From Sherlock Holmes to Iron Man, geniuses regularly become heroes in our stories and on our screens. It’s no wonder that parents often look for signs of genius in their own babies to see if they are raising the next Einstein or Mozart.
It seems harmless enough — who wouldn’t want their baby to be smart and set up for success? But experts say that the concept of a "genius baby" is flawed and deserves some re-evaluation. Here’s the real deal about signs of genius and what you can do to support your child’s healthy growth and development.
What is genius?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), genius is "an extreme degree of intellectual or creative ability, or any person who possesses such an ability." It sounds simple, but in reality, determining genius is incredibly subjective.
Why is genius hard to determine?
Many people think of genius as a measure of one’s intelligence — the number one gets on an intelligence quotient (IQ) test being the key determining factor. And educators and doctors do use IQ tests to assess children’s cognitive skills, like verbal comprehension, working memory and processing speed.
But from a psychological standpoint, "genius" is more complicated than that, and IQ scores miss a lot of nuances that affect intelligence. Here's why it's difficult to assess:
There are different types of intelligence
One’s emotional intelligence — the ability to process emotional information and use it in reasoning and decision-making — is also incredibly important to human functioning and success, yet that’s not often considered when everyday people think about what makes a genius.
Environmental factors greatly affect intelligence
How "smart" or skilled you are isn’t just about your inherent nature. Nurture — how one was raised and their environment — also has a lot to do with one’s intelligence and ability.
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Research suggests that genetics only accounts for 50 percent of the difference in intelligence between people. Other factors that can impact intelligence (particularly of children) include where you live, family income and the education level of your parents.
Basically, children with more privilege have a better chance at scoring well on intelligence tests because they are more likely to attend good schools and have more opportunities to learn and grow.
Signs of intelligence vary by culture
Perceived intelligence can differ deeply depending on culture. That can affect how a person scores on an IQ test.
For example, eye contact is considered a key component of cognitive processing in Western science. But in Ojibwe and other Native American cultures, children are often taught that it’s disrespectful to look directly in the eye of an elder unless you know them. So an Ojibwe child’s intelligence might be underestimated in formal testing.
Intelligence tests have a problematic past
While modern science has sought to address this problem, there remains the fact that intelligence tests have racist applications throughout history. Eugenicists have used IQ tests to assert the superiority of white people and justify racist and ableist policies.
IQ tests have also inspired the use of standardized testing to evaluate whether kids can attend private schools, enroll in "gifted" and talented programs, graduate high school or go to college. But bias baked into these tests has led to immense education disparities between students of color and white students — which can impact a person’s career, earnings potential and more.
Why it’s hard to tell if a baby is gifted
Clearly, there are some pre-existing problems with understanding and evaluating genius. Things only get more complicated when trying to determine whether a baby has genius potential.
Babies can't take IQ tests
Beyond the subjective nature of genius (which makes it hard to accurately evaluate), there’s also the fact that an infant can’t reasonably take an intelligence test. The cognitive skills evaluated in IQ tests have just barely begun to develop.
The human brain matures from back to front, meaning that when your baby is born, she’s primarily got fight-or-flight survival instincts (from the back of the brain) and an emotional center (in the middle part of the brain).
The prefrontal cortex — which supports reasoning, logic, language and other main aspects of intelligence — develops during the first years of life, but takes decades to mature.
There are no recognized "signs of genius"
Because you can’t test a baby for intelligence, people instead look for signs of genius that they believe suggest their child will be gifted later in life. Think: reaching milestones early, being perceptive or engaged, trouble sleeping, etc.
But there is very little solid research supporting these "signs of genius." There are no known universal traits that prove genius in babies or predict it later in life.
Studies that do exist on "genius" and intelligence in children don’t specifically study babies. Instead, they look at children already identified as unusually intelligent and then see if any of them had traits in common as babies. This doesn't necessarily prove that babies with these traits will be geniuses, just that there’s an association.
Other cited "signs" of baby geniuses, like hypersensitivity or needing less sleep, might be more about a baby’s personality than anything else. A kid who’s a fussy baby, for example, may not make the math leagues team in high school. And that’s okay!
Babies develop at their own pace
Developmental milestones are based on averages, and there’s typically a range of when a child is expected to meet them.
Just because a kid learns to talk early doesn’t mean anything concrete for his future self. That same kid might not learn how to walk until he’s 15 months old.
Environmental factors also affect intellectual development
What’s different about a "gifted" baby may not be in their nature but how they are treated, experts add. (The old nature versus nurture argument again!)
If parents believe that their child is a genius or especially gifted in some area, they likely will do their best to provide things they think smart kids need, like books, developmental toys and extra attention. That helps create an environment supportive of a baby’s intelligence, giving those talents a better chance to flourish.
Baby genius, then, is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy in that if you believe your baby is smart and treat her like a smart kid, you’re improving the odds she will be smart.
How to support your baby’s development
Again, all babies grow and develop at their own unique pace — which often has very little to do with how intelligent or capable they’ll be as kids and adults. Every child is special and deserves to be loved and cared for, no matter her talents and capabilities.
A parent’s love and support can go a long way to preparing her to take on the joys and challenges of life. Instead of looking for genius, experts say you can cultivate your child’s learning and development at home in a number of simple ways, including:
- Talk to your baby. Don’t just say oohs and aahs, but speak in full words to support her language development.
- Read to your baby. It teaches her about communication, builds her vocabulary, supports her budding memory skills and more.
- Play music. Musical play is great stimulation for your baby, providing comfort, bonding time and the opportunity to learn new words and stories.
- Respond to your baby’s needs. If your baby is crying, pick her up and hold her. If she’s trying to communicate with babbles and sounds, talk back to her. Attention doesn’t spoil a baby; it helps your little one feel secure and loved (and benefits her brain development).
Above all, love your baby. Show your baby affection and attention, and get to know your baby and her unique strengths.
That can help you determine what she loves and ensure you provide it to her, whether it’s music, extra time reading books or even time playing outside in nature. Doing your best to support your little one’s natural gifts will do more to encourage "genius" (and happiness!) than any infant flashcards or DVDs will.
That said, if you’re concerned about your child’s development — say she’s consistently not meeting milestones for her age, or you notice issues with how she plays or moves — it’s absolutely worth raising these concerns with your pediatrician. Your doctor can examine your kid and weigh in on whether she needs additional testing or support.
The bottom line: Love your kid, and give her what she needs to the best of your ability. At the end of the day, that’s what matters the most.
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