How To Help Your Child Learn To Read

co-ordinator of Gifted Education (B.Ed Sci; Post. Grad. Cert G&T Edu) and mother of two gifted children, in response to this question:"I think my child is gifted: What should Today I'm talking with Trish Kelly, co-ordinator of gifted education in the Warren Blackwood district and mother of two gifted children. We are going to explore this question sent in by a reader:

Trish: By definition a gifted child has the identified 'potential' to perform in the top 10% of children their age in one or more of the learning domains (mental and/or physical).

Ali: What are some different types of giftedness that are easy to spot?

Trish: There are 6 main profiles of giftedness and each is quite different. Two general categories that are fairly easy to spot are:

High performer - The child happily demonstrates (in safe situations) their higher abilities. They will crave information and ask to be shown how to read, write and use number computations at an early age. They will mimic their older brothers and sisters' behaviour in an attempt to gain the higher skills of communication. They rarely use 'baby' talk and favour adult-like vocabulary. They will often recite facts that they have heard and demand explanation. A significant indicator is if a child hears information and attempts to interpret verbally or test the meaning.

Underachiever - At the surface level the child appears to be behind in their achievements. They don't enjoy school and rarely want to use pencil and paper or read and have poor verbal communication skills. They often state that they are bored at school, or worse, that they are dumb. But give them some Lego or similar and they will light up! They have fantastic imaginations and comprehend quickly when things are explained to them using pictures or models. When they explain something to someone else, they will often describe what it looks like in great detail. Their wonderful and creative imaginations allow them to tell the most amazing stories about a situation but they would struggle to write the same ideas down. These kids think in pictures NOT words.

Trish: Absolutely! Only one of the six profiles is an all rounder. Most will have a spike in only one of the learning domains, which are:

Ali: You talk to a lot of parents about gifted kids. What's the most common question you get asked?

Trish: The most common question would be; "What can I do for my child?" But the most common statement would be; "I don't want to sound like a pushy parent but I know that my child can do much harder work than they are being given to do at school. I have tried to tell the teacher but I don't think they are taking me seriously!"

Trish: I always tell them that they are the only advocates that their child has. They need to work with their child's teachers to achieve the best outcome for the child. Often children will perform much better at home as it is a safer environment for them. I say "Collect as much evidence as possible of your child's true abilities (work samples, photos, videos etc) and take them to the teacher and tactfully discuss the difference in what you are seeing. You are more likely to have success if you are armed with the evidence." I have seen many positive results from taking this approach.

Trish: Not nearly as many as I would like! Giftedness is best addressed from the earliest possible opportunity. Unfortunately our culture is not supportive of self-promotion and this causes parents to be reluctant to advocate for their children early on. Much more can be done for your child if they have not already commenced disengagement from school and learning.

Ali: What's the most important thing they should do if they think their child might be gifted?

Trish: (2 yrs-Kindy) Parents should support and encourage the child's natural inquisitiveness; never push or 'hothouse' their child into learning more, as this can be extremely detrimental for the child in the long term. Gather as much physical and anecdotal evidence of high performance as possible.

When the time comes for your child to commence their formal education (Pre-Primary - Yr 1), approach the school principal with your evidence and discuss your feelings in a supportive and positive way. Ask what they think would be the best way to go.

Ali: If a child shows signs of giftedness in something early on is this likely to develop naturally?

Trish: Almost definitely not! If it does, it will be at a much slower rate than if they were supported, encouraged and given some learning tools specific to the talent that they are exhibiting. Too often these children are left to fend for themselves as their teachers may be pre-occupied with the underachievers in the class and believe that the able child has the ability to do well on their own.

Ali: You've just presented a paper at the Australian National Gifted Conference in Hobart. Are there any new ideas being discussed by experts that would help parents?

Trish: New ideas? Not really! Beliefs, yes!! They believe 'Advocacy is the best policy!'

..Don't teach gifted children; teach them how to learn. This way they can become their own educational driver when the allocated providers fail them.

Ali: Thanks Trish. You've really given us some great information here today.