What are early signs of extreme intelligence?

Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in the very highest ranges of intelligence often demonstrate very specific characteristics. A recent developmental study of 241 profoundly gifted children between 160 and 237+ IQ (Stanford-Binet Form LM) discovered that:

• 94% were very alert as infants.

• 94% had a long attention span as an infant or toddler.

• 91% showed early language development.

• 60% showed early motor skill development.

• 48.9% were ambidextrous at some period of their development.

• 37% had imaginary playmates.

The mean age at which these children spoke their first word was 9 months.

The mean age at which the children sight-read an easy reader was before 4. (Rogers & Silverman,1997)

These findings are consistent with those of Gross (1993) and Hollingworth (1942), whose studies of profoundly gifted children indicated that early and prolific use of language, unusual alertness in infancy, early manipulation of symbol systems, early abstract reasoning ability, and early reading - often before the age of four - were typical of the children they studied. These observations are also consistent with other case studies of profoundly gifted children, widely scattered by history, culture, and language.

However, it is very important to note that it is also possible for a child to be extremely gifted, and not necessarily demonstrate these characteristics. For example, Albert Einstein did not talk until he was four.

Although early reading is common among profoundly gifted children, some children with extraordinary intellectual gifts nevertheless do not read until they begin school.

Profoundly gifted children sometimes also have a disability that prevents them from demonstrating some of these characteristics; the existence of both disabilities and giftedness in the same person are not mutually exclusive.

Do profoundly gifted young children have specific developmental needs?

Yes. One of the most common issues these children face are the consequences of their asynchronous development.

Parents often describe these children as "many ages at once." The young preschool child may be able to discuss Einstein’s theory of relativity with you one minute, but refuse to eat his green beans or need help tying his shoes the next! This is because the child’s intellectual development is proceeding at a much more rapid rate than physical or social or emotional development. Although this is perfectly normal for an extremely gifted child, it does present certain problems and challenges, especially in an age-segregated society. Profoundly gifted children may literally be able to comprehend intellectually what they are not ready to deal with emotionally. They may be able to construct a complex story with plot and characterization that is more typical of a middle school student while they are only the tender age of four, but they still usually have the motor skills of a four- year-old and cannot write their story down. They may have perfectly age-appropriate reactions to events, but because of their large vocabularies and ability to think abstractly in some ways, they find that adults expect them to act older than they really are in all settings. Hollingworth (1942) stated that the ages between four and nine were the most difficult, after babyhood, for this sort of problem.

For more information, see:

Gross, M. U. M. (1999). Small poppies: Highly gifted children in the early years (http://www.ditd.org/floater.php?location=12).
Roeper Review, 21 (3), 207-214.
Kearney, K. (1992). Life in the asynchronous family (http://www.ditd.org/floater.php?location=20). Understanding Our Gifted, 4(6), 1, 8-12.

What are some of the challenges in raising a profoundly gifted young child?

Raising any young child is a combination of joys and challenges. Raising a profoundly gifted child is no different. However, the types of challenges may be. Generally, these children require more intellectual stimulation, even as infants, than other children do, but most families are able to respond adequately to this need in babyhood and the toddler years. It is when the child first begins to interface with the outside world -- and when parents first must deal with age restrictions concerning access to educational opportunities -- that the challenges become more apparent. Most families feel that the beginning of school (whether preschool or kindergarten) is the time when their child’s difference from other children becomes more apparent and more problematic. At the same time, most educational environments are designed for normally developing children who progress at the normal rate through age-appropriate skills and curriculum. Such an educational program is often a true mismatch for a profoundly gifted child. This may be a family’s first indication that their child is developing at a vastly different rate, intellectually, from others. Entrance into an early education program is often the first time the child feels "different" from others, as well. It is not uncommon for young, extremely gifted children to begin to verbalize this difference. It is also not uncommon for these children (especially girls) to begin to hide skills and abilities they have developed which other children do not yet have. Finding an appropriate educational environment, while simultaneously balancing the other areas of a profoundly gifted child’s development, is one of the greatest challenges these families face.

Many families also discover that the presence of such a child changes some of the dynamics of the family system as well, including family expectations, relationships with relatives, and the marital relationship itself.

Like families with other exceptional children, families who have a profoundly gifted child may grieve for some of the things they are missing - being able to freely share and compare a child’s accomplishments with other moms or dads at the playground; being able to provide their child with a "normal" school experience free from the distractions of seemingly endless meetings on how to adapt curriculum; having a wide variety of children with whom the child shares interests, skills, play, and social events. But families should remember that profoundly gifted children also usually bring a great deal of joy and creativity into the family circle.

For more information, see:

Kearney, K. (1992). Life in the asynchronous family;Understanding Our Gifted, 4(6), 1, 8-12.
Robinson, N. M. (1993). Parenting the very young, gifted child (RBDM 9308). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented,University of Connecticut. (abstract available