Signs that your child is gifted

All parents think their children are talented but how can you tell if your child is truly gifted? 

Exceptionally talent

Your child is exceptionally talented if they have the ability to perform a skill at a level usually not reached until later years, sometimes as late as adulthood. A three-year-old may read like a third-grader or a nine-year-old may be playing the piano like an 18-year-old, who has studied for years. If the exceptional talent is in a non-academic area – such as music or art – the children may not be identified as gifted by their school because most testing for gifted programmes is based on academic ability or achievement.

Signs your child is gifted

Here are some signs to help parents identify whether they might well have a gifted child:

• Excellent/above average problem-solving skills
• Long attention span
• Extreme curiosity and perseverance in a wide range of interests
• Ability to learn quickly
• Perfectionism
• A well-developed sense of humour
• Exceptional vocabulary
• Prolific reader, about many different things, and reads well above grade level
• Reasons well (good thinker)
• Excellent memory
• Morally sensitive, shows compassion, questions authority, and is concerned with justice and fairness
• A high degree of energy
• Prefers to interact with older children or adults
• A vivid imagination, and is highly creative
• Facility with numbers
• Good at and enjoys jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku, crosswords, Scrabble, mazes, etc.