Myths of children with high abilities
What does it mean to be a child with high abilities? A current problem that affects children with high abilities, their identification and hinders the educational attention they receive, are the myths about what it means to be highly capable. There is a lot of ignorance on the subject and also gener
What does it mean to be a child with high abilities? A current problem that affects children with high abilities, their identification and hinders the educational attention they receive, are the myths about what it means to be highly capable.
There is a lot of ignorance on the subject and also generates "fear" to face a child or student with high abilities. We have the feeling that being smarter is going to be a problem for me as a parent or teacher or we may think that having high abilities does not imply special needs in these children. These are the false beliefs and myths associated with children with high abilities.
False beliefs of children with high abilities
Many times we have heard that "very smart will not be because it suspends mathematics", or "being too smart is a problem, better to be normal" ... These and other negative beliefs about what is the High capacity are those that affect the development and specific attention of these children, and are those that really give rise to problems.
That is, if I believe that high capacity is a problem and, therefore, I avoid it and do not give it the necessary attention, if a child with this characteristic shows and develops behavioral, frustration, emotional problems, etc. ... if the child feels different and in addition, that different being has negative tints ... is not it normal for it to manifest school problems, suspend, or behave in an inappropriate way?
Some myths of children with high abilities that we must abandon are:
- They learn very fast, they understand everything at first. Nothing is further from reality. Children with high abilities may have trouble learning subtraction with leads like any other child, for example. Being highly capable does not imply that the child comes standard with the things learned, and in situations or novel learning can present the same problems as any other child. Nothing to do has to be a child with a high IQ and high abilities with being dyslexic or having an ADHD. One condition is independent of the other, so you can perfectly have an Intellectual Quotient of 130 and dyslexia.
- They get good grades in everything. Students with high abilities do not necessarily have to obtain exceptional grades (in fact it is not the most frequent), nor exactly the same performance in all subjects, since they can be more motivated towards a specific field. In addition, in the case of talents, it is common for them to have a very uneven performance in areas that dominate compared to other areas, where they can have an average or even low performance. We should not fall into the error of thinking that a bright child in one of the academic areas will also be in the rest.
- They do not need any help at school. Because of their extraordinary potential capacity, these children need specific help without which they will rarely be able to reach their full personal and intellectual development. In fact, in some countries children with high abilities are included among students with educational needs.
- They are precocious children in everything. False, not every child with high abilities is precocious in their learning nor is every precocious child highly capable. A child can start talking very early and does not have high abilities. Precocity is not synonymous with higher Intellectual Quotient.
- They are children with difficulties when it comes to socializing, with low tolerance for frustration and few friends. That a child has difficulties to socialize and little tolerance to frustration does not have as much to do with the condition of high capacities in himself, but of the adjustment of the boy to the surroundings and vice versa. That is to say, that the child knows and assumes their differences and they are also assumed by parents, teachers and classmates. It is a question here of valuing the difference as enriching for all.
What happens sometimes, is that their interests are different from other children of their age, so, sometimes, they prefer the company of adults or older children than them because they have more to contribute to them. However, although intellectually they are capable of understanding many things at the level of an adult, their emotional, social, etc ... are still those of a child of their age, (this is what we call evolutionary dyssynchrony, or the lack of synchronization in intellectual, social, affective, physical and motor development)
What we can not forget is that children with high abilities, are children, and have the same needs that other children may have, and also a specific needs for their high capacity condition. In the same way that a child with ADHD, Dyslexia or maturational delay, for example, have certain specific needs, a high ability also, and not answering them would be a problem for them, (self-esteem, school problems, etc ...) .
As with any other difficulty that may affect our child, go to the professionals to assess, diagnose and guide us about the needs of our children is essential.