Resources for Parents of the Young Gifted
By Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D
Q:
I am a mother of a three and a half year-old. My son
displays a high degree of intuition. He does things without
apparent effort, like sports (soccer, miniature golf,
etc...), reading (age 2), writing, taking well centered
pictures with my camera, memorizing the 50 states (age 2),
completing puzzles, using the computer before age 2, rhyming
(age 2), recognizing numbers up to 100(age 2), spelling
words before age 2, completing Kindergarten and first grade
worksheets with ease, and so on. He is bilingual, he is
fluent in English and able to communicate in Spanish at an
intermediate level. He has an amazing memory. Just a few
weeks ago, he recalled my sister's old vehicle. He told us
that it was a Jeep and it was the color black. It was over 2
years ago when he last saw the vehicle. And he only saw the
vehicle in less than three occasions.
A week ago, he performed a task that just left me
speechless. I turned on the computer. He decided that he
wanted to use it. Since he was two years-old, I let him use
the computer on his own, with little supervision. He always
had an amazing intuition when it came to computers. He
opened the software, AutoCAD 2000. It was the first time
that he used AutoCAD 2000. The software isn't user friendly.
He used the software for less than 5 minutes. The end result
was a drawing that had amazing geometric, and abstract
properties. How was he able to do such a drawing completely
on his own, first time using the software, and in less than
5 minutes??? I don't know. Do you know of any great
resources that will help me better understand my son's
abilities? I know that as a parent I need to be my son's
best advocate. Therefore, I need to educate myself to the
best of my abilities about giftedness in children. Could you
recommend some great books about giftedness in children?
Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice. It is
truly appreciated:)!
A: You have a truly special
child there with amazing abilities at such a young age. I am
glad that you are aware of his special ability and want to
do as much as you can to nurture his abilities to the
maximum.
There are many books out there and it is hard to recommend
one specifically. What I would recommend though is for you
to go through this great web site at
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/parents.htm
and you will find the latest on giftedness and great
resources for parents. There is loads of free online
information here. If you plan to purchase a book, please do
so through this site to support and keep it growing.
In the mean time, perhaps it would be a good idea for you to
give him the appropriate educational enrichment to stimulate
his mind. It is crucial to spend quality time with him to be
able to tune in to his interest and respond accordingly.
Apart from provide him with educational materials that are
of interest to him you may also need to expose him to a
variety of materials. Children can only develop interest
when they are aware of what is out there. This includes
encouraging them to learn about a wide variety of subjects
such as art, nature, music, museums, and sports. If he show
interest in a particular area, provide him the opportunities
to explore his interest in depth. At this stage, home
stimulation and support of interests is a crucial aspect of
development.
As he grows older, family relationships should be tended to
as well. It is indeed very exhausting to bring up a gifted
child, so it is best to have relatives help out. This is
also good for the child, as the child learns to manage
various relationships. Emotional support from the family is
very important as gifted children are known to demonstrate
heightened sensitivity and complex emotions
In addition, look for a gifted support group in your area
which will put you in contact with other parents of gifted
children. This is a good opportunity for your son to meet
other children of similar ability and for you to share and
learn from your/others parenting experiences. Have a
wonderful parenting journey!
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