Interview with psychologist Matías López: high abilities in children.

We interviewed Matías Miguel López Ruiz, psychologist and expert in high abilities in children.

The treatment of high abilities is one of the aspects of therapeutic and psychoeducational intervention that is often overlooked when talking about the welfare of children. However, this area of work is fundamental for thousands of minors whose psychological characteristics provide them with surprising abilities, but also needs to be taken into account by parents and educators.

However... What is known in psychology about the phenomenon of high abilities? On this occasion we talk about it with an expert on the subject, Matías Miguel López Ruiz, psychologist and member of the Barcelona psychology center Barnapsico, to talk to us about the subject based on his training and professional experience.

Interview with Matías López, psychologist of the High Abilities Area of Barnapsico

Matías Miguel López is a general sanitary psychologist specialist in Evaluation and Treatment of High Abilities and in child and adult psychology, among other things. He is also a psychologist and coordinator of the team of the Atlántida Program of Emotional Intelligence for High Ability Children and of the Parents School.

He works at the Barnapsico psychology center, located in the Les Corts neighborhood of Barcelona, where he sees many cases of families with children with advanced abilities and various forms of intellectual precocity. In this case he answers our questions about high abilities in childhood.

In psychology, what do we understand by high capacities, is it the same as intellectual giftedness?

The concept of high intellectual abilities encompasses a group of people who present intellectual characteristics that are qualitatively and quantitatively significantly superior to the majority of the population in one, several or all areas of intellectual aptitudes (verbal, non-verbal, mathematical reasoning, memory, creativity...).

Intellectual giftedness would be a subtype of high abilities, as can also be intellectual talents.

How is the detection of cases of high abilities carried out, and to what extent is it important that the diagnosis is made early?

In principle, an initial screening is carried out with the aim of identifying possible candidates likely to require the diagnostic identification phase. Various screening questionnaires are available depending on age, and can be administered at the diagnostic center or in schools.

If the initial detection is positive, the diagnosis is made individually by a specialized and qualified professional. An exhaustive study such as the one we do in our center usually includes cognitive tests, personality and creativity tests, and educational responses at personal, school, social and family levels. In this study we usually ask for the participation and involvement of the school and the family.

On the other hand, I believe, like other professionals, that the earlier the detection is done, the better, in order to determine the educational needs of these students, and thus be able to give the most appropriate response to facilitate the maximum development of their abilities and potential.

Tests are available from 3 years of age. In young children it is usually a question of intellectual precocity, later on and once the intelligence is more crystallized, it would be advisable to carry out a study again to verify if the high capacity continues and in what form.

In this way, it is possible to offer the student the most appropriate school treatment for his or her educational needs according to his or her cognitive and personality profile.

What are usually the special educational needs of children with high abilities?

According to the high ability guide, these are usually curricular adaptation, which tries to establish a large number of links or cross-cutting relationships between the contents of the same area or several areas; adaptation plus curricular expansion through exposure to stimulus, development of competencies and deepening; and compacting, which allows each student to advance in the curricular material at the speed he/she is capable of, avoiding unnecessary repetitions and maintaining attention and motivation in the classroom work.

As methodological strategies there are also grouping by abilities, random enrichment, flexible programming, cooperative work, metacognitive training, flexibilization, partial acceleration...

In my opinion, the affective and communicative link between tutors and students is the first step to create any kind of specific school treatment.

According to your professional experience, what are the types of cognitive skills in which people with high abilities tend to Excel the most?

The cognitive skills in which people with high abilities tend to stand out the most are verbal reasoning, which is the ability to reason, above what is expected for their age, with verbal content, they tend to have a rich vocabulary and reasoning that attracts attention. Their memory capacity is also striking.

However, depending on the person with high abilities, they may present talents in a specific area other than verbal.

In your psychology center you have designed a program of activities and workshops for children with high abilities. What does it consist of and what is its objective?

At the center we work with the Atlantida Program, which is a program formed by psychologists and pedagogues designed to cover part of the specific needs of children with High Abilities.

In addition, parents and children interact in a space of information, communication and knowledge, finding constructive and positive answers and solutions to the socio-emotional factors that favorably affect the adequate family and school education required by High Ability students.

What is the role of the family when children with these characteristics visit the psychologist? How can they help and support their children?

Families are part of the treatment, since we work at a systemic level with the child, the family and the school.

First of all, it is recommended that the family accepts that this is an opportunity for the personal evolution of their son or daughter and not a problem. Some parents often come to the consultation worried, because some of these children may present, like other children but in a different way, emotional alterations and difficulties in their social and family interactions.

In these cases I think that the best thing to do is to have psychotherapeutic and scholastic treatment carried out by professionals competent in high abilities.

Finally, what kind of cultural changes would be necessary in society as a whole to make it more inclusive of people with high abilities?

At present, there are laws that protect children with high abilities so that their educational needs are duly covered.

Changes are being made to sensitize the school community and facilitate an inclusive education, in which the differential aspects of each student are included, since in high cognitive abilities there also exist, for the good development of their personality, capacities, skills and potentialities.

This concept has the function of developing pedagogical methods and resources that are accessible to all students, thus breaking down barriers that could prevent the participation of one or another student due to their respective individuality. One of the objectives of school inclusion is to raise awareness and involve society, especially the school community.