Gifted Development Center

a service of The Institute for the Study of Advanced Development

1452 Marion Street Denver, CO 80218 (303) 837-8378

Early Signs of Giftedness

Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

When parents recognize the characteristics of a gifted child in the first years of life, they are alerted
to the child's need for enhanced stimulation and support. Equally important, it helps them realize
that some of the problems they encounter in child-rearing are due to the nature of the child rather
than to their inadequacies as parents. So many parents fear that they must be doing something
wrong if their child has colic, or doesn't sleep, or is hyperactive. These characteristics may be
related to the child's giftedness.
Giftedness is often determined later in life by an individual's achievements. Attempts to trace the
early development of such people have necessarily been retrospective in nature. These studies
indicate that most eminent individuals showed evidence of superior ability and precocious
development early in life (Albert, 1978; Goertzel, Goertzel, & Goertzel, 1978; Pressey, 1955;
Terman, 1925).
Newer methods, based on our awareness of the early indications of giftedness, are making it
possible for us to identify gifted children much sooner. In one study, 35% of the parents recognized
their child's giftedness between ages three and five. The other 65% were either informed or
recognized their child's giftedness after age six (Dembinski & Mauser, 1978). Robinson, Roedell,
& Jackson (1979, 1980) have been successful at identifying gifted children in the two- to
three-year-old range. White indicates that children who are either unusually rapid or unusually
slow in their development will show signs of their exceptionality as early as 18 months (White &
Watts, 1973). Some precocious children display their giftedness shortly after birth through early
alertness, response to caretakers, advanced motor control, early development of intentionality or
unusual attention span. Future research may even allow us to recognize the signs of precocious
development prenatally (Pines, 1982)!
Recently, I reviewed the parent questionnaires of 40 gifted children who had been referred for
testing. The questionnaire asked for early descriptions of superior ability. The most frequent signs
of giftedness found in this study included long attention span, excellent memory, early and
extensive vocabulary development, curiosity, early reading ability, rapidity of learning, and the
ability to generalize concepts (See Table 1). Other studies have revealed additional characteristics:
imaginary companions, high activity levels, less need for sleep, ambidexterity, unusual
responsiveness to caretakers, allergies, sense of humor, sensitivity, perfectionism, concern with
morality and justice, preference for older playmates, and fascination with books.
Although not all gifted children will exhibit the same characteristics, if a child shows some of these
early signs, giftedness may be indicated. Development of such children should be followed closely,
with careful records, to assist identification. Baby books are a good first step, but they may not be
sufficient to capture the full extent of the gifted child's unusual development. Some of the means of
Early Signs of Giftedness
Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

recording early behavior include a journal with descriptive examples, tape recordings of language
development, dated photographs of early art work and writing attempts, even films or videotapes.
These records of early childhood are useful in establishing giftedness, and they often fascinate the
child later in life.
Gifted children tend to be larger and more fully developed as infants than other children
(Hitchfield, 1973; Terman, 1925). They may need less sleep than other children (Gaunt, 1989),
which can be distressing to the parents. They may be quite active or “hyperactive,” rocking or
moving excessively. They may also have unusual sensitivities, responding to emotional tension
around them, or developing food allergies or colic. Many gifted children, however, do not show
these particular symptoms. None of these signs which appear in infancy is sufficient to indicate
giftedness in itself, but each is worthy of noting to see if further signs emerge.
One of the first symptoms which parents notice is their child's unusual alertness (Rogers, 1986).
This may begin to appear shortly after birth or it may gradually become more apparent. The child
watches and listens intently, absorbing everything that is happening around her. She will focus her
eyes on an object for a longer period of time than do other children. This longer attention span will
remain characteristic. Parents of older children often mention the intensity of their children's
concentration.
As early as one month, the child may follow moving objects with her eyes, smile, or make certain
sounds other than crying. At two months, she may search for sounds with her eyes, begin to lift her
head and chest, move vigorously, anticipate feedings upon seeing a nipple, begin cooing and
chuckling. Some infants evidence extremely precocious behavior. I know of two children who
smiled on cue at two days old. A child in my study held his head up and pulled his chest up on his
arms almost from birth. He received a “perfect” score on the infant (APGAR) rating scale. This
same child waved “hello” at two months of age.
Motor development is often advanced in gifted children. In a study conducted by Cox (1977), three
children were reported to have begun to walk at six months of age, a period at which most children
are just learning how to sit up. Over 83% of this sample walked before their first birthday, the
typical age at which other babies stand or walk only with support. Many nongifted children,
however, also learn to walk between their tenth and twelfth month. Another interesting finding in
Cox's study is that many of the children were ambidextrous for some period of time.
The clearest sign of accelerated development is in the area of language. Gifted children tend to
speak earlier, use more complex sentence structure, develop a larger vocabulary, show an early
interest in books and written works, and express themselves better than other children. In my study,
one child said his first word, “hi,” at 4 months of age. One-eighth of the group spoke before their
tenth month. Most parents indicated early and extensive vocabulary development. One mother said
that her daughter wanted to be read to constantly from the time she “sat up.” Another describes a
child who sat for two to three hours listening to books at the age of eighteen months.
There is also the case of the silent gifted child. In this child, language development is atypical. He
is unusually quiet after the babbling stage, but manages to communicate all of his needs
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Early Signs of Giftedness
Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

nonverbally. He appears to understand everything and will follow lengthy sets of directions,
indicating high receptive ability. (If this does not occur, it is necessary to have the child's hearing
checked.) The moment of truth arrives when the child decides to speak and comes out with a full
sentence - often a complex one - as his first utterance (e.g., “Charlie, would you please pass the
salt?”). Some gifted children have been known not to speak until the age of four. One such case
was Einstein. But these late speakers most often begin oral communication with fully formed
sentences. Children who tend not to speak at all until they have full sentences may also rehearse
other activities in their heads until they have perfected the processes. Instead of creeping and
crawling and taking a fist step, they may break into a run one day with no warning.
Gifted children usually have extraordinary memories. In my study, excellent memory was the most
prevalent sign of giftedness reported. Parkinson (1990) reported that all of the gifted children she
studied had excellent memories. They may be able to repeat songs or television commercials well
before two years of age. They can frequently “read” a story which has been read to them several
times because they remember the words on each page. I once saw an 18-month-old do this with a
60-page beginning reader. She was able to recognize several written words at 11 months. Almost
half of the children in my study could recognize letters of the alphabet before they were two.
Avid interest in reading prior to school age is one of the signs of giftedness (Gross & Feldhusen,
1990). Half of the children I studied learned to read before they were five. One- fourth of my
sample read before their fourth birthday. Many of these children reportedly taught themselves to
read. Thirty percent of the group wrote their first word by the time they were four years old.
Several were reported to have written their first word at two and a half.
After studying a large group of gifted children in California, Martinson (1961) reported similar
findings. Half of her sample had taught themselves to read by the time they entered school, and
some had learned as early as two years of age. Goertzel, Goertzel and Goertzel (1978) report that
half of the 300 eminent individuals in their study learned to read well before school-age.
Unbounded curiosity is still another sign of giftedness. In my study, curiosity was surpassed only
by memory in the frequency with which it was observed by parents of gifted children. Parents also
remarked about the quality of children's questions, describing them as “very complex” and
“probing.” A one-year-old gifted child made the discovery that everything had a name and dragged
her mother all over the house for hours, pointing to every object and saying, “Whatsat?” Some
children pull things apart to find out how they operate. Other children ask endless questions. Still
others have difficulty going to sleep at night for fear that they will “miss something” while they
sleep.
Gifted children learn things very rapidly and are often able to generalize their learning to new
situations (Rogers & Silverman, 1988). They are amazing problem-solvers. They show evidences
of abstract thinking at a very young age. They also have highly active imaginations and are likely
to invent imaginary companions (Hollingworth, 1932; Schaefer, 1970). This is a sign of creativity
and should not be a cause of alarm to parents.

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Early Signs of Giftedness
Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

Another clear sign of giftedness is exceptional aptitude for mathematical reasoning. There are
cases of five-year-old children solving square-root problems on calculators, inventing abstract
algebraic formulations (e.g., (N x N) - 1 = (N +1) x (N-1)), learning algebra, adding four-digit
numbers mentally, writing simple computer programs, or using calculations in their everyday lives.
Since most preschool children are still learning how to count, these feats speak for themselves.
An excellent sense of humor characterizes gifted children. They learn earlier than most other
children that humor is based on incongruity, the unexpected or absurd. They also develop an early
interest in and facility with puns. One two-year-old was playing under the bed where his mother
was lying. He said to her, “Mommy, are you resting?” When she replied, “Yes, “ he retorted,
“Does that mean I'm under a rest?” Incidents such as this one should be recorded. Making a
booklet of a child's jokes is a way of encouraging language and cognitive development.
Certain personality traits of the gifted child may appear early in life: perfectionism, emotional
sensitivity, compassion, intensity. One-fourth of the sample I studied were described by their
parents as “highly sensitive,” meaning both easily hurt and sensitive to the feelings of others.
These two interpretations of sensitivity appear to be inter-related. Almost all of the children studied
appeared to have signs of emotional overexcitability (Silverman, 1981).
Personality characteristics differ markedly among the gifted (Robinson, 1977; Terman, 1925).
Some characteristics make the child easy to identify as gifted, whereas others mask the child's
special abilities. Since verbal precocity is such a frequent sign of giftedness, the highly verbal child
is more likely to be recognized than the nonverbal child. Verbal ability is only one form of
giftedness, however. Mathematically talented children, particularly boys, may not have high verbal
ability (Stanley, 1981). Artistically, mechanically, spatially, or athletically able children also may
not show verbal precocity; nevertheless, they are gifted.
Shy children are likely to be overlooked as well. Gordon and Thomas (1967) studied gifted
kindergarten children of different temperaments. Outgoing children who plunged into new
activities easily and quickly were thought to be gifted by their teachers, although in fact many of
them were average. All of the gifted children who were slow to get involved in new activities were
incorrectly judged to be average in intelligence. Roedell, Jackson, and Robinson (1980) warn
parents of the necessity of informing teachers that advanced intellectual skills are not always
accompanied by outgoing temperaments.
Although signs of high ability are usually present in the child's early years (Robinson, Roedell, &
Jackson, 1979), many of the more subtle signs may go unnoticed. A child whose gifts go
undetected will probably not receive the kinds of environmental stimulation necessary for early
development. If this stimulation should occur later in life, the child is likely to be called a “late
bloomer.” A late bloomer is a person with high potential who does not actualize that potential, or
who is not discovered until later than would be expected.
When opportunities for development are limited to only those children who show early signs of
ability or productivity, much potential is missed. Gallagher (1979) reminds us that intelligence is
not static; it is capable of both increasing and decreasing. It is important to provide continuous
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Early Signs of Giftedness
Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

assessment throughout school in order to find those children whose talents do not manifest until
later in life.

Early Indications of Superior Ability as Reported by Parents

N=40

Excellent Memory 12
Long attention span and intensity of focus 10
Early and extensive vocabulary development 10
Extreme curiosity, asking complex, probing questions 10
Learns very rapidly 7
Abstract thinking, ability to generalize concepts 7
Recongnized letters of alphabet before the age of two 7
Exceptional aptitude for mathematical reasoning 5
Active imagination and creativity 4
Intense interest in books and words 4

Table 1. Summary of the most frequent responses given to the open-ended question: “Describe
early indications of superior ability.” The question appeared on a parent questionnaire which was
completed by 40 parents who requested that their children be tested for giftedness.

Early Signs of Giftedness

unusual alertness in infancy

long attention span in infancy
less need for sleep in infancy
smiling or recognizing caretakers early
advanced progression through developmental milestones
high activity level
extraordinary feats of memory

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Early Signs of Giftedness
Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

intense interest in books

keen powers of observation
ability to generalize concepts
recognition of letters before age 2
ability to put together a 20-piece puzzle before age 3
asks complex, probing questions
early interest in time—clocks, calendars
imaginary playmates

REFERENCES

Albert, R. (1978). Observations and suggestions regarding giftedness, familial influence and the achievement of
eminence. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 22, 201-211.

Cox, R. L. (1977). Background characteristics of 456 gifted students. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 21, 261-267.

Dembinski, R. J., & Mauser, A. J. (1978). Parents of the gifted: Perceptions of psychologists and teachers. Journal
for the Education of the Gifted, 1, 5-14.

Gallagher, J. J. (1979). Issues in education for the gifted. In A. H. Passow (Ed.), The gifted and the talented: Their
education and development (pp. 28-44). The 78th yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Gaunt, R. I. (1989). A comparison of the perceptions of parents of highly and moderately gifted children.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, Kent, OH.

Goertzel, M. G., Goertzel, V., & Goertzel, T. G. (1978). Three hundred eminent personalities. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.

Gordon, E. M., & Thomas, A. (1967). Children's behavioral style and the teacher's appraisal of their intelligence.
Journal of School Psychology, 5, 292-300.

Gross, M. U. M., & Feldhusen, J. F. (1990). The exceptionally gifted child. Understanding Our Gifted, 2(5), 1, 7-10.

Hitchfield, E. M. (1973). In search of promise. London: Longman.

Hollingworth, L. S. (1932). Who is the gifted pupil? University of Pennsylvania Bulletin, Nineteenth Annual
Schoolmen's Week Proceedings, 32, 239-246.

Martinson, R. A. (1961). Educational programs for gifted pupils. Sacramento, CA: California State Department of
Education.

Parkinson, M. L. (1990). Finding and serving gifted preschoolers. Understanding Our Gifted, 2 (5), 1, 10-13.

Pressey, S. L. (1955). Concerning the nature and nurture of genius. Scientific Monthly, 81, 123-128.

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Early Signs of Giftedness
Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

Robinson, H. B. (1977). Current myths concerning gifted children. National/State Leadership Training Institute,
Gifted and Talented Brief No. 5 (October), 1-11.

Robinson, H. B., Roedell, W.C., & Jackson, N. E. (1979). Early identification and intervention. In A. H. Passow
(Ed.), The gifted and the talented: Their education and development, (pp. 138-154). The seventy-eighth
yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part I. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Roedell, W. C., Jackson, N. E., & Robinson, H. B. (1980). Gifted young children. New York: Teachers College,
Columbia University.

Rogers, M. T. (1986). A comparative study of developmental traits of gifted and average youngsters. Unpublished
doctoral dissertation, University of Denver, Denver, CO

Rogers, M. T., & Silverman, L. K. (1988). Recognizing giftedness in young children. Understanding Our Gifted,
1(2), 5, 16-17, 20.

Schaefer, C. E. (1970). Biographical inventory-creativity. San Diego: Educational and Industrial Testing.

Silverman, L. K. (1981). Early indications of superior ability as reported by 40 parents. Unpublished raw data.
Denver, CO: Gifted Child Development Center.

Stanley, J. C. (1981). A conversation with Julian Stanley. Educational Leadership, 39, 101-106.

Terman, L. M. (1925). Genetic studies of genius: Vol. 1. Mental and physical traits of a thousand gifted children.
Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

White, B. L., & Watts, J. C. (1973). Experience and environment (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Linda Silverman, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist

and Director of the Gifted Development Center in Denver, Colorado.

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