feels the rules are arbitrary or inconsistent? Gifted children tend to clash with authority figures whom they believe to be rigid and unfair.

4. Determine whether your child exhibits mature judgment for his age. Most gifted children behave as if they are much older than their chronological age. Gifted children, for example, may identify the content of a TV show as inappropriate for them and flip without being told to do so by an adult.

5. Notice whether your child either prefers the company of older children and adults to age peers or whether your child is able to relate exceptionally well to people of all ages. The gifted child will often identify better with older people who are more mature than his age peers. Others are able to easily nurture relationships with individuals of all ages.

Interests, Creativity and Drive

1. Watch for signs that your child has a "rage to master" something. The rage to master is a classic sign of giftedness. For example, while many young children are interested in construction equipment for a period of time, a gifted child will know the names and functions of even the most obscure pieces of construction equipment. Parents may find themselves visiting heavy equipment dealers and driving through construction sites repeatedly to meet the child's insatiable thirst for experiences.

2. Observe whether your child has a high degree of energy and ability to pay attention to things that interest her for an extended period of time. While gifted children often exhibit a high degree of energy and spiritedness that parents and teachers may find hard to manage, one telltale sign of whether your child is gifted or has a condition that requires treatment is whether he can redirect his energy to tasks in areas in which he has have a deep interest.

3. Recognize whether or not your child has a strong curiosity, sticks with certain interests over a long period of time and/or has a wide range of interests. These all are signs of giftedness. Most children ask, "Why?" Gifted children ask, "Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?"

4. Identify whether your child is highly creative. Kids with excess creativity are often keen observers with active imaginations rich in detail. They tend to be dramatic, musical or strong in the visual arts. For example, if your child draws abstract, detailed pictures, she may be gifted in the visual arts.

5. Enjoy your child's sense of humor. Gifted children often have a very developed sense of humor that seems old for their chronological age. They often make wry observations or point out the irony in situations, or they may play with words in humorous (sometimes embarrassing) ways.

Resources

• Hoagie's Gifted Development Page has resources on identifying gifted children.