Ask an Expert - Gifted Children

Common Characteristics of Gifted Children

Many parents have indicated interest on how to pick on early signs of giftedness for very young children. Therefore, I believe that the rough estimation I came up with from various researches and my personal experiences may be of help to many parents. Also, find out the common characteristics that are frequently found among gifted children.

Characteristics of Gifted Children

Q: How do I identify a gifted child?

A: To recognize if a child is gifted, there are numerous characteristics that are distinct to gifted individuals and quite easily observable, especially for parents. See Dr. Sandhu's answer on the characteristic of gifted children here

How to Identify Gifted Children

Q: Is it normal for a 20 month old baby to read and recognize all the letters in the alphabet as well as numbers from 1-10? She reads it everywhere ..... on the street, supermarket, cups, books and newspapers... I don't know what else she knows.

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on identify gifted child here

ADHD and Gifted Children

Q: My 4 years old, who seems very intelligent for his age, even though he is hearing-impaired, has always had a high activity level. Sometimes he seems motor-driven (both speech and activity) and resists sleep (even when he obviously is sleepy) and despite a fairly regular routine. Is there any relation between giftedness, activity level and "sleep resistance"? Sometimes I'm afraid he has ADHD.

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on ADHD and gifted child here

Relationship between Giftedness and Passion

Q: My girl is above average when it come to examinations (at least 90% and above), she could read all levels of Peter and Jane by 5 years old, goes for tuition twice a week. Other activities include learning to play the piano (beginners level) and swimming. She also likes to procrastinate and is generally quite lazy....

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on relationship between giftedness and passion here.

What is Kinesthetic Learners?

Q: I have an 11 yr old boy. I was told by his preschool teacher that he is a kinesthetic learner. He can't sit still for long and he needs something to hold on to when he is doing his work....

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on kinesthetic learners here

Bodily-kinesthetic Skills

Q: Does a child who walks as early as ten months, generally more intelligent than a child who walks at twelve months? Does a one year child who is able to say four single words, early in his/her language development? Is there any correlation between physical development and language development in intelligences? Please advise.

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on bodily-kinesthetic skills here

What is the Appropriate Age to Identify Gifted Children?

Q: What is the appropriate age range when one can reasonably accurate in
identifying whether a child is gifted or not?

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on appropriate age to identify gifted children here

What are the Early Signs of Gifted Children?

Q: My 7-years old son is considered gifted by the child psychologist. Though he's very good in his studies it is quite difficult for us to get him to concentrate on everything he's in each time as he keeps on doing looking for more challenging activities. This includes his studies, where he finds it bored once he knows about it.

I enrolled him the the Japanese "Shichida Method" and at 6 years old his IQ was identified at 148 and he picks up all the lessons much faster than the rest of the children. Please let me know the characteristics of a gifted child and how can I counter his ever moving mind?

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on characteristics of a gifted child here

How to Maintain and Grow the Giftedness in Children?

Q: There are a number of checklists to identify gifted children, identification is an easy task - comparatively. But how should one maintain that the "giftedness" continues to "grow" in the child.

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on How to maintain and grow the giftedness in children here

Gifted Children Programs

Q: I really think my just turned two year old son is gifted and if you have the time to read this email and respond I would appreciate it. He seems to be doing things far beyond his age. Before Jack was two:

• Knew entire alphabet

• Could also recognize any letter or number you showed him

• Could count to 12 (also recognizes #'s 16-20)

• Knew the shapes of square, triangle, rectangle, oval, heart, diamond, star ....etc

A: From what you had described, your son is definitely gifted - the term is usually not used freely (or used by professionals/educators in the area) to avoid labeling and anticipated unnecessary pressure on the child. See Dr. Sandhu's complete answer on gifted children programs here!

How to Raise a Gifted Child?

Q: I have a little girl who has just turned 4. She has been reading short sentences fluently for the past 8 months even though she couldn't speak much English until she was 2 and a half .She has somehow learned how to write all the number up to 1000 and she can add up numbers in her head. She has just surprised us by writing whole sentences quite accurately. She has a fantastic memory. Her teacher tells me that she is miles ahead of everybody else but I don't think she knows what to do about it. What should I do? How can I help her without putting her off? Is she too young to be tested? Is perhaps her ability not that rare? Please help.

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on how to raise a gifted child here

Associations for Gifted Children

Q: Is there any kind of organization which patronage the gifted children. any kind of development programs especially for them? If yes, could you be so kind to inform their addresses. Thank you.

A: See Dr. Sandhu's complete answer on Associations for Gifted Children here!

Giftedness and Behavioral Problems

Q: I have a 5 year old son who has been in full time education since April 04. His Year 1 teacher asked me, several weeks into his first term, if I realized how bright he was and she considered him very bright/gifted. The fly in the ointment however is that his behavior at school during break-times is letting him down severely. He annoys and antagonizes other children when not being closely observed. His behavior at home is sometimes challenging but generally we have no significant problems ....

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on giftedness and behavioral problems here

Is She a Gifted Child?

Q: I have a 34 months daughter who can read children books and at times signs and magazines covers, count to 50 and spell her name, parent names and simple animal and shops names. She loves to read and dance- rather then play. She loves to tease and joke with her daddy. Is she gifted or just normal?

A: See Dr. Sandhu's complete answer on is she a gifted child? here!

Gifted education in Europe

Q: I teach a little English and in one class is a ten years old boy who seems to be gifted. In a poem he wrote for me he used three adjectives before a noun. His teacher sometimes defers to him. His interpersonal skills are very poor. His parents say integration is the thing, but I feel that he may be damaged by peer baiting. They also say that in Malta there is no other course for him. What to do? Assessment first I think, then perhaps the Internet? Are there 'get-togethers' in Europe for gifted people?

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on Gifted education in Europe here

Grade Skipping and the Gifted Child

Q: My daughter is in 4th grade and she is already the youngest in her class. She is currently in a school gifted program and the teacher has recommended that she skip 5th grade and go to 6th. We have only known the teacher for 1 year and want other advice. I am worried about her overall growth, i.e. maturity level now and in the near future, namely when she is in 9th grade but only 13 while her classmates are 15......

A:Read Dr. Sandhu's complete answer on grade skipping and the gifted child here!

Issue of burning out for the highly gifted

Q: My 19 months old daughter is a whiz in mathematics. This may sound unbelievable. She spoke her first words when she was only 6 weeks old and progressed rapidly ever since. By the seventh month, she could identify all the basic colors, the alphabets (both small & capital letters) and many pictures of common objects. Soon, I found myself teaching her basic algebra after she memorized the times table (1 to 12) over night. She was only 40 weeks old then. My question is: Is there any risk of burning out? Sometimes, I feel she is the one who is dragging me along on this incredible ride. She is too difficult to handle if she finds herself in a rut. Thanks.

A: See Dr. Sandhu's answer on Issue of burning out for the highly gifted here

Cognitive Ability Test

Q: My son that will be 5 in October was given a cognitive ability test and did not qualified for a gifted program. He scored 69th percentile in verbal, 50th in quantitative and 36th in non-verbal. Now, my question is that he has a lot of the characteristics of a gifted child. How accurate is this test?

A: The Cognitive Abilities Test is an assessment of a range of reasoning skills. The test looks at reasoning with three types of symbols that is verbal (words, numbers and shapes or figures) quantitative and non-verbal reasoning.... Read Dr. Sandhu's complete answer on Testing for cognitive ability

Double-labeled gifted child

Q: I noticed there was a post about Terra Nova testing. In seventh grade; I was tested with the lengthy test, and I still remember it. I was in special education and received more time. So far; I am through the process for getting tested for an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Since, I did have many delays and language delays when younger. I still display difficulties today.

Still yet, my point is; I scored a 96 national percentile on Mathematics. Does this determine eligibility for being gifted?

A: Your national percentile Terra Nova score for mathematics is rather high, indicating that you scored higher than 96% of the students in your norm group. However, to be placed in a gifted program, an average score is usually used. ...See Dr. Sandhu's answer on double-labeled gifted children here.

Advance Program for Gifted ADHD

Q: My 9 year old girl is the poster child for ADHD in most things, especially academics. She is inattentive, impulsive, forgetful and very disorganized. But, somehow when it comes to a subject she loves, such as art, she is completely opposite! She is calm, completely detailed, and perfectly focused. She has an amazing sense for well organized thoughtful composition and emotional expression.

Not long ago, a university professor saw some of her artwork and felt very strongly that she is a natural prodigy of art and that I should seriously be getting her into programs for the gifted aside from her regular schooling. I am SO confused! My question: Are extracurricular "advanced" programs really such a good idea at her age?

A: I most definitely feel that you should be concentrating on her strengths rather than giving too much attention to her weaknesses. She is already 9 and I believe you should have already placed her in an advanced program much earlier. However, it is not too late and I hope she will be enrolled in a good art program to develop that natural talent she has..... Read Dr. Sandhu's complete answer on Advance program for gifted ADHD

Different Types of Giftedness

Q: Does gifted child follow directions well and be motivated by making A's?

A: Over 20 years of research has enabled researchers come up with different types of giftedness. There are many versions of this but the one I feel fits in rather well in the 6 types of giftedness was introduced by researchers Betts and Neihart which also corresponded with my own finding in my doctoral dissertation. Gifted children share some distinct characteristics generally but can be quite different in many others. ...See Dr. Sandhu's answer on Different types of giftedness here.

Activities for the gifted children

Q: Using the version of the development checklists from the abridged DDST, Singapore, my daughter has exceeded that required of a 24 months old when she was only 16 months old. In fact, she is able to hit the milestones for the age group of 2-4 years old since she was 20 months old. Currently, she has already achieved some of the milestones listed for the 4-6 years old age group....Is she considered a gifted child? If yes, what type of activities should I involve her in?

A: You daughter surely appears ahead of toddlers of her age group, and chances are that she may be gifted. Whether a child is identified as gifted or average, the activities are pretty similar, just that the speed of performing activities may differ; hence the jump to more difficult activities would be faster..... Read Dr. Sandhu's complete answer on Activities for the gifted children

Thinking Skills of the Gifted

Q: What are the levels of thinking for special children particularly the gifted? What are the ways in determining their levels of thinking? What are the limitations of the thinking of special children?

A: For gifted children, they usually use higher levels of thinking skills in any form of their learning. If taught these skills, they are able to think creatively, to analyze, synthesize, apply and evaluate information. Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on A gifted child's thinking skills here.

Signs of Early Creative Giftedness

Q: I have a 5 year old little girl that I believe may be gifted. She is extremely creative - for example, she will create her own dot to dot drawings, she writes her own books and plays, and spends most of her spare time drawing or creating something....

A: It is not common for a 3 year old to make drawing that are three dimensional; this is the ability to make unusual visualization which points out that the individual sees things in new ways. She appears to have a lot of creative talent which should be nurtured at her age so that it does not fade out with time. Read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Signs of early creative giftedness

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