Understanding the gifted child

By DR TEOH HSIEN-JIN

NATHANIEL is an eight-year-old boy who is constantly getting into trouble at school. He is fidgety, does not really pay attention, and constantly irritates his classmates.

On one occasion, he was caught sneaking into a Year 5 classroom. He does not have many friends amongst his classmates, and prefers to hang around with the older school children. His parents have tried to discipline him but have been unsuccessful. He was put in detention in the library, and seemed to enjoy it.

As a last resort, he was taken to a clinical psychologist to see if he was suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The diagnosis was negative; there was nothing wrong with him. Later, Nathaniel’s parents were even more shocked to find out that he was an extremely intelligent and gifted child. They were happy and excited yet confused about what to do with him.

Giftedness is a situation where a child’s development is much faster compared to other children their age. Their mental ability is far more developed; they are able to quickly absorb and assimilate information and are more imaginative than normal.

Some gifted children also develop faster, physically, leading to premature puberty. Given these problems, some gifted children may encounter information that their minds are not emotionally prepared for.

When it comes to deciding whether or not a child is gifted, there is often a lack of consensus amongst the teachers. This is because the child’s abilities may differ according to subjects and interests. Whilst the child’s intellectual abilities are generally ahead of his peers, his abilities vary from subject to subject.

So, an eight-year-old boy may be able to read Form 1 textbooks, yet the amount that he can understand may be more like that of a 10-year-old. In mathematics, the child may be able to do multiplication and division but he still counts with his fingers. His hobbies may include astronomy, classical music and chess yet he still wets his bed at night and sucks his thumb to sleep.

There are some indicators that a child may be gifted. These include needing less sleep, being able to concentrate on complex information, having the ability to remember many things, possessing a high activity level, moving quickly through the developmental stages, able to speak quite early, having a fascination with books, abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills and a vivid imagination.

Gifted children are usually formally classified as gifted after they have undergone systematic psychological testing of their mental, social and developmental abilities; usually this is carried out by a clinical, developmental or educational psychologist who works with children, and who understands the area of giftedness.

Children who score above the 1% level of the intellectual abilities range for their age group are more than likely to have some mental abilities that are more developed than those of their peers.

Whilst gifted children have the same basic needs as other children, they can be very different in their way of thinking, actions and behaviours. Gifted children view the world in a very detailed manner, absorbing every detail like a sponge, and analysing situations like a master chess player does. Often, they see situations in ways that others do not obviously see and this often frustrates those who interact with them.

Gifted children have two main needs. First, they need to accept themselves for what they are and feel comfortable about it. Secondly, they need to be given the chance to develop their special abilities.

At a very early age, the gifted child is keen to develop his potential, but if he is constantly held back by the education system, and is reprimanded for wanting to learn more, he gets demoralised. What was once a special ability becomes lost forever.

Emotionally, many gifted children are aware that they are different. They notice that they do not think, talk and act like their peers. Some find that their peers cannot keep up with them and, subsequently, they find their peers boring. Their peers, in turn, give up on them. As a result, they have difficulty maintaining friendships. When questioned, they often say that part of them is like their classmates, but unfortunately their classmates do not understand them at all.

Raising a gifted child is a challenging experience for his or her parents. However, several things can be done to make life more meaningful for the child. Below are some suggestions:


Avoid encouraging your child to “perform” in public. The more casually you accept unusual early accomplishments, the more your child will be able to see those accomplishments as normal. Keep in mind that your child is already different.

Respond to your child at the level in which he is communicating. Acknowledge that the child’s abilities are much more developed; allow him to develop his ideas at that level. Trying to repress his abilities will only be more upsetting for both of you.

Talk to the teachers in school about giving the child more challenging academic work. Gifted children learn faster and differently compared with others. Their minds can absorb lots of information quickly and deal with complex problems. Giving these children simple bits of information frustrates them. When forced to work with the methods and pace of a typical school, gifted children deteriorate.

Offer to help the teacher with designing challenging weekly homework assignments for your gifted child. When it comes to teaching your child, your knowledge, information and instincts are useful and important, and they should be recognised in designing a school program.

Communicate with the school in a non-threatening manner. Offer suggestions instead of trying to impose your ideas on the teachers. Remember many teachers may have never encountered a gifted child, much less know how to deal with one. The teacher may be more receptive if you offer to assist with your child’s education instead of trying to get the teacher to change the system for your child’s sake.

Where possible, try to place the child in a more advanced class. Placing a child with older children who share similar interests may be socially and intellectually beneficial and result in a more appropriate curriculum.

Try to help your child find a circle of friends with similar interests. In Nathaniel’s case, it might be more rewarding to enrol him in a chess club or drama class rather than keep him at home or take him to the playground to play on the swings with other eight-year-olds.
Looking after, and living with, a gifted child can be costly as well as physically, emotionally and intellectually demanding for the parents.

Help and guidance from understanding education and mental health professionals is often needed.

Unfortunately, society is not very good at accepting those who are different. To be considered a genius is often based on whether or not society wants to accept one’s special abilities, and very rarely based on whether one really has superior abilities or not. It is all about the way society deals with its insecurities.

Amway Malaysia’s One by One Campaign aims to promote positive mental health in children through a series of workshops and camps. For details log on www.amway2u.com