Supporting a gifted child in Luxembourg

The definition of a gifted child is a child who shows above-average natural ability in one or more areas. This could manifest itself through advanced emotional understanding, curiosity and deep thinking, originality and creativity, excellent memory, or a heightened sense of sensitivity or self awareness. No two gifted children are the same; and age, experience, and environment all play a role in defining a child's giftedness. 

It's ok to be different

Your child should feel accepted for who they are and family members should avoid labelling or stereotyping. Danielle Rod, Director of the CEJHP (Centre pour Enfants et Jeunes à Haut Potentiel) – the Centre for Children with High Potential – says it is important to acknowledge that "everybody’s different and it's ok to be different."

Dr Henderika de Vries, a psychologist at the CEJHP who specialises in creativity and cultural perceptions, explains that children from around 10 to 12 years old "want to assimilate, to adhere to cultural norms. So it's important to learn about that very early on, that it's ok to be different, they need to be able to show what they can do and just be who they are."

Sometimes gifted children might be misunderstood. Dr de Vries is quick to point out that learning differences should not immediately be diagnosed as disabilities but as heterogeneous development of the brain. "Children may display some signs or symptoms of autism or ADHD, but often these are part of normal development with giftedness." 

She emphasises the importance of using a strength-based approach, in other words, "instead of looking for the disabilities, look at their strengths and work with those."

Boys versus girls

Although some gifted children might find it difficult socialising with their peers, many gifted children often try to adapt and fit in with their peers. Dr de Vries explains that "boys may feel a bit different sometimes, they may behave poorly as they can't make it clear that something isn't right. Whereas girls like to over-adapt so they're not even noticed." 

The risk with this strategy of trying to fit in, she explains, is that when overly adaptive girls reach their early teens they might develop real emotional problems or identity issues, questioning who they are and their fundamental place in the world.

Motivation

As with all children, the gifted require help from their caregivers to foster their talents. According to Dr de Vries, motivation is the number one thing to monitor. When gifted children are motivated, they can find joy in learning: "They discover that it is fun to learn, fun to make mistakes, fun to feel insecure." 

However, she warns that parents who are too hands-on might inadvertently put their child off learning. "The best thing is to create opportunities and then get out of the way! The more you externally motivate a child, the less intrinsic motivation they will have. So, create opportunities, then let them do it and be cool about it."

Sometimes there might be a noticeable drop in motivation levels. Dr de Vries suggests monitoring this closely, as lower motivation can lead to low self esteem, which in turn can lead to bad moods, under performing, and giving up.

Having routines and schedules can help you allocate your time in supporting your child with their homework or taking them to extra curricular clubs. However, Dr de Vries emphasises that "downtime, with imaginary play, is good for the development of creative and original thinking". Ms Rod elaborates further, reassuring parents "not to overdo it and try to be relaxed".

How can I find support?

When it comes to support, the relationship between the child and the class teacher is paramount. If a child enjoys a positive, nurturing relationship with their teacher, everything else follows easily.

In Luxembourg, the first person to approach for support is your child's class teacher or form tutor. Ms Rod emphasises the need for open, honest conversation between parents and teachers: "It's always good for parents to share; share their concerns, tell the teacher what their child can do and cannot do, because it's always possible that the child's needs are not immediately visible to the teacher."

Higher ability children are often set lengthier or more challenging tasks. Gifted children might be encouraged to be more independent in their learning, take on the role of group leader, or help less able students. However, if parents and teachers agree that further intervention is required, there are various ways to go about this. 

Primary schools are affiliated with a regional inclusion commission (CI) who can help with diagnoses and get an overview of the situation. Primary schools also have support teams known as ESEB (Équipe de Soutien des Élèves à Besoins spécifiques) – the Support Team for Children with Special Needs – whose specialised teachers (IEBS) can intervene directly in school. It is the same in secondary schools where there is a dedicated ESEB team on site to work with students and teachers and help create individualised education plans.

In certain circumstances, the CI may in turn approach the national CEJHP whose team of highly qualified psychologists, pedagogues, and teachers are on hand to provide valuable support, information and workshops to children, their families, and their teachers.

Workshops and opportunities

For some gifted children, the traditional classroom setting will not be able to meet their needs and they will need to seek challenges elsewhere. Many schools in Luxembourg offer a wide range of extra curricular groups, such as Maker Spaces, coding clubs, and chess groups; and some schools organise specific events and workshops for gifted children.

Musical education is free in Luxembourg and joining an orchestra or choir at the local municipality can be a fantastic way to stretch a musically gifted child. There are plenty of sports clubs and opportunities for outdoor pursuits across the country available to children of all ages to encourage their talents or let them try new things and take risks.

As renowned education professor Dr Jane Piirto said, "gifted children ... should just be given a chance to be themselves".