With every story we learn something new, but in this one, there is a sorrowful truth everyone should realize. This is the story of Aditya. The 9 year old was then in grade four. His poor grades often got him in conflicts with his school teachers. His mother became more concerned as Aditya became more and more disinterested in school. The kind-hearted kid slowly started becoming violent. His classmates, who were once his friends, now began to tease him only to see him overreact to situations. With time, Aditya’s performance became more rough. He started becoming unsocial and getting him out of his room became so difficult, that it left no option for his mother other than homeschooling him.

Isn’t Aditya’s situation frightening? Isn’t the poor fate of this child upsetting? Could he have been in a condition much better and happier than the one he is in now? Sadly, Aditya’s school never screened him for his giftedness. Maybe, he didn’t fit the “normal” atmosphere and norms of the school, but did that also mean he couldn’t be educated? And that homeschooling would restore the normalcy in his behaviour?

What Aditya was facing at school was not common for the children of his age. However, these academic and social problems could have been avoided, had his special ability been identified earlier. Like Aditya, there are several children devoid of special care they need. Like Aditya’s sweetness, his giftedness too went unrecognized. Perhaps, finding whether or not a child is gifted is not always easy. But, like Aditya, the child will have a number of traits that will help in his or her identification. An understanding of these traits will help one in shaping the development of children like Aditya.

With the understanding that education is important for all, many schools have made every effort to make the resources of education available to every child. Overwhelmingly, these schools have also created programs to discover whether a kid is gifted or not. Group IQ test is one such program, traditional screening methods and observation being others. Knowing whether or not a child is gifted may not be easy for us at first. In such a case, one option for us will be to consider the school teacher’s opinion about the child’s performance.

Sometimes, parents can’t be too dependent on schools for identifying the children, since special children may not be their sole focus and consideration. The teachers may not be able to provide with every bit of information to recognize the signs of giftedness. This is when insights will play a major role. The more knowledge one can gather, the better will it be.

It is, indeed, shocking that some children may go unidentified until second or third grade, and fourth in Aditya’s case. Hence, their unique needs remain unfulfilled and their position becomes more problematic. Many psychologists and doctors believe that early identification and care should be done as soon as possible. Gifted children require a very special type of acknowledgement and nurture, which if not provided from the start, can make them feel isolated and depressed.

A special child may share common as well as uncommon traits. This can make one unsure. At times, it may be hard not to believe that a child is special, as parents may be reluctant in accepting this giftedness. But loving them and making them feel loved is a unique feeling. To make this process of understanding and acceptance smoother, one should read more about gifted children. This will make it easier to identify the signs.