The gifted infant and the child will develop intellectually much faster than they will develop in physical ways. The emotional component of growth may or may not develop rapidly, as there is wide variability in children on this measure. How do parents know when their baby is intellectually advanced?
Identifying the Intellectually Gifted Infant
There are some notable commonalities among gifted infants in terms of behavioral observation. Each gifted individual need not possess all the behaviors noted, but the gifted infant can be identified very early based on these characteristics.
The infant has a tendency to stay awake longer than the normal child. When he is awake, he will often require more attention and diversion than other children. A child who is very alert when awake and who thrives on stimulation from others may be gifted.
The gifted infant tends to react very strongly to stimulation. Particularly, he may flinch and cry at loud noises or pain of any kind. He will also tend to cry when frustrated or told not to do something that he wants to do. He will smile and show signs of recognition very early. He will also exhibit evidence of remembering things, such as infant games and may try to initiate a "peek-a-boo" game on his own.
The gifted infant is intensely curious and will attempt to examine objects, toys and other stimuli with great scrutiny. She will very likely recognize words well before the six month milestone and in some cases she will speak this soon as well.
Her vocabulary will be varied and seem to increase daily as new words are stored via an exceptional memory capacity. She will likely be thrilled with story books and puzzle-type toys will both please and frustrate her depending on the complexity. She will often solve puzzles designed for much older toddlers.
Enrichment for the Gifted Infant
Whether or not a child shows signs of giftedness at this early an age, it should be assumed that the child has an advanced cognitive capacity and these enrichment opportunities should be practiced by new parents. Some gifted children do not exhibit these behaviors as early as others. If a child was born prematurely, this can delay signs of giftedness, as one good example.
If the parent exposes the child to enrichment activities and the child does not respond in a positive or interactive way, wait a couple of weeks and try a particular toy or puzzle again. Starting with the local library, find books that are designed for very young children. Those that provide noise, tactile stimulation or smell will often delight the gifted baby.
A children's educational store or center is a great place to visit. Many will allow the parents to play with the toys with the infant to determine what suits the age, interest and ability of the child. If the parent is friendly with other mothers in the community, a toy exchange program is a great way to save money on purchasing expensive toys. Some libraries allow for toys and puzzles to be borrowed as well as educational videos.
Though television has been given a bad reputation in general, the gifted infant who watches educational programs (i.e. Sesame Street) that teach letters and numbers will benefit from planned viewing of these types of shows. A very gifted infant could potentially learn the entire alphabet and number system from only brief exposure to them.
Music is perhaps the most underrated activity used to stimulate the infant mind. Though there continues to be speculation regarding the value of music in its relationship to learning and cognitive development, the parent who exposes the infant to many different types of music knows it is a positive and fascinating experience. The infant will listen intently, attempt to move with the music and show signs of great rapture when familiar peices are replayed.
All kinds of music can be of value from hard, driving rock to soft, intricate classical to jazz, African, Celtic, etc. Stimulate the child to appreciate music and encourage singing, learning an instrument and writing songs to the child as she grows.
Other Thoughts on Gifted Infant Development
Fresh air, exposure to animals, birds, wildlife, water, mud, flowers and trees are all experiences that will often delight the gifted infant. With safety as a primary determinant, take the sun-screened baby anywhere and everywhere to stimulate her senses and her mind. She will delight in new experiences if she feels secure and protected from harm.
Recognizing the early signs of giftedness is imperative in providing the needed stimulation to the gifted infant. He has an excellent memory and will learn letters, numbers and words long before he can say them. Further, he sleeps less and needs more interaction than a normal baby.
Expose the baby to varied stimuli including books, toys, games and puzzles that are for a toddler level, taking care to avoid anything dangerous, such a very small parts. Give the child the chance to interact with others as often as possible – babies, toddlers, children and adults. Make sure she is given exposure to music, nature and animals at an early age. If the baby feels secure and protected, she will absorb information and learn about her environment with rapid ease, surprising her parents with how quickly she learns.
For more information, please see Identifying a Gifted_Toddler.
Reference:
Kreger Silverman, Linda, Resources for Parents With Gifted Children, Child Development Institute, Office of Education, Research and Improvement, 1991.
Therese Haberman - With a MS degree and 25 years in HR mgmt, in 2005, Ms.Therese began a writing career specializing in children and HR.
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