Young and gifted

” . . . For example, one day when assessing a four-year-old boy for an early entrance to kindergarten program in our district, I received a request from another clinician to use my office for a group meeting. I moved with the youngster into our audiologist’s room. Imagine my surprise when the little fellow, observing and reading from a piece of equipment, asked: “Impedance audiometer. What’s that?” I didn’t know the answer, but I did know I had come face to face with something pretty special. A four-year-old girl being considered for the same program produced a startling signed self-portrait, complete with detailed hair, eyebrows, fingers, and high-heeled shoes. A kindergarten boy, one year older, answered all the items on one segment of a popular IQ test – he knew that silica is the main material used to make glass, that Darwin proposed the theory of evolution, that hieroglyphics are a form of Egyptian picture writing, and that turpentine is made from the sap of fir trees. And a nine-year-old girl I was working with on a project wrote: “What is life? Does it end at death or begin anew for eternity? Eternal life is a tantalizing thought, but maybe an unrealistic one. Is death to be feared or welcomed? … My mother says I’m not to worry my pretty little head about such things … but these ever-intruding thoughts cannot be willed away.” Rather powerful stuff.”

From “The Importance of Being Early: A Case for Preschool Enrichment” by Ken W. McKluskey from Parenting for High Potential, 2000.

As a parent to a gifted child, you may be used to watching your child and wondering to what degree they are performing at more advanced levels than their peers. Watching your child’s capacity to learn and be inquisitive, you may begin to have questions. Is my child advanced? What can I do to nurture their potential? What happens when my child enters school? What should I do to make sure their school meets their needs?

If you are interested in ways to nurture your child’s potential from home, the NAGC, in their “Nurturing Early Interests and Strengths” publication gives some great suggestions including using pretend play to encourage creativity, “scaffolding” by using easier tasks that gradually become harder, and reading books together regularly. The goal is to keep the focus on the love and excitement of learning new things, especially through play and hands-on learning opportunities.

If your child is preschool age, then it is entirely likely that you are already seeing patterns of gifted behaviors and advanced performance. Researchers, though, have found that these children can be difficult to define or assess. Because of their varied and uneven physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth, identifying their strengths, skills, and interests can be challenging. Teachers, in general, often lack formal training in the identification of gifted students or how to accelerate or differentiate curriculum and/or instruction for them, and this is even more true among preschool teachers. It is rare to see preschool and early elementary classrooms equipped to handle gifted learners and this may be intensified among culturally, linguistically, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse students.

Potential Stumbling Blocks per National Association for Gifted Children’s (NAGC) “Young Bright Children”:

• Young gifted learners are a heterogeneous group where each child develops skills and abilities at different rates; so while one 4 year old may be able to add and subtract numbers, he may struggle to draw a recognizable house or take turns on the swing.
• Teachers and schools are not trained to recognize advanced ability or be able to differentiate to serve this population of young children.
• There are few opportunities for outside enrichment during the early years, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

Selecting the right program for your young gifted child can be daunting. According to Leigh Ann Fish in her article, “Selecting the right early childhood program for your precocious preschooler” in the September 2017 Parenting for High Potential journal, it can come down to learning about your options, prioritizing what you want the school to provide, and talking to staff. Some options that might be available to you include:

1. Head Start, is a federally-funded, free program for children who are considered at risk or are from a low-income household. It is a comprehensive program that strives to meet both the child and the family’s needs through providing education to the child and supporting the family with health, nutrition, and community resources. Preschool age children are usually placed in mixed-age groups, with students ranging from 3 to 5 years old. It is designed to promote readiness for kindergarten and works with families to emphasize parent education and involvement.
2. Montessori preschools, which may be public or private. Any school can legally use the name Montessori and may incorporate different variations on the original philosophy. The idea in Montessori classrooms is to allow children to learn at their own pace, using hands-on materials and real-world experiences. Classrooms are designed to be calm and uncluttered. The curriculum is divided into five main areas: language arts, mathematics, cultural studies, practical life, and sensorial (utilizing the senses). Students have freedom to work with specially designed Montessori materials either on their own, or with small groups, with their teacher as a guide.
3. Reggio Emilia schools, which use a child-centered approach and view children as curious and capable learners.  The curriculum is not preplanned, but emerges out of a child’s own questions and interests. Students are encouraged to do hands on, in-depth investigations into things that are of interest to them. Music, art and movement are emphasized and incorporated into project work.
4. Waldorf schools, which aim to educate the whole child by nurturing the mind, body, and spirit so that children are inspired as thoughtful, creative, and humane individuals. Classrooms are mixed-age and cooperation is encouraged. The classroom is designed to use natural light, soft colors, simple designs, and toys that are hand-made or from natural materials. Early learning is focused on imaginative play and creativity, rather than academics.

The NAGC has also published a position paper on early childhood as well as web page on preschool and kindergarten programs for further guidance.

A final option for some children may be early entrance to kindergarten. Most school districts have rigid, age-based cutoffs that dictate when children should start kindergarten, but some districts also offer the option for early entrance. Students may be required to be evaluated for their kindergarten readiness through individual testing and/or through discussions with the school district.

Typically, parents consider early kindergarten when they see that their child is highly verbal, socially mature, and/or are academically and developmentally advanced well beyond other children their age. They may be very early readers, advanced in math, more independent than most children their age, and already interact well with older peers.

Most research indicates that acceleration is beneficial for gifted students. The NAGC offers guidelines for districts on developing policies for early kindergarten entry.

Most gifted children who skip kindergarten or first grade adapt easily to this transition. They grasp material quickly, and many already are advanced compared with their peers in terms of reading and math skills. School districts sometimes refuse to endorse acceleration due to claims that it could negatively impact a child’s later social adjustment. While concerns about later problematic social adjustment may be something to consider, most research debunks these concerns: see “Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Adjustment of Accelerated Students, Students in Gifted Classes, and Regular Students in Eighth Grade“, “Skip A Grade? Start Kindergarten Early? It’s Not So Easy“, “Early Entrance to Kindergarten for Academically Talented 4-Year-Olds: Information and Resources” and “Academic acceleration in gifted youth and fruitless concerns regarding psychological well-being: A 35-year longitudinal study“.