How are high intellectual abilities detected?

The way in which high intellectual abilities are detected usually varies quite a bit. There are people who reach adulthood without knowing their giftedness. Likewise, we must also take into account that almost 68% of these children, far from being identified, are victims of that academic failure in which their abilities, talent and potential go completely unnoticed.

This is, without a doubt, a complex issue. In fact, It is very common to meet adults who have spent a large part of their lives without knowing what was ‘wrong’ with them.. We use the term fail because that is what many people perceived after experiencing problems at school, difficulties in their social relationships and great disappointments in a labor market that did not adjust to their interests or expectations.

Early detection of intellectual giftedness is key in all cases. However, as Alicia Rodríguez, president of the Spanish Association for Gifted and Talented (AEST), points out, despite the fact that many parents can sense certain precocity in their babies when it comes to speaking, developing fine motor skills, etc. ., It is best to wait until the children are between 3 or 4 years.

Likewise, it is also advisable to clarify one aspect. High abilities are not identified only through a high IQ. It is not enough to apply a test; In fact, it should be noted that it is not even conclusive for reasons that we will see below. In reality, professionals address many other variables, aspects that undoubtedly define the emotional and personal complexity of these children.

How are high intellectual abilities detected?

The most common way in which high intellectual abilities are detected is through families. It is fathers and mothers who, as a rule, detect the first signs; Their children have an unusual curiosity for their age. Your insightful comments or the particularity of your interests are always a good indicator.

Now, this does not happen in 100% of cases. Many children reach school age suddenly finding themselves in a context that, far from encouraging their potential, limits and vetoes it. Even more, A recurring problem that many children encounter is that they often exhibit hyperactive behavior.

As revealed to us in a study carried out at the Syracuse State University of Medicine, in New York, this is a reality that psychologists and neurologists must take into account. This hyperactivity responds mostly to their interest in experimenting, touching, seeing, discovering, feeling, commenting, challenging… Uncomfortable behavior in the classrooms of any school or institute.

Therefore, let’s see how high intellectual abilities are detected.

Aspects that families should observe

We pointed it out previously. The first filter to detect high intellectual giftedness is that of the family. Therefore, it is recommended that parents take these dimensions into account.

The child learned to read at an early age. He wants to know the reason for everything.He likes talking to older people.Asks very thoughtful and existential questions.Issues judgments early.Is concerned about social issues.You don’t like routine tasks and get bored easily.He likes to play alone.He changes hobbies frequently (today he likes painting, tomorrow he looks for astronomy books…).

Conditions to identify a child with high intellectual abilities

We were talking at the beginning about intelligence tests and IQ. If we limited ourselves to only classifying as gifted those children with an IQ equal to or greater than 130, we would identify a low proportion. Not all children or adults respond well to this type of structured testing. We need more sources of information that complement the tests. They are the following.

Family information. It is necessary to know how the child’s development was, for this the previous questions mentioned are always very important.Academic and teacher information. Not only the grades are valued. The child’s behavior in the classroom is addressed.Interview with the child. At this point, numerous factors are taken into account: Social interests. Hobbies. Aspirations.Most common psychometric tests. In this case, those instruments are used according to the child’s age: WISC (5 to 16 years) WAIS (16 to 65 years) McCarthy Scale of Aptitudes and Psychomotor Skills for Children (MSCA) for children between 2 and 8 years. Test of Raven’s progressive matrices.

What to do once high intellectual abilities are detected in the child?

Once high intellectual abilities are detected in the child, the most important step comes: attention, putting means to offer you an adjusted and adequate response. Now, we must keep in mind that they are not just students with special educational needs. They are people who also need other support, of many more factors to promote optimal and happy development in them, one where they can reach their full human potential.

To do this, both teachers and families must attend to these dimensions that Patricia Veerharen explains to us in her book Education of gifted students.

Personal needs: children with high abilities demand dynamic and stimulating environments.Academic factors: these students benefit from flexibility, being able to plan their tasks and have, to the extent possible, an active role in their learning. Social factors. In addition, It is necessary that the affective and emotional area be attended to. Many times they may perceive that they cannot connect with children their age and that is something they should work on, improving, for example, their social skills.

To conclude, something that we must prevent, both as educators, psychologists and parents, is the school failure and dissatisfaction of these children. Boredom and the progressive disconnection from an unstimulating environment for them often lead to isolation.. Let’s avoid it, let’s combine sensitivities and measures so that this does not happen.

You might be interested…