What Is High Intellectual Capacity In Children?

Are you aware of the signs that indicate high intellectual capacity in children? Have you ever suspected that your child may have above average intelligence?

As parents, we all tend to be a little too enthusiastic when evaluating our children’s abilities. But what if your child really has a special gift?

Below we will tell you how you notice if children have a high intellectual capacity. We will also give you advice on how to guide and train them throughout their development.

And most importantly, we offer tips that prevent your child from getting bored or unmotivated and help them enjoy the company of others.

What is high intellectual capacity?

High intellectual capacity refers to intellectual talent, talent and intellectual maturity. Together, these factors represent a higher than average IQ of 130 or higher.

Intellectually gifted children make up 2% of the population. This means that they have an intelligence that is higher than the remaining 98%.

One trait that tends to be characteristic of individuals with high intellectual ability is their creativity.

They have a lively imagination, which makes them very versatile. They also have good initiative and can make effective decisions.

Some important differences

• People with intellectual talent are those with high intellectual abilities who define maximum human intelligence. This explains their talent.
• Talented individuals have a higher excellence in one or more areas. But in other areas they are at the same level as the general population.

• Intellectual immaturity can be seen in children who acquire and demonstrate knowledge at an earlier age than others. For example, children who learn to speak, put together sentences and have a conversation before the age of two.

How can I know if my child has a high intellectual capacity?

High intellectual capacity can be detected with a comprehensive evaluation that examines the following aspects in detail:

• Life story
• Emotional state
• Creativity
• Intelligence quota

Signs of high intellectual capacity

Of course, each individual develops at his own pace. But it is possible to notice some general signs during different stages of development.

Below we will explain these signs:

High intellectual capacity in infants

• Demands more of their parents’ attention.
• Early psychomotor coordination before one month of age. For example, they can hold their head up properly.
• During the second month of life, they can use more than one sound.
• They learn to say their first word at 5 months of age.
• At 6 months, they can already identify if someone is calling them by name.

High intellectual capacity in children

As the child grows, different skills will emerge and capture your attention. At first it may seem overwhelming, but after a while you begin to understand why.

These abilities will also differ remarkably from other children, providing very important clues.

It is important to keep one thing in mind: the emotional world of these children.

Children with high intellectual ability tend to live out their emotions with high intensity. Their reactions may seem exaggerated or disturbing to most people around them.

The main features

• They have a great ability to concentrate.
• Children with high intellectual ability are competitive, they are perfectionists and demand a lot of themselves.
• They have a hard time tolerating frustration and managing their anger properly.
• These children tend to break all norms. This is not because the child wants to be disobedient. Rather, these children do not follow rules or guidelines that seem illogical or lack a good explanation. Therefore, it is important to maintain good communication and set clear boundaries.

• Hypersensitivity in at least 1 of the 5 senses. This explains why they are often disturbed by certain odors or loud music. They may complain about how certain clothes feel, or request that the lights go out, for example.
• Psychomotor hypersensitivity. These children seem to have an above average energy level. They are difficult to tire out and they are in constant motion. This is their way of getting rid of tension. These characteristics should not be confused with ADHD.

High intellectual capacity in adolescence

The characteristics of high intellectual capacity usually appear before puberty.

But some cases go undetected through childhood. The characteristics of high intellectual capacity in adolescents are as follows:

• A tendency to constantly ask and address existential problems. For example: death, religion, life, etc.
• These teens tend to question authorities and norms. They have an increased ability to see loopholes or inconsistencies. This makes it harder for them to be “obedient” without expressing their opinion.

• They have excellent memory, both visually and audiologically.
• They often do not like to interact with others their own age, simply because they get bored. They will feel a gap between themselves and others. This can cause them to simply become frustrated because they fail to relate to the thoughts of their peers.
• They usually adopt a cultured and rich vocabulary, which they will try to enrich every day. They have a preference for precision. In other words, they like to use just the right words at exactly the right moment.

Like all people, children with high intellectual abilities need unconditional love and support.

This is the most important thing you need to know. We need to guide them so that they can live freely in society and enjoy life.

We should teach our children to have fun, relax and use sensitivity, pace and empathy in their dealings with others.

And we should oppose them developing into people with superiority complexes or behaving condescendingly towards others. Of course, these attitudes will not bring anything good.