If Your Child’s Drawings Look Like This, You Could Be Raising a Genius

According to a new study, the real way to find out if you have a genius on your hands isn't your child's latest test score.

If-Your-Child’s-Drawings-Look-Like-This,-You-Could-Be-Raising-a-Genius-596084669-Evgeny-HmurEvgeny Hmur/shutterstockRush home and take a closer look at your child’s latest doodle, stat! Parental love aside, there’s now a science-backed reason for you to believe that it could predict their future success.

According to a 2016 study, gifted children aged seven to nine use dozens of so-called “exceptional items” when drawing human beings. And if your child’s drawings depict any one of these items, you could be raising a genius. (These subtle traits can also indicate you’re raising an extremely gifted child.)

Researchers analyzed drawings by 120 children and identified 30 key details that could be a sign of giftedness. Of the 47 highly gifted children included in the study, 20 (or 43 percent) of them included one or more of these items in their drawings of people.

Their doodles included details like eye makeup, mucus, freckles, a goatee, braces, a tie, a badge, hair on the arms, gloves, a ring, and a wallet chain. Researchers also noted the gifted children’s unique approach to depicting a person, such as a head from the side or hands placed in pockets or behind the back.

Beware of mistaking these indicators for an IQ test, though. The new study does not measure intelligence, because “identifying giftedness goes beyond [that],” according to Sven Mathijssen, co-author of the study.

“Most gifted programmes still rely on standardised measures, such as intelligence tests and other measures of achievement,” said Mathijssen, who works at the Center for the Study of Giftedness at Radboud University in the Netherlands. “But what is considered to be gifted goes beyond a high IQ.”

For example, Mathijssen says, intelligence tests only provide a right and wrong answer, which experts say is inadequate measure a child’s creativity—another indicator of giftedness.

It’s also important to note that not all gifted children will show the signs in their drawings. In fact, Mathijssen warns, exceptional items might not be found in the drawings of children above the age of 10. As children reach school age, they tend to be “negatively influenced” by school setting, teachers, and classmates, making them less likely to add a creative flourish to their work.

When all is said and done, though, giftedness could certainly predict for your child’s success down the road. So if you want your child to excel in the real world—sans exceptional doodles—it’s not too late! Just brush up on the habits of parents who raise successful kids and teach them these three success languages. Who knows, maybe you have a future CEO on your hands.

Source: The Guardian

Brooke Nelson Alexander
Brooke is a tech and consumer products writer covering the latest in digital trends, product reviews, security and privacy, and other news and features for Reader's Digest. She's a two-time Emmy-nominated reporter with nearly 10 years of publishing experience, and her work has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.