Baby Einstein: How To Tell If Your Child Is Genuinely Gifted

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

Every parent gloats over his or her child. In fact, every parent thinks his or her child is special, talented, intelligent and beautiful. Most of us beamingly boast about our babies, but some are truly gifted, even by expert standards. Here are the developmental guidelines for gifted children and what sets them apart.

1. Ability to retain information: Many of these kids have excellent retention, comprehension and recollection. The term "in one ear and out the other" generally does not apply to them.

2. Have a Potpourri of "Passions": Most kids have limited interests, but gifted children seem to have a broad spectrum of interests. While to some they may seem unfocused or indecisive, quite the opposite may be true. In fact gifted kids seem to shift their focus of interest quite frequently. They are intrigued and fascinated by the world in general and want to know more about it. So, if your child seems flighty, with regards to his or her likes, he or she may actually be quite the smarty pants.

3. Early Achievers (In Reading and Writing): These kids typically master reading and writing earlier than most without any problems. In fact, they develop the skills without any formal teaching, besides some guidance at home.

4. Are Artistically And Musically Inclined: Kids who show an affinity for the fine arts tend to be considered gifted. This includes tots who can draw things to scale and perspective, have a polished pitch or exhibit exceptional timing/rhythm among other perceptual things.

5. Exhibits Focus: Most children have very short attention spans and can be easily distracted. Gifted kids, however, have greater focus, longer periods of concentration, and greater attention spans.

6. Has A Good Memory: Children that are gifted not only remember what they've seen, heard and learned, but are often able to recall memories from when they were much younger, and in pretty impressive detail.

7. Speaks intelligently: Gifted children not only master speaking early on but also learn how to speak "well". In fact, most have advanced diction, pronunciation, and vocabulary skills including using difficult words correctly in sentences with proper context.

8. Is Detail Oriented: Gifted kids are keen on details. Especially with older kids they may be more inquisitive and dig deeper for answers and meanings. Younger tykes may not only put their toys away, but exactly where they found them. They may also be able to tell when items have been moved or not been replaced.

9. Tends To Be Self Critical and A Bit Of A Perfectionist: A gifted child will always try to do his or her very best, or what he or she perceives to be his or her best. These kids are also constantly comparing themselves to their peers and holding themselves to overly high standards.

10. Grasp Complex Concepts: These tots can often comprehend ideas other kids their age can't. They tend to think outside the box, to use reason and logic, to perceive relationships, and to understand problems and solutions in depth.