Instead of "pressure to perform", gifted preschool children need the freedom to develop, trust and an empathetic environment

The questions were answered by Monika Stehlíková and prepared by Mgr. Veronika Gybasová, a teacher at the Jeřabinka preschool in Kopřivnice. Veronika and I ran a mindfulness course for children together this spring in Ostrava. She takes a deep interest in mindfulness and practises it herself. In her work she strives for a respectful approach to children and adults alike, to apply the ideas of Thomas Gordon's "school without losers" approach, and to support gifted children as well as all the others for whom life at preschool is not easy.

Do we stand a chance of spotting a gifted child in an ordinary preschool? A gifted child often doesn't stand out in any way and simply counts to 1,000 in fifties as if in passing. Is it a problem if, according to our preliminary screening, the child doesn't meet any attribute of giftedness?

We certainly do. A gifted child can be recognised with a high degree of probability by their psychological characteristics, without our necessarily knowing the type of giftedness (intellectual, artistic, physical, social, manual). We can recognise a gifted child by the fact that they are intense, feel things deeply, are hypersensitive, have great stamina and can concentrate for a long time. The key, however, is that for these attributes to show themselves in a child, the right conditions have to arise. What I mean is that there are situations in which a child will not behave this way, and that the decisive thing is for a situation to arise in which these qualities can come out. Let me give an example. If a very sensitive child joins a group where the atmosphere is not entirely harmonious, they may tend to come across as unfocused or scattered, as if they wanted to run away from the situation, and then of course we never discover that they can concentrate calmly for hours, for instance on drawing or building Lego. In other words, when we manage to create the right conditions and a preschool-age child is captivated by a particular activity and starts to devote themselves to it, they can concentrate for a very long time indeed. I know a 3-year-old who draws for 3 hours every day, and a 5-year-old who draws for as long as 5 hours a day: these are, of course, extreme cases.

The fact that a child counts to 1,000 at preschool age does not in itself mean they are gifted, although it is likely. Even more important than the label "gifted child", however, is to ask what the child needs. If they can count to 1,000, then logically we will not give them tasks involving counting to 20, which unfortunately is what happened to some children in the first year of primary school. So what matters is not only whether a child is gifted, but above all what the child's potential is, what makes sense to them, what type of activity naturally draws them in, because a gifted child usually finds "their" activity on their own and pursues it. Indeed, parents say it is hard to tear them away from it. These activities vary widely, though: one child will draw for many hours a day, another will sing, another will do sums and yet another will read, and all this at preschool age. On the teachers' side, what matters is to support their development and to share their joy in their progress. And definitely not to signal, as unfortunately happens in some places, that counting to 1,000 is a sign of "higher intelligence" than skilful drawing.

Under the Education Act, schools are supposed to create the conditions for developing giftedness: of all kinds and in all children, even though children's gifts differ. Every child has the right to meaningful development in harmony with themselves and their needs, starting from their own starting line. It would therefore probably be wise to broaden the identification methodology currently in use.

If, according to your preliminary screening, a child does not meet any attribute of giftedness, that is not a problem. I meet the child halfway in what they need and in what they need to develop. I can do that even without a "label".

So can I say, to put it simply, that if we manage at our preschool to leave children enough room for free play and their own projects, I am doing the best possible thing for them, regardless of whether and in what way they are or are not gifted?

Yes, that's right.

What does identifying giftedness bring to the child and the parents?

Both the parents and a child who is truly gifted (in the real sense of the word, that is, neuroatypical, different) need to understand what makes the child different, which is why it is crucial for them to know everything the term gifted child covers. It explains a great deal to the parents. They can also adjust the way they bring the child up. Gifted children really are specific, and in some respects they need a specific approach.

Could you please briefly outline what I should picture under that specific approach? Or is the topic too vast, and would we do better to reach straight for specialist literature, where it is worked out in more detail?

A gifted child may, for instance, need several months after starting preschool simply to observe and to understand how everything works. Or, because they are intense and have a delicate nervous system, they get oversaturated with stimuli more quickly and may end up exhausted, irritable or behaving inappropriately. Some gifted children, in turn, cannot fall asleep after lunch even when they try, because they have a great deal of energy and would rather be doing something. A gifted child also feels injustice and disharmony very keenly, and may react to them more strongly or for longer. Spurring them on to perform often does not work with them; freedom and trust do.

And if we do spot such a child, how should we work with them? Leave them room to do what they enjoy? That much we do provide. Or should we try to develop them purposefully among 24 other children who can barely count to 5? Or leave it to the parents?

Part of the support will always rest with the parents, part with the teachers and the school. In general, I believe a preschool child should develop largely according to what makes sense to them, what they enjoy or what fulfils them. And yes, the approach should be differentiated. Giving all children the same tasks stopped being fair a long time ago. Every child needs something slightly different. What fairness should mean instead is that every child receives an equally empathetic and respectful approach, and kind boundaries.

Is it appropriate to send such a child to an educational-psychological counselling centre? Or to Mensa?

It can be, after discussing it with the parents and with their consent.

Should we, as preschool teachers, try to steer parents towards a school other than the local catchment-area primary school?

Yes, it is a good idea to discuss with parents the choice of a suitable school for their child.

Does it make sense to hold Mensa testing of preschool children at the preschool? (Given that their tests are one-sided in what they measure, but their results, on the other hand, carry high credibility with the general population.)

If it is properly explained what the test can establish, and if the parents agree to it, why not. No tests should divide children or sort them into "castes"; their only purpose is to find out what a given child needs. In concrete terms, this means that if a child scores a high IQ on the Czech Mensa test, it will then be easier for the teacher to understand when such a child often wants to keep to themselves and pore over an encyclopaedia about space, for example. The teacher can then respect the child's needs. We should certainly take care that the use of tests, and the way they are understood, does not become dangerous or even perverse.

In closing, I would like to say that rather than a "hunt for giftedness", truly gifted children need an empathetic, harmonious and respectful environment in which they can develop on the basis of their inner motivation, with respect for the other children.