Genius children: what are they, what are their characteristics, and examples

From time to time we hear about specific cases of children with great cognitive abilities, capable of great feats that surpass not only those of their contemporaries but even those that an average adult would be capable of do. Some of them have later achieved great works throughout their lives, and have been classified and named as genius children.

But, what is a genius child? Let's see it throughout this article.

• Related article: "The 6 stages of childhood (physical and mental development)"

What do we call genius children?

The child genius is considered to be that underage subject who throughout his development is characterized by manifest from an early age above-average cognitive ability in at least one or more intellectual domains, being by definition gifted or talented, which manifests or crystallizes at some point in his life in the generation of some type of work or product of great impact and creativity.

These children are characterized not only by their high intelligence in all or some areas, but also due to a very high capacity for motivation and interest in learning and developing their knowledge. For this same motivation they usually show a high commitment to this development, to the point that they usually go beyond what others and even older and more experienced subjects do.

Another of the main factors to take into account is that genius children They also display a considerable level of creativity.. It is these factors, and not only intelligence, that will contribute to the child being able to develop and generate her work.

In fact, although in former times a genius was someone who had an IQ of 180 or more, the finding that IQ is insufficient to explain and measure the real ability of these minors, that people with a lower IQ have done great works showing a superior capacity and that there are many other influential factors that have changed said consideration.

It must be taken into account that the designation of child genius should not be made in the absence of some work or product in which the subject crystallizes his abilities. and by work we are not necessarily referring to something artistic, but it can also refer to a theory or conceptual framework in one of the sciences that is revolutionary or creative.

Likewise, it is common that, like gifted children, from their first moments they tend to be awake and curious (the curiosity is something that is present in most genius children), as well as the fact that they have a great capacity for concentration. Also it is common for them to have academic problems and who show lower than average emotional control and frustration tolerance.

In some cases this can predispose them to anxiety attacks, depression and other problems similar, and it is not infrequent that they can manifest good capacity for the management and even the leadership. It is possible that they show greater sensitivity and empathy towards their peers or the environment, although may have difficulties in this regard (for example, genius children diagnosed with Asperger).

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Differentiation with giftedness and precocious child

It is usual that at a popular level giftedness and genius are considered to be synonymous. But although they certainly have a lot in common (both have high cognitive abilities, high creativity and a strong intrinsic motivation), the truth is that they do not necessarily refer to the same reality: Not all genius children necessarily have to be gifted (although this is usual), and not all gifted children are genius children..

To begin to see the differences, it should be noted that the consideration of a child genius depends on the fact that throughout his life he generates some type of work that receives such consideration: although the existence of a talent or a giftedness may be visible in general performance the genius of a child is not visible until he performs a work that is highly valued by the society. In other words, it is necessary that its capacity be demonstrated de facto with a remarkable product. Thus, a gifted person does not have to manifest genius.

In addition, it must be taken into account that the gifted child is characterized by having an IQ of at least two deviations above average (specifically above 130), something that manifests itself in most areas and types of intelligence.

The genius child also has superior intellectual capacity, although it is not always necessary for him to show it in all areas: it is possible to be a genius in a specific type of intelligence. In this way, a genius child can be gifted or talented (a concept that implies an intelligence above 130 in one or several abilities but not in most).

It is also important to distinguish between a genius child and a precocious child: the precocious child is the one with abilities that are ahead of those that would be typical of his age, something that although it is common in gifted and geniuses does not have to imply giftedness in Yeah.

examples

There are many examples of children who have been considered geniuses throughout history, among which some that can serve as an example are the following.

Pablo Ruiz Picasso

One of the best-known Spanish painters of modernity, Pablo Ruiz Picasso was also a child genius. This artist, who learned to paint with his father, already He made his first work at the age of eight: the yellow chopper.

Throughout his life, this important painter and sculptor developed different techniques and styles, and over time time would come to break with the use of perspective of the time to generate together with George Braque his own style: the cubism.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

One of the best-known child geniuses is Mozart, the famous composer, who already since he was five years old he had made various compositions that began to earn him the recognition of the court. In fact, his first symphony was composed at the age of eight. Educated by his father in music, from the earliest childhood he manifested a great interest in learning, and the great works in which the young man

He crystallized his aptitudes throughout his life, which earned him the recognition of a child genius.

Gregory R. Smith

Gregory Smith is the name of another genius child, although it may not be a well-known name, but the truth is that we are facing a young man who already has four nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and who received the first of them at the age of twelve. He was already able to solve math problems before he was two years old., who graduated from secondary school at the age of nine and began a career in Business Administration at the age of ten.

This young he is also known as an international speaker, and has fought to defend childhood and peace. He is also founder and president of International Youth Advocates, which he created at the age of ten. In addition, he has also studied mathematics (he is president of the Mathematical Association of America), history, and biology.

Bibliographic references:

• Sastre-Riba, S. (2008). Children with high capacities and their differential cognitive functioning. Journal of Neurology, 46 (Suppl 1): S11-S16.
• Tannenbaum, A.J. (1998). Programs for the gifted. To be or not to be. Journal for the Education of the Gifted; 22: 3-36