Frequently Asked Questions
Might I already be seeing gifted traits in my 3-year-old?
Parents notice gifted traits when the child is very
young. The more advanced the giftedness, the more the child will
appear different from other toddlers or young children his
age. For example, some parents have reported that their infant
had a longer attention span, had intense eye contact, did not
want to sleep as often or as long as other infants, got bored
easily and demanded personal interaction and visual stimulation
when only a few months old. Gifted characteristics are
displayed intellectually, emotionally, physically,
ethically/morally and socially depending on the unique
characteristics of the child. The personality and temperament of
a gifted child might also appear particularly sensitive,
intense, emotional, creative and reflective. A partial list of
gifted traits in young children might include: keen observation;
early speech and expressive language; questioning; being
insightful and perceptive; having a good memory; insatiable
curiosity; creative thinking; displaying a sense of humor; one’s
motor ability being out of sync with intellectual capacity;
expressing enthusiasm and excitability; a need for precision or
perfection; displaying resolve and determination; compassion and
empathy for living things including people, plants and animals;
expressing concern for equality and fairness, and having a
gentle while demanding spirit.
Observing your child in and out of the home, noticing what he
gravitates towards and away from, and deeply listening with your
eyes, ears, and heart will give you the information you need to
lovingly respond. Giftedness creates differences in both inner
experience and outer expression. From when quite young and while
interacting with age peers, his wants, interests, and behaviors
might not be mirrored by others his age. A noticeable
characteristic of a child who is gifted is asynchronous
development. This means he may express a conglomerate of
different “ages” across various activities. For example, a three
year old child might have similar mental abilities, hobbies and
interest in play similar to a six year old. Simultaneously, he
may lag behind in manual dexterity or coordination. Similarly,
depending on the personality and temperament of the child,
although three years physically, she may display a degree of
sensitivity and caring toward others similar to a ten year old
child. Some adults mistake a child who is highly emotional,
prone to cry easily or who reacts emotionally to situations, as
being an immature child. In actuality, it might be a keen sense
of awareness, sensitivity, and caring nature that result in an
intense emotional reaction. Socially, she might prefer to
play alone, observe others without joining in, or play with only
one other child or adult (introvert), or she may thoroughly
enjoy being in groups and interacting with numerous other
children or adults (extrovert). Both are equally healthy
and fine. At age three or four, he might truly care about
abandoned or hurt animals, or recycling, or not want the family
to use excessive water or electricity, seeming more like a
twelve year old in introspection and environmental
awareness. So, while physically only three, your child might
seem like a six, or ten or even twelve year old at certain
moments and in specific situations, and then the next minute
want to crawl up in your lap and cuddle. Being a package
of different ages intellectually, emotionally, physically,
ethically and socially, and thereby being “out of sync” with age
peers, can be very confusing to a parent or adult family member.
Additionally, the higher the intellectual ability of the child,
the more divergent the “ages” expressed across the five domains.
We may wonder who we are talking to at any given moment, and
thereby feel unsure how to adequately nurture and support the
complexity within our child.