Page 18 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 3 2025

ADOLESCENCE

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR CHILD IS GIFTED

AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

B Y NIC OLA KILL OPS

It doesn’t always start with a perfect report card. In fact, it rarely does

t starts with the child who feels every- not with certainty, but with a flicker of • Overexcitabilities: These are height-
thing. The one who couldn’t tolerate doubt. A voice saying, “There’s something ened intensities — emotional, sensory,
tags in their clothes as a toddler. Who here. Something more.” imaginational, intellectual, or psycho-
Inoticed when you changed shampoo. motor. You’ll see big reactions to small
Who melted down in noisy places, lit up And often, we’re right. changes, extreme curiosity, perfection-
around adults, and asked questions like, ism, a deep need for fairness, and a
“What happens to time when you die?” So… What Does Gifted Actually Look sensory radar that picks up everything.
before they could tie their shoelaces. Like? • Unusual memory or connections:
Forget the stereotypes. Giftedness isn’t Gifted kids often recall events from
It starts with curiosity that doesn’t switch about skipping grades or doing algebra in years back in eerie detail, or draw ab-
off. With memory that feels eerie. With a Grade 2. It’s not a trophy. It’s a lens — a stract links between ideas that seem
sense of humour that’s three steps ahead. way of experiencing the world that’s faster, advanced for their age (e.g. “Does my
It starts with intensity — emotional, intel- deeper, more complex, and often more dog know what forever means if he’s
lectual, sometimes sensory — that feels emotionally charged than peers of the never had a calendar?”).
bigger than their little body can hold. same age. • Intense need for meaning: These kids
aren’t content with “just because.”
And sometimes… it starts with confusion. Here’s what it can look like — especially in They want to know why things are
younger children: the way they are — not just in science
Because that same child might be strug- • Asynchronous development: Your child class, but in life. Expect questions
gling to recognise letters. Or speak clearly. might speak like a small philosopher about the universe, death, ethics, and
Or follow instructions in a group. They but still have tantrums like a toddler. infinity before breakfast.
might be in speech therapy at four, or still They might grasp complex moral ideas • Hyperfocus on passions: If they love
avoiding scissors in Grade R. They might but not be able to tie their shoes or dinosaurs, they’ll know 67 species and
be profoundly bright — but not in the ways organise their backpack. This “out-of- correct you when you say “Brontosau-
most people expect. sync” development is classic in gifted rus.” If it’s space, you’ll be comparing
That’s where many of us begin the journey: kids. rocket fuels by Thursday.
16 DPL issue 3 2025