The 5 differences between being gifted and genius in childhood
The concern for the development of intellectual skills It has been the subject of debate for a long time. More recently, it is an issue that has been significantly related to school performance and performance. That is why it has become very common to hear that professors, teachers or family members of children of school age suspect that some of them have both intellectual and social competences, which are superior to those of the rest.
A lot of questions arise between emotion and uncertainty: Will it be a child genius? Is it a talented girl? A gifted child? A child prodigy? ...among many others. And psychology is one of the disciplines responsible for offering answers.
- Related article: "What is intellectual giftedness really?"
5 differences between giftedness and genius
It is not uncommon for communication between a teacher and the relatives of a child to be difficult when some consider them genius, others consider them gifted, and others simply a gifted child; even if these concepts are quite discussed or even discredited by a good part of psychopedagogy.
So, considering that they are controversial terms and involved in a great diversity of opinions, but that are still used and generate some confusion, we will see below some differences between gifted children and genius children that could be useful at the general orientation level.
1. IQ is not everything
It is generally considered that a girl or boy is gifted if she has an intelligence well above average (around 130 points of IQ or more, depending on age), which also has been able to learn certain things more quickly.
On the other hand, until recently it was considered that a genius child was one who had an IQ with a score higher than 180. Currently this criterion is in disuse. It is considered genius to the gifted that also makes a great work.
That is to say, genius is defined later, by the product of its work or work, something that not only depends on the intellectual coefficient but also on creativity, motivation and commitment to its task.
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2. The repercussions of your work make the difference
In line with the above, the gifted child can be a child of early learning, a child prodigy (the one who performs activities with performance levels of an adult at a young age) or a talented child (the one with a superior performance in a certain area). and socially valuable, especially in some field of scientific knowledge), but it is not necessarily or becomes a child genius , because he does not always perform a work that is considered transcendental.
3. Learning does not always seem advanced
The gifted children they usually show "early" learning in the area of language and visual-motor coordination , although also in other areas related to cognitive abilities.
A child genius does not necessarily show early learning or socially valued, as it is considered genius once their skills have had an impact perceived by others as important.
4. The motivation for learning is very important
Gifted children can develop a special talent for a specific task, but this does not happen naturally, it is necessary to give them the possibility to make this happen, especially fostering a motivation for learning .
As the genius is one who has produced a work that is considered valuable, we assume that it was or was a child who had the opportunity to constantly reinforce the motivation for what he does.
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5. School performance is not always superior
Related to the previous point, a gifted child is easier to identify within a school, since It is very obvious that school learning is faster , or it puts us in the need to make curricular adjustments to promote their skills, or, to avoid getting bored in the classroom.
On the other hand, a genius child does not always show superior school performance, since, as we have seen, genius is a characteristic that is attributed later and that not only relates to skills and IQ, but also to creativity and the motivation for learning.
Other proposals: Outstanding Skills
The study of intellectual abilities, as well as school performance is constantly updated. It is one of the most researched areas in psychology and pedagogy today, especially since the educational paradigms are focused on favoring both the competencies and interests of children, many times although teachers or family members do not have the necessary strategies .
In an attempt to offer explanations and alternatives that favor children's learning, the concept of Outstanding Abilities and Capabilities (CAS) has emerged, which has even developed standardized ways to identify "CAS children" (children with outstanding abilities and aptitudes).
In broad strokes, the term CAS, allows to encompass several of the characteristics of intellectual development, without using the terms "gifted" or "genius", whose differentiation can be very problematic in some contexts.
It is also one of the conceptual tools that have allowed designing and implementing curricular adaptations as well as recognizing and attending to the diversity of intellectual and social skills during childhood.
