Introduction to Giftedness: An Indian Perspective

In India, most parents are not even aware of the true meaning of giftedness let alone issues and challenges that come with it. Parents need to understand and carefully address these issues and challenges to enable their children to develop at their full potential.

Sheena is 7 years old. She has always been a very sensitive child. She is seen as kind and always defending the “weaker” children in her class. She is sensitive to the feelings of others and has a highly developed a sense of justice. When Rhea first came to the school, she was constantly made fun of because of her very short boy-like hairstyle and bad handwriting. No one made her feel comfortable except for Sheena. Sheena would deliberately look for things to do with Rhea so she would feel happier. She would not tolerate injustice or cruelty from other children and often commented to her teacher if she felt unfairness.

Perhaps, you might have also observed similar happenings as the above. If so, do the traits below ring a bell? Think hard.

Did your young child have more advanced developmental milestones (sat, crawled, walked etc. earlier than age mates)? Spoke early or when s/he spoke, it was in full, more sophisticated sentence that uses large vocabulary? Unusually curious? Long attention span? Enjoys looking at books or being read to even before turning 1? Extremely sensitive? Even sensitive to textures and clothing labels? What about other traits… great sense of humour, vivid imagination, good with puzzles, may have a facility with numbers, concerned with justice and fairness, prefer older companions?

These are key traits of a gifted child (although not exhaustive) that makes them distinctly different from the rest. If you compare your child with other children of the same age and find that most of the above is true, you may have a gifted child.

Giftedness refers to individuals who perform at a level that is significantly beyond her/his chronological age and have distinct characteristics that are differs them from others. These individuals have an intellectual ability that is higher than the average. This gift is innate – not acquired or learnt. Therefore, they need special provisions and social and emotional support from the family, society and in the educational context.

In India, this group of children has been ignored for years and to some extent parents are responsible due to lack of awareness. They have been left to fend on their own as they are seen to be smarter than the rest so “they will breeze through”. That only applies to the ones who are achieving academically. The ones who have learnt to hide their gifts or have never had their gifts nurtured would fall in the cracks of the system.

Gifted children differ from the average child in terms of their needs. Simply put, they are children who are performing beyond their chronological age. Rishi, at 6 explains the differences between the way helicopters and airplanes fly in a Show and Tell activity on transportation. At 4, Sara eagerly wants to help victims of a disaster in another country. Lisa, 5 gave up two boxes of her favourite toys to be distributed to underprivileged children in a shelter at Christmas. 5 year old Amin asks in-depth questions about life and death. These are not common among children of those ages.

The problem magnifies when these children are educationally treated as everyone else in the class. Arun, at 4 has mastered most kindergarten skills, especially reading as he starts kindergarten. While his teacher teaches sounds and pronunciation, he is already reading grade level books. He becomes bored as it is repetition – something gifted children get very frustrated with. He starts being disruptive and not paying attention to the teacher. He may do something else or disrupt other children in class. Teacher gets annoyed, punishes him, calls the parents and labels him as a child with behavioural concerns. Most typically ADHD! What do you think?

Quite easily we assume that children who are smart would love to go to school as they enjoy learning. Yes, they do – only if learning matches their ability, only if learning stimulates and challenges them and only if learning is meaningful to them. Ricky 7, hates school and keeps complaining about feeling tired all the time. Because he is able to learn so quickly and grasp concepts easily, he got bored with rote learning and repetition. It became the case of a bright mind in a dull classroom. This is when he became disruptive (usually for boys due to high energy levels), starts doodling in his work sheets, has verbal outbursts or just sink into his own world and refused to do what others are doing. Teachers accused him of being disobedient, stubborn and spaced-out in class. This becomes a vicious cycle; as such kids will get labelled. For teachers, if a child appears to be good in academics, s/he is expected to be good at everything else, an all-rounder. Unfortunately, this is not true for the case of gifted children – they are not advanced in every aspect.

Worse still, a gifted child can also have a disability, which is termed twice exceptional. Yes, this is very possible – to have a disability and still be gifted. Giftedness can be combined with certain learning disability such as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), difficulties with visual processing, sensory processing disorder, spatial disorientation, dyslexia, and attention deficits. In most cases, their disability masks their ability and the focus is more often than not, on their weaknesses rather than strengths.

As parents, we need to recognise these children, only then we are able to advocate for them, get them the necessary help they require. In India, this is hard, but not impossible. Parents need to be aware if the traits discussed above are seen in their children. There are developmental advancements that can be observed in early childhood but bear in mind that the child does not advance equally in all areas. A 6 year old child who is able to explain aerodynamics to his peers may not even be able to hold a pencil well. Or a 7 year old who talks about life and death still may have a problem tying her shoelaces. It is apparent that the higher the child’s IQ, the harder it is for the child to conform to the lock-step school curriculum. The larger the gap between the child’s strengths in comparison with peers, the harder it would be for the child to fit in. Children like this best fit in with other children of similar mental age group.

Parents along with teachers, educators, and counsellors/psychologists need to create an environment in which the gifted child is provided with opportunities that are best suited so their potential can be unleashed. Thus, parent advocacy is critical for gifted children’s emotional and academic development.