GIFTED MINDS

 This is a different topic than the usual topics that I write. Yet, I was so inspired to write on this. It's about some areas which we are not focusing upon often.... 

It's not about the different issues that children with special needs face & ways to solve them. This is about the specialities, the talents, the brilliancy of children with special needs. Some areas that are not usually focused upon because we are mostly focusing on "correcting the wrongs", or "what a child can't do ". It's time we tap into these "gifted minds" unfolding their "specialties" of these special, genius, creative, brilliant minds! 😃😃

Since I have been working with children with special needs for more than 6 years, I have known many children who are highly talented in some areas. I can also assure you that EACH & EVERY CHILD has some area in which they excel! You can be amazed at what they can do in those areas when given the right opportunity. Also, if we can understand & use those areas in which they are good at creatively, they will learn whatever we are teaching easily.

In this article, I will be sharing on "What a Child Can Do", and some examples of "What amazing talents they Do Have" !😃😃😄😄

Before going to my own personal experiences with some extraordinary brilliant kids, I would like to share some interesting stories about some famous people with Autism.

There are many famous people who have autism spectrum disorder & yet they were able to tap into their “blessings instead of their shortcomings” which helped them become who they are.

Needing alone time and space from others can help the person with ASD to have a clearer and more focused mind. Not spending so much time socialising and on small talk and being more straightforward and logical in the way the person communicates with others can help them stay focused on their goals and reaching the next step for success.

In other words, the things that many people call as "shortcomings" can actually be a blessing in disguise!

Famous people with Autism

Here is a list of some famous people, some of them have an official diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, some may not have an official diagnosis but may be self diagnosed as autistic.

 

1. Daryl Hannah - Actress & Environmental Activist

Daryl Hannah is known for her roles in films such as Splash, Blade Runner, and Steel Magnolias. She received an autism diagnosis as a child. She was extremely shy around other people and continued to be very fearful of the spotlight as an adult. One of her special interests was watching movies which supported her career as an actress.

 

2. Anthony Hopkins - Actor

Anthony Hopkins is an award winning actor. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome as a child. Some of his traits of ASD include obsessive thinking, difficulty maintaining friendships, and looking at people with a unique perspective.

 

3. Heather Kuzmich - Reality TV Contestant & Model

Heather Kuzmich participated in America’s Next Top Model in 2007. Some of her traits of ASD include not understanding jokes, difficulty understanding social dialogue about others, and challenges with eye contact.

 

4. Tim Burton – Movie Director

It is still under speculation whether Tim Burton has autism; However, his long-time partner, Helena Bonham Carter, believes that he does. He has a unique perspective and gets intensely focused on his work sometimes to the extent that he no longer hears what is going on around him.

 

5. Henry Cavendish – Scientist

Cavendish is an renowned scientist. He was born in 1731 and passed away in 1810. He is most known for discovering hydrogen. Traits of ASD experienced by Cavendish included avoiding company and difficulty with eye contact. He would communicate with his servants in writing instead of verbally. He ordered his meals by leaving a note on the table. He had a private staircase built on the back of his house so he could avoid the housekeeper, as well.

 

6. Charles Darwin – Naturalist, Geologist, and Biologist

Charles Darwin is believed to have autism spectrum disorder. Darwin was a very quiet person who avoided social interactions. He also preferred to communicate by writing rather than verbally and was very focused on his work.

 

7. Bobby Fischer – Chess Grandmaster

Fischer is known as a chess grandmaster and World Chess Champion. He did not like unstructured experiences and did not interact well with others.

 

8. Barbara McClintock – Scientist and Cytogeneticist

McClintock was a notable scientist who made important breakthroughs in the study of chromosomes and how they change during the reproduction process. She is thought to be autistic. She was able to focus for great lengths on her interests, specifically her work, and she found social attention very aversive, so much so that she almost refused the Nobel Prize.

 

9. Michelangelo – Sculptor, Painter, Architect, Poet

Michelangelo, a famous artist, was born in 1475. He is thought to have had an extreme fixation on his work. He had difficulty with emotional regulation, had trouble with social interactions, and thrived on strict routines.

 

10. Sir Isaac Newton – Mathematician, Astronomer, & Physicist

Newton is another example of a historical figure who attempted to isolate himself from others as much as possible. He did not enjoy social interactions and was thought to be awkward in conversations with others.

 

11. Jerry Seinfeld – Comedian

Jerry Seinfeld is thought to be one of the most popular comedians of all time. He openly recognizes himself as having autism spectrum disorder due to his history of social challenges and unique way of thinking literally.

 

12. Satoshi Tajiri – Creator of Pokémon

Tajiri was fascinated with bugs as a child and expanded upon his interest in adulthood by creating Pokemon.

 13. Elon Musk - Entrepreneur

Elon Musk announced that he was on the autism spectrum while hosting the show, “Saturday Night Live,” in May 2021. More specifically, he stated that he was “the first person with Asperger’s” to host the show. Musk is one of the world’s richest people with a net worth of more than $150 billion.

 

14. Clay Marzo - Professional Surfer

Marzo is a professional competitive surfer from Hawaii. He was diagnosed with autism as a child. He won many surfing competitions and had many accomplishments including two Perfect 10s during a National Scholastic Surfing Association at age 15.

 

15. Dr. Vernon Smith - Professor

Smith is a professor of economics at Chapman University. He is thought to have basically invented the field of experimental economics which led to winning a Nobel Prize. He feels that his ASD has helped him, because he doesn’t feel social pressures to do things the way other people do them, so he is able to approach his work in a different way by being more open-minded and coming up with new ideas.

Thus, if we take the time to tap into the "talents", or the "special areas" of your child & focus on enhancing those areas, they will not just be tremendously successful, but also can live a life of satisfaction with ease & lead many others by their example.

Gifted minds from personal experience

Now, I will be sharing some of my personal experiences of some brilliantly gifted minds I have known or worked with!

Aryaan, a 6 yr old child with ADHD, could remember the lyrics of around 300 songs!😃😃

Pari, a 6 yr old child with ADHD, has a melodious voice & can remember the tune to any song easily!😃😃

Sathvik, a 7 yr old child with ADD, has great talent in singing with a lovely voice! 😃😃

Paridhi, a 5 yr old child with ADD, is a smart, kind & loving child who is great at Maths!😃😃

Rudransh, a 6 yr old child with ASD, is great at Maths & even has won prizes!😃😃

Jeet, an 8 yr old child with ASD, is a very talented artist & makes some marvelous paintings!😃😃

Rishu, a 7 yr old child with ADD, is extremely good at maths!😃😃

Ayush, a 9 yr old child with ASD, is extremely good at cricket & has extraordinary gymnastic skills!😃😃

Apekshya, an 8 yr old child with ADHD, is very talented in areas of singing, dancing & acting!😃😃

Khush, a 4 yr old child with ADHD, is great at drawing pictures of animals with great details!😃😃

Saima, another 7 yr old child with ADD, great at singing & dancing!😃😃

Janhavi, an 8 yr old child with ASD, is very talented at paintings & can solve any puzzles easily!😃😃

Aradhyaa, a 5 yr old child with Down syndrome is very confident, loving & sociable and can remember spelling of different words easily!😃😃

Sai, another 7 yr old child with ASD, can spell any word you ask!😃😃

Ridhiman, another 9 yr old child with Down syndrome is very friendly, sociable & very talented dancer!😃😃

These are just few examples of some incredibly gifted minds and few examples among the numerous other areas in which they are gifted! Every Child has some areas in which they are expert!

Although mostly we hear this complaint that the child is not focusing on this or that, they can be superfocused on areas of their interest and you will be amazed at what they can do if we help them to grow in the areas of their interest.

Our goal should be how we can help a child become happy, confident & independent in their daily lives. 

When a child is confident & passionate about whatever he/she is doing, the results can be truly miraculous !! 

This is something I have always experienced. We never know what we are capable of doing when we believe in ourselves.

I am finding everyday more and more about how creative and gifted these kids are!😄❤️❤️

How to use the special talents to help a child ?

⭐First of all, acknowledge that Every child has something special, is "gifted in some way"!

⭐ Find out the hidden talents, something that your little one is good at !

⭐ Use those areas as much as possible whenever child is learning something new

⭐ Enhance your child's gift by focusing on them much more than their "shortcomings". Try to get them involved in extracurricular activities in his interest area.

⭐ Show off your child's work to everyone and appreciate them infront of others.

⭐ Spread the hope & positivity  among others.

I hope this article has helped many of you to understand your child better and help them to find and nurture their own hidden talents 😃😄😊

Enjoy Reading!

Happy parenting to all my readers.😄

About the writer :-

The writer’s name is Abhipsa Parida. She is an occupational therapist specialised in pediatrics and has been handling kids with special needs since the last 6 years. She is quite experienced and skillful in observation, assessment and planning intervention for kids with special needs. She uses evidence based practice and is very creative and updated in her approach while handling kids with special needs. She has her own clinic in Bhubaneswar and has handled many kids of different age groups with varying needs. She offers both online and offline therapy as per the need of the hour.

If you have any queries, you can mail them at abhipsaot21@gmail.