All parents want their children to be above average. There are some things that these parents can watch for in their child to determine if their child is indeed gifted.
Without expecting too much of your child, how do you know if your son or daughter is gifted? Every child will develop areas of giftedness or talent, but there are some signs to look for in your young baby that hint at a higher intellect.
Hints that Baby has a High IQ
Advanced or ahead of the curve physical development across the board including sitting, crawling and walking may indicate a propensity for continued advanced development as the child grows. Early language development may or may not fit into this, as many gifted children have several words under their belt before their first birthday and yet many gifted children are not verbal until much later.
Strong memory skills and keen observation of little things can also be an indication of a gifted child. These skills often appear before a typical child would show the same abilities. This may show in a sense of humor as the child may laugh at silly things they notice that seem out of the ordinary, or saying “dada” when picking up a book that daddy read to them the day before.
Creativity and problem solving at a young age is another sign of a child who may be gifted. Discovering your child climbing on top of a stack of books or pillows to reach a higher shelf, or creatively playing with toys and playing pretend with other objects, may indicate an exceptional child. Although every baby has some natural curiosity, your child may show unusual determination and focus for satisfying his curiosity.
How to Nurture a Gifted Child
The most important thing you can do for your child, regardless of how gifted he may be, is to love and nurture him. Interact with your baby, read to him, play music and do a variety of age appropriate things together to help him experience the world. When your child shows interest in something, allow room for that interest to expand, without pushing or expecting too much. There is plenty of time in the future for learning, spend the time now in play, allowing natural learning experiences happen.
When considering whether or not your child is gifted, remember to not let a label get in the way of your love for your child. More important than the level of your child’s intelligence, is the nurture and opportunities you provide your child on a daily basis.
Reference
Murkoff, Heidi; Eisenberg, Arlene; and Hathaway, Sandee. What to Expect the First Year. What to Expect LLC: 2003.
The copyright of the article How to Know if Your Baby is Gifted in Infant Toddler Development is owned by Jennifer Wagaman. Permission to republish How to Know if Your Baby is Gifted in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Other than observing is there a way a doctor could tell you if your child
is gifted and if they are, are there special places to take them to keep
this ability afloat?
Dec 4, 2008 7:59 AM
Jennifer Wagaman :
Before your child is in school, it is best to allow your child to be a kid.
Provide opportunities for your child to keep learning and growing, but
don't push them too hard right now. If your child is gifted, he will not
lose the giftedness.
Dec 29, 2008 12:24 PM
Guest :
My just turned 2 year old knows all her colors and can count to four. By
counting I mean she can say the words and understand their meaning. If you
ask to bring you 3 things she'll bring 3. If you ask for 2 she'll count 1,
2. She knows what the numbers mean. She also can cut well with scissors and
draws circles, lines and a simple fish. She is using 3-4 word sentences and
has 250 ++ single words. Is this unusual? My SIL owned a daycare for 23
years and insist she is way ahead. I only have the child so have little
frame of reference.
Jan 21, 2009 10:24 AM
Jennifer Wagaman :
Every child is unique, and should be encouraged to thrive in individual
ways. I am not a Dr., and have not worked with your child personally and
thus cannot answer your question with any certainty, but it does sound as
if your child may be advanced. Be sure to not push her too hard or too
fast, but ensure that she has every opportunity you can give her.
Feb 12, 2009 10:53 AM
Guest :
Hi. I'm not sure if you are still taking questions, but here goes...I am a
physician and was reading by the time I was four. My son will be two next
month. He counts to 30 by ones and to 100 by tens and sometimes counts up
to 600 by hundreds. He knows what the single digit numbers mean and will
count objects. He knows all his letters and 1-2 words that begin with each
letter. He often asks "What's a B for?" and then answers his
question. He also recognizes when one letter is different in a grouping of
the same letter, even if the letters are upper and lower case all mixed up.
He is actively trying to sound out words. He has an extremely large
vocabulary, and he is the youngest of his playmates by months to years. He
has memorized and recognizes the characters of his two favorite cartoons.
He recognizes the different equipment needed for several sports and will
watch sporting events for more than 15 minutes.
I guess my
question is now what? Just enjoy and wait since he's really fun and easy
going? Get him tested?
Feb 12, 2009 11:56 AM
Jennifer Wagaman :
I would relax and not get your child tested right now, let him enjoy being
a little kid! Make sure you provide all the opportunities for learning that
you can, but make it fun. Don't push your child to do things if he isn't
ready to, but don't hold him back if he seems like he wants to do
something. Hope this helps!
Feb 28, 2009 5:50 PM
Guest :
Hi, I have a question about musical talent, so I don't know if you can
help, but here goes. My granddaughter is 16 months old. She has a limited
vocabulary of about 5 words. However, I often hear her
"singing". She will be playing quietly and then begin to
"sing" to herself- no words, just her own private tune. She
obviously loves music. If the TV is on, even if she is in the other room,
when she hears music, such as on a commercial, she will come running! She
then stands in front of the TV, mesmerized until the song is done. She
often gets very animated dancing as well. Just wondered if this is usual
for a toddler? It's been so long since my children were that age, but I
don't remember any of them getting quite so enthused about music. Thanks!
Mar 1, 2009 8:51 AM
Jennifer Wagaman :
Your granddaughter may just be showing preference for music, like some
children show preference for some toys or books.
Mar 5, 2009 1:14 PM
Guest :
I have a 5-mos old daughter. She's extremely alert -- has been since she
was born -- and physically advanced for her age. She was rolling over, both
sides, by the time she was 2.5 months. She recognized her name at around
3.5 mos. She got up on both hands and knees and started rocking back and
forth about two weeks ago (at 4.5 mos). We haven't seen any signs of
advanced verbal development. This is my second child and I admit to being
somewhat taken aback at how fast this one is developing by comparison to
her older sister. We visted her pediatrician today for vaccinations and a
wellness check and the doctor was quite surprised at my daughter's
progress. The doc says we should keep an eye on her development as she's
showing some early signs for giftedness. My question for you...how often do
advanced physical skills signify a gifted child? In other words, if my
child is showing advanced physical development...is it just one of those
things or is there a good chance that she may be gifted? Thanks!
Mar 5, 2009 5:47 PM
Jennifer Wagaman :
Advanced physical development can indicate a gifted child. Even so, there
are many children who are advanced developmentally, so it is not a
guarantee of giftedness.
Jul 12, 2009 10:59 PM
Guest :
My daughter is turning to 4 next week. She can speak English fluently in
American action when she started to talk, when she was about 1 year old.
Surprisingly she is leaving in a Vietnamese family, no one can speak
perfect English like she does. We all comunicate with her in Vietnamese but
she responds us in English and she is lazy to speak Vietnamese with family
members. i don't know if she is gifted and what shoudl we do to maintain
her ability since we have just sent her to Vietnamese school for a month
and she speaks a bit of Vietnamese now.
Jul 13, 2009 4:09 AM
Jennifer Wagaman :
To keep her English up to speed, you will want to provide opportunities for
her to continue to speak it, whether at home or during after school
activities. Young children are very able to learn two languages (or more!)
fluently, and this is not necessarily a sign of extreme
"giftedness" but you should provide opportunity for her to learn
both languages well.
