Many times, gifted children will act mature for their age one minute and then act immaturely the next. This can be a frustrating as a parent to know how to make sense of this. However, this tends to be common in gifted children. It is known as asynchronous development. This is when a child matures at a different rate intellectually, physically, and emotionally. A child might be at a different stage of development in all of these stages that differs from his or her actual age. Because of this, it is common for people to expect more of a child and get more upset when the child shows immature behavior.
Carol Bainbridge, a gifted child expert, wrote an article title: “Dealing with Your Child’s Asychronous Development” to help parents understand this development and how to deal with it. She reminds parents that it is important to recognize a child’s actual age and to know that some of his or her actions many correspond to those of other kids that age. Even though a child may be discussing intellectual topics one minute, that does not mean that he or she will not have a tantrum like every other child. Similarly, gifted children may be able to interact with their peers to some extent, but they may also need to converse with those older than them for more stimulating conversations. It is important for gifted children to meet their needs intellectually, physically, and emotionally – even if those needs do no line up with those of other children the same age.
