EIP means Child Intellectually Precocious. It is a question ofZebra child, or gifted young. The characteristics of the early child are numerous and result from a particular skill:High Intellectual Potential. In fact, PIEs have an intellectual quotient greater than 130 on the Wechsler scale – this represents about 2.5% of the population. I have already had the opportunity to deepen the means of identifying children intellectually at an early age (through their particular abilities or through aIQ test: WISCwith apsychologist for HIP). Today, I'm going to offer you something different.

The idea of this article is to offer you some advice that I would have liked to give my parents when I was still young. Now that I am aSurpassed adultmore mature – or more "experienced" with gift – I realize more precisely my particular needs of the time. Thus, this article is not intended specifically for gifted children, but rather for their parents. The aim here is to accompany the child, to provide him with potential help to help him grow. Their specific needs exist as a result ofdifferent cognitive functioning. It is, I think, very difficult to account for "outside". It is therefore for this purpose of support to the parents – and ultimately the little zebras – that I made the decision to write this post.
EIP's need for justice
The child EIP has a complete aversion to injustice – and this even though he is not the victim. This need can be felt with "great" causes, such as global hunger, global warming, animal rights, etc. However, gifted students can also feel it in the family home. In my home, for example, we are 4 brothers and sisters (I am the eldest). The gifted child that I was perceived (sometimes wrongly, but sometimes not) injustice between us four (hypersensitivity did not help). I remember in particular that my parents were more lax towards my two little brothers. They had more pocket money than I at their age, or could come out later for example. Conversely, my little sister was injured. In the first case, I was an indirect victim of injustice (Why are they entitled to something better than me?), and in the second I was the witness (Why should she undergo less good treatment?). However, in both cases, I was greatly affected by the situation.
The establishment of a strict framework
The relationship between brothers and sisters is an example of a source of feelings of injustice. However, there are many others. In order to limit them, I recommend setting up a defined and strict framework. The EIP needs to see the limits of what is possible or not. And more importantly: He'll test them.. It is in this moment of testing that you will have to be firm. Let's go back to my weekend outing hours. Take the example of a Saturday night when I was supposed to go home at 11:00. I don't know why, but I got home late around 11:45 am. I was panicked. But I was the only one: I had no thought about it. Nothing. That day, the whole system collapsed. If this rule is no longer applicable, then what about the others? Are all the rules to forget? I felt worried, unprotected, lost. So put rules in place, and apply them. All the time, and for everyone. Your zebra child needs this strict and reliable frame to feel safe and avoid anxiety.
The 3C rule
I would now like to propose a simple rule to be put in place at home. This is the 3C rule: Clarity, Coherence, and Consistency. I like it because, you will see, it is very easy to apply. In my opinion, it is perfect for limiting the feeling of injustice. So here's how it works.
Clarity
Explain the instructions and Why They're important. Know that the justification " because I'm your father and I'm asking you" does not work. We need a true Right. To quote an example above, we could say " We have to get home before 11:00 at night, because then I'm going to bed and I want to make sure you're home. "or because after your sleep cycle is going to be deregulated ", etc.
Coherence
There are no exceptions to the rule without explaining it. Here, for example, my parents could have explained to me that I didn't get scolded when I came home at 11:45 because they weren't sleeping yet and so they saw me go home before sleeping, because it's school vacation, because I was wise, etc. I would have needed to understand why there was an inconsistency in the rule, not to question all the others afterwards.
Constantity
Stay a loyal parent. If you have always been against some of the main principles (alcohol, friends/girlfriends at home, or I don't know what), keep this course.
Be precise and feel free to reformulate
A PIE, like all early students and other high potentials, has a different cognitive function. He doesn't think the same way. There is a lot of talk about thought in a tree, or diverging. This is not the subject of this article, but in general it is stronger, more intense, faster and more numerous connections in early childhood. But above all, these connections are different. Every word and every idea has its place, and the implicits are very difficult to detect. I often take the example of a friend who sends me by message " Are you doing something tonight? " Is:
- He just wants to know what I'm doing tonight, with no ulterior thoughts?
- He wants me to propose that we go do something together?
- How it "is what I do something"? Of course! I can't. Nothing Do. I can stay home, but isn't it? Nothing Do? No, I might read or watch a movie, and that's doing something. So do I just say "Yes" because I'm going to Mandatory Do something?
- If I've already planned something, does he want me to ask him to come?
So my advice is to reformulate your question if you see that the EIP does not understand, or answers next to the plate. Or, be extremely precise to avoid misunderstandings. I am thinking in particular of some school difficulties that I may have felt because I did not really answer the teachers' questions. Often, I ended up writing several answers and adding a note to clarify which answer to take based on what the question meant.

The curiosity and creativity of the EIP
The EIP is very curious and creative. He likes to learn and understand the world around him. On the other hand, it is very likely that he is interested in things different from his comrades. As a child, I remember feeling a strong sense of lag with others. I liked to create, experiment, and read. My school buddies preferred to hang out at the skate park. During meals with several families, I preferred discussions at the adult table rather than with children my age. It's not that I didn't like my comrades, it's just that we didn't share the same interests. I wanted to understand the world, they wanted to build a castle in Lego.
This difference in interests and intellectual functioning has been felt for the early child from a very young age. He knows that he is different, and can suffer from it. Okay, I was having fun alone. And I was so happy learning so many things. However, I would have preferred to have a comrade who shares these interests. From this perspective, my parents have always been wonderful and have never made me feel any different. On the contrary, they nourished my curiosity and creativity. We went to the museum, we talked a lot and, as soon as I was interested in a subject, they were making sure to give me something to feed this new passion. So this is my advice for you, parents: listen to your little zebra, and ask him regularly what he loves right now. His passions will change (and quickly!), but I'm sure you'll always be able to find a report on the subject, a book at the library, an exhibition, or anything on it. And above all, live these moments with him to the maximum. His friends will not always be there to support and encourage him in his passion. You can.
Conclusion
To conclude, the EIP needs to be in a framework that it perceives and understands the limits, and where it can hatch and bloom to flourish. To allow this, here are some tips I could give you, parents:
- Set the 3C rule: Be Clear in the rules within the family, Coherent and Consisting in their application;
- When you ask your zebra child something, be as precise as possible and feel free to reformulate your questions;
- Support your child's creativity and curiosity.