Many times, when they tell us that our son or daughter is intellectually gifted, the first reaction is pride in the future possibilities that our little one will have in the world (and more with the times that are running). Then, in more detail, we can realize that we do not know what to do after receiving such news.
Do I put more extra homework at home apart from that of nursery school or college? Do I take you to enriching media all the time? Will you get ahead of course? Those are some of the issues that, to a large extent, encompasses another more general question and that summarizes the possible anguish of the parents: What does a gifted child need?.
We might think that, if the little ones have such high intellectual abilities, they may not require any special needs. We can let them only learn everything they want because, after all, they are gifted for that ... But this is not true.
Children with intellectual giftedness They need help on a social, emotional level and, even if it seems a lie, on an intellectual level. These needs will be defined by the individual characteristics of each child, especially in the stage of development they are in.
Moreover, depending on the child's age, some of the needs they require, especially those of a social and emotional scope, will have more weight than others for the reasons that we will explain below.
TO emotional level, children with intellectual giftedness need to achieve success in a dynamic intellectual environment, as well as having flexibility in their schedule and in the different activities they perform, in addition to the child's own being able to intervene in their planning.
Another of the important needs of these children is the social level, since they need to feel that they are accepted by their peers and their environment in general (that is, they do not have the feeling that they are "weirdoes"). They also seek the trust of their closest people, who must show their respect and understanding.
Finally, and perhaps the ones that can cause the most surprise, are the needs within the intellectual level. These basically translate into being able to give these children a teaching adapted to their possibilities (for example, making it easy to access additional resources or stimuli as well as generating occasions when they can use their skills).
It is very important to keep in mind that, in order to respond as accurately as possible to these needs, we must seek, in addition to each child's performance as satisfactory as possible depending on their aptitudes and possibilities, the greatest autonomy and effectiveness in the establishment of the bases for a better quality of life.
We cannot forget that each child is special in their own way: some are given certain skills better than others. However, gifted children They need adjustments in their daily lives to help them grow as a person.
Many times we find children with high capacities who, because they are not in an environment adjusted to their needs, cannot evolve properly and, therefore, can generate some kind of problem in the future.
Once we are aware of what does a gifted children need, it is important to correctly adapt the objectives of the school to its capacity, either through adaptations in the way of working with the child as well as in the contents that will be imparted. Of course, always under the guidance, encouragement and guidance of the professional trained for it.
