In Europa Press Infosalus, we interviewed Mario Belda, one of the leading experts in this field in our country, an adult with high abilities, AACC psychologist, as well as a computer engineer, father of children with AACC, and an expert currently advising and guiding families of children with AACC through the Jasón Foundation, based in Madrid and San Sebastián.
Together with Beatriz Belinchón, an adult with AACC and mother of a girl with AACC, and Maider Belda, a pedagogue with AACC, they have written ‘Children with High Abilities. Educating them happily’ (RBA), a manual that aims to address many of the doubts that arise in raising these children, a challenge that is often not easy.
WHAT ARE HIGH ABILITIES
Mario Belda explains that high abilities correspond to a different way of processing information: «Normally, the signs that indicate AACC correspond to a greater intensity in everything that happens to the child, from the emotional to the physical level. AACC is an enhancer, so if you are restless, having AACC will make you even more restless, and this causes the child to function differently in the environment and at school.»
He continues by saying that the first signs have to do with the child not adapting to what is demanded at school, finding it difficult to sit still, asking inappropriate questions, and these signs are what start to be detected.
«The world is not prepared for AACC. It’s like measuring 2.2 and the doors are not ready for you. It’s different if you dedicate yourself to basketball and unleash your potential, or if you complain because you keep bumping against the door all the time. These are kids who get bored and have disruptive behaviors, they are not still, they don’t pay attention, or they bother others,» emphasizes this expert psychologist.
He highlights that «you are born with AACC,» and that they have a «very large genetic factor.» However, he emphasizes that having this condition «is not synonymous with high performance,» but rather represents «potential» that, if not nurtured, will not flourish as high performance or something you can take advantage of; it needs to be cultivated and nurtured over time.
«For example, he tells the story of a 3-year-old child who lives in anguish because his parents may die at any moment. ‘The child intellectually understands it, asks when you are going to die, but at the same time, at three years old, he cannot conceive a life without his parents; at 4-5 years old, many children with high abilities may experience terror on the night of the Three Wise Men because a stranger will enter their house,» he points out.
SIGNS OF SUSPICION
Specifically, the book points out some indicators that are frequently present in children with high abilities:
– Faster and deeper learning.
– Broad and precise vocabulary.
– Memory.
– Creative and imaginative.
– Varied and deeply interested.
– Critical and analytical thinking.
– Enjoy learning autonomously, preferring to work individually and independently.
– Perfectionists.
– Solve problems in an original way.
– Highly sensitive and empathetic.
«All of this leads them to feel different, being aware of their difference at a very young age, and finding that their interests differ from those of their peers with a similar biological age,» emphasize the authors in the book.
Furthermore, they warn that it is essential in the case of children with AACC to identify their educational, social, and emotional needs because if not, they may become demotivated throughout their educational stage and lose interest in learning. «If we do not work on their self-concept and self-esteem, it is possible that this difference from their biological parents may lead them to feel guilt. However, it is important to understand that these children do not excel equally in all areas,» they point out.
THE INTELLECTUAL QUOTIENT BARRIER
When in doubt about whether a child has high abilities or not, Mario Belda recommends the preparation of a psychoeducational report, starting from 6 years old: «Although from 4 years old, tests are carried out when there is some difficulty or asynchrony with what is expected of the child from school or the family environment.»
He laments the barrier of the total intellectual quotient (IQ) of 130 to consider high abilities, as he argues that it currently lacks a scientific basis to continue defending it as a mere cut-off point. «AACC is much more complex than an intellectual quotient. It is important to make a complete identification beyond the intellectual quotient,» he insists, pointing to other aspects such as the family interview, creativity, emotional profile, or the child’s sensory profile, among others.
He also maintains that standardized intelligence tests have a reliability of up to 95%, although he argues that they are «designed to detect talent in the neurotypical population.» At the same time, he emphasizes that for the test to be effective, it is «essential» that the professional conducting the evaluation has previous experience in profiles that present high capacity or double exceptionality, applying the most appropriate tests for each specific case.
DOUBLE EXCEPTIONALITY IN HIGH ABILITIES
«What is double exceptionality so common in AACC?» Mario Belda points out that it consists of high abilities coexisting with some pathology or disorder, «although this may not always be the case, but sometimes it happens.»
He says that the most common are autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia, among others. «These are circumstances that ‘hide’ one another, but a child with dyslexia can perform well in school with effort, but neither of the two is worked on because the double exceptionality is not identified,» emphasizes this psychologist and founder of the Jasón Foundation.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN AACC: EMOTIONAL VALIDATION
With all this, this expert advises that when raising a child with high abilities, the most important thing is emotional validation in their life in general; and specifically, a point that, in his opinion, is sometimes confused with not setting limits in upbringing, which is not the case. «When a child with high abilities has an exaggerated or misunderstood emotional reaction, or out of context, some phrases that are not constructive are, for example, ‘don’t get upset over this nonsense.’ We must validate emotions, tell them that we understand them,» he points out.
In his opinion, another common mistake in raising children with high abilities is the fact of hiding this potential: «We must tell our children that they have high abilities, adjusting it to their age, and focusing on the fact that it is a different way of being and thinking, no more or less than anyone else, but there are things they do faster or more intuitively than others, something that can give them a certain advantage in certain fields, or a disadvantage as well.»
FUENTE
