From time to time we hear of specific cases of children with great cognitive abilities, capable of great feats that surpass not only those of their peers but even those that the average adult would be capable of. Some of them have gone on to do great deeds in their lives, and have been classified and named child geniuses.

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

What do we call child geniuses?

A child genius is a minor who, throughout his development, is characterized by showing from an early age a cognitive capacity above average in at least one or several 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 by a very high capacity of motivation and interest in learning and developing their knowledge. Because of this same motivation they tend to show a high commitment to this development, to the point that they tend to go beyond what others and even older and more experienced subjects do.

Another of the main factors to take into account is that child geniuses also show a considerable level of creativity . It is these factors, and not only intelligence, that will contribute to the child’s ability to develop and generate his or her work.

In fact, although in the past it was genius who had an IQ of 180 or more, the realization that IQ is insufficient to explain and measure the real capacity of these minors, that people with a lower IQ have done great works showing a higher capacity and that there are many other influential factors have changed this consideration.

It should be noted that the designation of child genius should not be made in the absence of some work or product in which the subject crystallizes his skills. And by work we do not necessarily refer to something artistic , but it can also refer to a theory or conceptual framework in one of the sciences that is revolutionary or creative.

It is also common that, like gifted children, they are often awake and curious (curiosity is something that is present in most child geniuses), as well as having a great capacity for concentration. It is also common for them to have academic problems and show lower than average emotional control and tolerance to frustration.

In some cases this can predispose them to anxiety crises, depression and other similar problems, and it is not uncommon for them to manifest good management and even leadership skills. They may show greater sensitivity and empathy for their peers or the environment, although they may have difficulties in this regard (e.g., child geniuses diagnosed with Asperger’s).

Differentiation with giftedness and early childhood

It is common that at a popular level super 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 strong intrinsic motivation), the truth is that they do not necessarily refer to the same reality: neither all gifted children are necessarily gifted (although this is the norm), nor all gifted children are gifted children .

To begin to see the differences, it should be noted that the consideration of child genius depends on whether or not the child generates some type of work that receives such consideration throughout his or her life: although the existence of a talent or giftedness may be visible in the overall performance, a child’s genius is not visible until he or she produces a work that is highly valued by society. In other words, it is necessary that his ability be demonstrated de facto with some outstanding product. Thus, a gifted person does not have to show genius.

It should also be taken into account that the gifted child is characterized by having an IQ at least two standard deviations above the average (specifically above 130), something that is evident in most areas and types of intelligence.

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

It is also important to distinguish between child genius and precocious child: the precocious child is the one who has advanced capacities to those that would be proper of his age, something that although it is habitual in gifted and genius does not have to imply giftedness itself.

Examples

There are many examples of children who have been considered geniuses throughout history, some of which may serve as examples.

Pablo Ruiz Picasso

One of the most famous Spanish painters of modernity, Pablo Ruiz Picasso was also a child genius. This artist, who learnt to paint with his father, already produced his first work at the age of eight : The yellow picador .

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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

crystallized his skills throughout his life earned him the recognition of a child genius.

Gregory R. Smith

Gregory Smith is the name of another child genius, although it may not be a well-known name, but the truth is that this is a young man who has already received four Nobel Peace Prize nominations, the first of which he received at the age of twelve. He was already capable of solving mathematical problems before he was two years old , graduated from high school at nine and started a career in business management at ten.

This young man is also known as an international speaker , and has fought to defend children and peace. He is also the founder and president of International Youth Advocates, which he created at the age of ten. 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 abilities and their differential cognitive functioning. Journal of Neurology, 46 (Suppl 1): S11-S16.
  • Tannenbaum, A.J. (1998). Programas para los superdotados. Ser o no ser. Journal for the Education of the Gifted; 22: 3-36