GIFTED CHILD: WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS

The gifted child is a person whose mental age is 2 to 7 years earlier than the real age.
These intellectually precocious children are present in all socio-cultural environments and represent 2.3% of each age group. "High potential", or "intellectually precocious child" ... there are many terms to define these children which differ in their intellectual development.The main characteristic is that of having an IQ greater than or equal to 125.

What are the signs of a gifted child?

There are some hallmarks of a gifted child. Let's see which are the main ones.

He is a very bright child.
Walk most of the time at 12 months instead of 14.
Speak easily at age 2 instead of age 3.
He can read as soon as he starts first grade.
He expresses himself very well without necessarily going through the phase of "childish words". A rich and surprising vocabulary for his age.
Learn to read by yourself and early.
He hates routine: the precocious child does not tolerate failure and lacks tenacity in the face of difficulties.
The precocious child is very curious. He asks countless questions, is interested in topics that are not necessarily his age.
He has difficulties with social integration. The precocious child is rarely the leader of the group, he prefers to go unnoticed. He is usually more comfortable with older or younger children.
Often hypersensitive and anxious: he cannot tolerate injustice, either to himself or to others.
In younger gifted children, there is a discrepancy between the relevance of their observations and the clumsiness they may exhibit.
He is very shy and his shyness can prevent him from acting, and then he will blame himself for not having intervened when he should have done so.
The precocious child creates an imaginary world for himself to satisfy his need for escape.
He has a critical mind, in front of himself and others, including adults.

But beware: all these signs cannot be a confirmation that the child is gifted. Only a test with qualified psychologists will confirm the suspicions.

How to tell if the child is gifted

In addition to the child's behavior and academic performance, two techniques can be used to detect early development.

The intelligence test for children must be performed by a psychologist, IQ is measured with psychometric tests. Currently, the tests developed by WESCHLER are mainly used.
There are 3, which differ according to age:

For children from 2 years and 11 months to 6 years: the WPPSI
For children aged 6 to 16: WISC
For adults: the WAIS

WESCHLER's tests consist of verbal and performance tests. Children with an IQ measured by the WECHSLER test of over 125 - 130 are considered early. In any case, know that a gifted child will not necessarily be brilliant everywhere. If he is particularly gifted in math or music, he will not necessarily be gifted in drawing.

Gifted child: is it an advantage or a disadvantage?

While the intellectually precocious child can live his situation well, adapting perfectly to the school system and developing traditional friendships with other children, it is necessary to pay attention to certain signs that can hinder the development of these subjects.

In children with a higher IQ, there are often:

- Sleep disorders. Difficulty "turning off" the brain.
- Eating disorders, especially food phobias.
- Behavioral disturbances mainly due to misunderstandings. This can cause headaches, stomach pain, eczema, anxiety, hyperactivity, stuttering, or various addictions.
- Psychomotor disorders such as dysgraphia.
- Relationship problems and adaptation difficulties; difficulty making friends, school phobia.

Distribution of school difficulties according to the level of the gifted child

Nursery school
Excellent: 100%.
Good / average: 0
Mediocre / in difficulty: 0

Elementary School
Excellent: 75 - 85
Good / Average: 13%.
Mediocre / in difficulty: 2

High school
Excellent: 60%
Good / Average: 25
Mediocre / in difficulty: 15

Attention, gifted children, for this curiosity that distinguishes them, are more frequently victims of bullying. Likewise, their hypersensitivity predisposes them more than other children to depression.