Can we identify the most intelligent babies?

Is it possible to identify the most intelligent babies? It seems that sometimes there are very striking clues, facts and processes. One of the most significant cases in recent years is that of Heidi Hankins. When she was 4 years old she tested her IQ at 159, one point lower than Albert Einstein’s. Now, this little girl from Wisconsin already demonstrated interesting facts just a few months after being born.

Matthew Hankins, the girl’s father, explained to the psychologists that a few weeks after coming into the world he was already trying to communicate, although evidently he could not verbalize anything yet. She was before she was one year old when Heidi began to communicate in complete, well-articulated sentences.. At two years old, she could already read children’s books normally.

Thus, and as we can see, genius or high intellectual competencies can be revealed in a revealing way in certain cases. However, as we well know, There are many times when the most intelligent children take many years to be detectedwhich has a great impact on an academic and emotional level.

We analyze it.

How to identify the smartest babies

For a long time, more than the need to be able to identify the most intelligent babies, the aspiration was to raise geniuses. For example, the study by John Protzko, a psychologist at the University of California, who published a work in collaboration with his colleagues, stands out. The objective was to demonstrate what parenting processes could raise children’s intellectual skills.

The data showed that it could be meaningful to supplement infants with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and, in turn, enroll them in early educational interventions. However, as we well know, Each child follows their own development process, there are many individual differences and, in turn, there is another fact.

While it is true that it is always positive to offer every baby a stimulating environment to develop their skills, it is also decisive to identify the baby with high abilities early. Today we cannot give a test to an infant, but there are strategies to identify the most intelligent babies.

Visual habituation and dishabituation method

The visual habituation and dishabituation technique assesses the child’s curiosity. Now, more than curiosity, it is the early interest in different stimuli. Thus, something that many babies demonstrate is the classic discomfort when seeing a face different from that of their parents. Perceiving or coming into contact with a stimulus different from your daily life can sometimes lead to crying.

This resource consists of the following:

The baby of a few months old is presented with a face (through a photograph). We show it to her repeatedly until she loses interest (habituation). Later, we let a few days pass and we show her that face again along with a different one. To identify the most intelligent babies, attention is paid to the following: their interest in the face that is different from the familiar one. This proves two things. The first is the early ability to differentiate faces and remember those already seen. The second, the natural and instinctive curiosity for everything that is new.

This early development of memory and the ability to discriminate stimuli is a trait of high competence.

Reach development milestones ahead of time

We know that the issue of percentiles in child development is sometimes controversial. There are children who begin to say their first words before 12 months and others some time later. These small gaps do not always reveal giftedness or delay.

Now, to identify the most intelligent babies, we must attend to those milestones that are out of the ordinary in a prominent way. An example of this is that Before one year, pronounce complete sentences without errors in agreement or pronunciation.

Likewise, in psychomotor matters, It is common for them to be able to sit up before three months or for their fine motor skills in their hand to be almost perfect before one year. old.

Sustained attention, key to identifying the most intelligent babies

Another very defining characteristic to identify the most intelligent babies is their sustained attention. For example, it is common for parents of gifted children to describe that when their little ones were 5 or 6 months old, they could concentrate on a task for a long time without diverting attention.

Assembly games, for example, are the ones that most attract the interest of these more intellectually advanced children.

Loneliness in babies and children with high abilities

Few babies like to be left alone or even play alone. However, often we see 9 or 12 month old babies enjoying those moments of solitary play. They are not demanding nor do they show excessive attachment to their parents. In many cases, they are easily entertained by things that attract their attention, exploring new scenarios, stimuli, and games.

This degree of early independence or preference for solitude is something that should not be reinforced. Every child, and especially those with high competencies, needs to spend time with their peers and socialize. The development of social skills and adequate emotional management is something that cannot be neglected.

To conclude, only one aspect can be emphasized. Every child is unique and exceptional, they all have their talents, their personality, their temperament, which is already noticeable a few weeks after birth. The most important thing is to know how to attend to and respond to each need and children with high abilities are no exception..

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