Highly Gifted Children

Learning that your child is gifted can be both exciting and stressful. Highly gifted children need both acceptance and nurturing of their unique personality and particular aptitudes. The first thing parents should do is consult with their child's teachers regarding any gifted tendencies. If your child is not yet in school, speak with their pediatrician who should not only help you understand the situation but refer you to a specialist who can formally evaluate and diagnose childhood giftedness. In some cases talents and gifts may manifest very early in life such as during the toddler years. In others these characteristics may not develop or be noticed until elementary age.


The first thing parents can do, especially in the early years, is keep watch for certain talents or preferences being displayed by their child. For example, if your toddler speaks very well for their age they should be spoken back to the same way and not talked down to such as with nonsense baby talk. If your youngster enjoys reading books that are above their age range, by all means encourage them to do so rather than giving them books that match their age range. Artistic children should be provided supplies like paper, crayons, non-toxic paint, sculpting clay, etc. to explore their talents and gifts. In addition to nurturing your gifted child, care should be taken to make them feel secure and comfortable.

Some children are uncomfortable with attention being called to their gift. For example a child with a spectacular singing voice may become upset when asked to 'perform' for adults. A child who reads exceptionally well may feel self-conscious when fawned over and asked to read as a display of their talents. While it's true some kids may enjoy showing off their gifts and talents others are quite shy and would prefer not to. Respect your child's boundaries and make sure they are not singled out due to their giftedness.

The same goes for highly gifted children in school. Some kids may feel out of place in class especially if classmates are aware of their giftedness. They may even perform poorly in school if they are bored with the curriculum or if they resent being labeled as special or different. Therefore it is important to work closely with the school staff and investigate any talented and gifted programs available. With proper guidance a highly gifted child can make the most of their abilities while functioning normally in school, at home and in society.



Heavy metal and gifted children

 



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