Support for Very Early Giftedness
By Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D
Q:
I have a very bright 20 month old daughter, but I am not
sure if she would fit into the gifted category. I am not
sure if she is so advanced because I work with her at home,
or if she is just naturally intelligent. She is my only
child and I do not have any friends with children around her
same age who work with their children. This makes it hard
for me to have someone to compare her development to. Let
me tell you some of the things she can do and at what age
she mastered it.
-
Recognizes all letters and sounds out of order (15
months)
-
decodes CVC words ex. hot, pop, mom (19 months)
-
Recognizes and names shapes in environment square,
circle, rectangle, star, heart, oval, hexagon etc... (18
months)
-
Knows and can say colors (red, blue, green,
black, white, pink, gray, orange, purple, yellow) she can
spell a couple too! (17 months)
-
If you ask her the color
of things without a visual she can tell you the color. For
example, What color is grass?
-
She can create simple a B
patters
-
Spell her name and recognize it (Gabrielle)(19
months) She can count objects up to twenty.
-
She can tell
you the opposite of things ex. full/empty (19 months)
-
She
can sort objects by colors
-
She knows her double facts up
to twenty ex. 6 6=12 (I don't believe she understands the
concept. I think she has just memorized) (20 months)
-
She
does not always, but can speak in complete sentences ex. (I
don't know and I want to eat oatmeal) 17 months
-
she can
follow multi-step directions. ex. (Get daddy the red bean
bag and mommy the yellow bing bag out of the bucket)13
months
-
she enjoys playing educational games on her
v-tech computer 20 months
-
She knows how to manipulate
-
She can identify things that are the same and different
and circle them on a worksheet (If she does not want to go
to bed, she will eat extra slow to avoid it)
-
She
recognizes President Obama and former President Bush
-
She
is very sweet and gets along well with other children
I am sure there are things that I am forgetting and I know
this is extremely long, but I am very worried because If she
is able to do all of this a 20 months, what will happen to
her when she goes to kindergarten? This is something that
has been a constant worry of mine. Please help!
A: Your child does indeed
demonstrate traits of a gifted child and I’m glad you are
aware of her advanced abilities. It is a natural concern for
parents of gifted children when it comes to meeting their
educational needs. In fact, the concern is more pronounced
when it comes to formal schooling rather than preschools.
For a start, you may need to look around for a preschool
that has flexible programs to suit individual needs. In
fact, you could start enrolling her at a play school/group a
few times a week to expose her. Make sure that the play
school has more free play rather than structured activities.
Activities that are rigidly structured should be avoided as
gifted children need stimulating activities to feed their
cognitive abilities. When it comes to preschool, these days
there are some preschools that cater for children with
different abilities and allow individualized learning. Look
for such preschool; the “regular” preschool may not work for
a gifted child who has a good grasp of the skills required
at this level. Speak to the principal and find out what can
be offered to suit her needs. It is crucial that you also
speak to her teachers so that they are aware of what your
daughter can or cannot do. Perhaps, they may be able to give
similar work with a higher level of difficulty to stimulate
her.
At home, you need to be flexible in allowing your child to
enjoy a variety of activities – as she may lose interest
after some time with the same materials. Take her out to
meet other kids so that she learns social skills at an early
age. Exposure and play is crucial for her learning at this
stage. You may also want to introduce her to the world of
books. Visit the library, museum, galleries, book shops,
etc. Remember, just going around would heighten her
curiosity and challenge her.
On the other hand, as a parent, you need to work hard as
well. Expose yourself to the variety of material that is
available in the internet on the subject of gifted children.
With awareness, you will be better prepared to make sound
decisions. There are hundreds of websites that offer
valuable information and resources to the parents. As a
starting point, make sure you visit
Hoagies' Gifted Education
site for link for parents and you will find a wealth of
information, including email lists for parents of gifted
children and various gifted organizations.
Best of luck in your wonderful journey!
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