Precocity

Behaviors

Precocity manifests itself in different ways in different gifted children. Some young gifted children will begin walking or talking by 6 months of age. Others will begin speaking later, but progress to using complete, and complex, sentences very quickly after that. Precocious children can sometimes produce identifiable pictures by 2–1/2 years of age, read at age 3, and read fluently by age 4. Demonstrated interest in and ability to solve mathematical problems or play musical instruments is also evidence of precocity. It is important to note that although early accomplishments are evidence of precocity, late acquisition of any of these skills is not necessarily an indicator of a lack of giftedness. History abounds, for instance, with examples of highly gifted individuals who struggled with reading, including such profoundly gifted exemplars as Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, and Pablo Picasso. Children with exceptionally high-IQ scores are also considered precocious.

Studies

Precocity studies initially focused on children with extremely high IQ as measured by their scores on Lewis M. Terman's Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. In defining intelligence, Terman focused on children's ability to acquire and manipulate concepts. As a result of this focus, high-IQ students consequently show great adeptness with the symbols required for abstract thinking. Most studies of precocious students thus have used high IQ as a threshold for a child's inclusion. The Talent Search/Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) model uses diagnostic above-grade-level testing followed by prescribed instruction (DT → PI) to radically [Page 699]accelerate precocious children's education. The most well-known studies of precocity are those of Lewis Terman, Leta Hollingworth, Miraca U. M. Gross, Julian Stanley, Camilla Benbow, and Martha J. Morelock. Although conducted in different settings and across different decades, these studies share many similar findings.

Cumulatively, research has indicated that although no single characteristic can identify precocity in young children, the in-depth studies suggest that early talking and reading are the most consistent indicators of accelerated development. Precocious children demonstrate extraordinarily high abstract-reasoning capabilities and also tend to demonstrate advanced domain-specific skills. Precocity tends to allow children so identified to excel at, and be drawn to, a number of different domains, such as mathematics, languages, or science. The Talent Search/SMPY studies have shown that children who demonstrate proficiency on an above-level test, such as the SAT-I, the ACT, the School and College Abilities Test, or the Spatial Test Battery, are able to thrive in an accelerated program that can include, in addition to school-site acceleration, early entry to college. Precocious children with IQs in the 140 to 160 range tend to enjoy very successful careers as adults.

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