Gabriel Francisco Novaes, a 4-year-old boy who was admitted to an international community for gifted children almost a year ago, continues to impress with his knowledge and questions, which are considered atypical for his age group.
His giftedness was detected in an evaluation that indicated an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 132, an index above average. Furthermore, the boy is already familiar with seven languages, some using alphabets different from Portuguese, such as Greek and Russian.
His mother, who is a primary school teacher, reports that despite his advancement, Gabriel maintains his characteristic way, always bringing up unusual questions. She cited a recent example where he questioned the reason for Jesus' death on the cross and why no one helped him carry it.
Additionally, Gabriel has shown great appreciation for figures of speech, notably irony. According to his mother, he likes to make ironic comments and later clarify that his statement was sarcastic. He also shows an ability to understand implicit meanings through facial expressions.
In terms of abilities, the boy performs complex mathematical operations for his age, such as exponentiation and square roots. Despite this, he remains enrolled in a public school, interacting with peers of the same age and following the expected curriculum.
Development and challenges at school
The mother mentioned that Gabriel has progressed significantly in daycare, and the teacher observed a notable improvement in his socialization. However, the family expresses concern about the risk of him ceasing to be a child. The teacher tries to help, but due to the limitations of the public school and his age group, she cannot provide instruction on topics like square roots.
Initially, going to school was seen by the boy as a tedious task. However, with the support of the teacher and psychologist, the school routine became more pleasant. The mother highlighted that the biggest transformation perceived in the last year was her son's social evolution, recalling that he started without enthusiasm for preschool but began to play a lot after the teacher's intervention.
Learning at home
Since the school does not offer activities adequate to Gabriel's level of knowledge, the mother uses her experience as a teacher to stimulate new competencies at home. Activities include math exercises, reading, and logical reasoning games. They created study materials, and she taught him how to research, even collecting plants and using Google images to determine scientific names.
The family also frequents outdoor environments so that he can explore his curiosity and broaden his knowledge. One example cited was a visit to a waterfall, where he analyzed the soil and the water temperature. The mother adds that she seeks to fulfill emotional aspects with specific games, something the school cannot offer.
The father, mentioned as Kelidy, plays a crucial role in child development, being responsible for playful activities, such as teaching him to ride a bicycle, play soccer, and fly kites. The mother summarizes this division by saying she takes care of the cognitive aspect, while the father focuses on childhood play.
Kelidy also emphasized the positive aspect of Gabriel's social integration at school. At home, the mother emphasizes the importance of him respecting his peers, even with superior knowledge. The teacher encourages interaction, allowing him to learn patience and conversation. Gabriel has shown happiness with this and understands differences without belittling others. He even helped a classmate write their name, guiding them with dotted lines.
Diagnosis history
Gabriel was accepted into Mensa International, recognized as the oldest global organization for individuals with high intellectual performance. Initially, the mother noticed unusual knowledge when he was one year old; when printing the alphabet, he already spoke the letters in Portuguese and English, learning the pronunciation in English before Portuguese.
Subsequently, the boy surprised the family by watching and humming a video in an unknown language, which artificial intelligence identified as Russian. Since then, he has shown familiarity with English, Portuguese, Greek, Armenian, Russian, and Libras.
When investigating his giftedness, the family discovered that he had a mental age equivalent to about six years, double his actual age. Kelidy reported that even at three years old, he communicated with formal and uncommon vocabulary in interactions with adults.
Criteria for identifying giftedness
According to Mensa Brazil, there are several characteristics in children that can indicate giftedness. These were established by the Special Education Secretariat of the Ministry of Education (MEC) in 2006. Among them are a high repertoire of vocabulary, great curiosity, leadership, excellent memory, creativity, ease of learning, and early literacy.
The specialized community considers the concept of giftedness controversial and mutable. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a battery of tests and consultations with qualified professionals for an accurate assessment. This evaluation must cover intelligence tests, detailed anamnesis (including information about pregnancy and birth), and the use of other neuropsychological tests according to reports from parents, school, and clinical observations.