Fabiano de Abreu Agrela Rodrigues
There are scenes that, though silent, reveal more about neurobiology than long clinical descriptions. One of them: a cognitively advanced two-year-old baby refuses to step on the ground. He places his hand on the ground, observes it closely, and keeps it suspended in the air, as if he had lost the immediate connection with his own body. At first glance, a common childhood whim. On second glance, a possible manifestation of heightened sensory processing in early brains.
This type of behavior should not be treated as a simple momentary aversion. When a child with signs of giftedness avoids direct contact with the ground and reacts strangely to touch, something more sophisticated is going on. The most plausible suspicion is the presence of tactile hypersensitivity, that is, an amplification of the somatosensory pathway, usually associated with the parietal cortex and thalamic connections involved in the modulation of touch.
Children with this neurological profile may perceive environmental stimuli with an intensity disproportionate to the average. The earth, which for many represents only a rough or cold texture, can be an almost invasive experience for them. In these cases, the brain acts as a magnifying glass, not a filter. The result isn’t fear. It’s overload.
But this interpretation doesn’t exhaust the issue. The gesture of staring at one’s own hand after contact with the earth, as if it were “floating,” may contain an implicit symbolic element. Precocious children tend to anticipate cognitive phases. It’s possible that a primitive form of symbolic reflection is occurring there. The hand touched something external. It changed. The child observes. Seeks to understand what this contact generated.
The gesture carries more than strangeness. It carries intention. There’s a type of self-analysis that predates verbal language. A cognition of the body, a rudimentary attempt to associate stimulus, transformation, and identity. In neurofunctional terms, this suggests activation not only of the somatosensory system but also of circuits related to developing metacognition, such as regions of the medial prefrontal cortex.
The comparison with autism spectrum disorders is inevitable, but inaccurate. Children with high abilities often share behaviors that, out of context, can be mistaken for signs of ASD. The difference lies in functionality. If the child maintains emotional bonds, social interactions, a sense of humor, and interest in others, the likelihood of a disorder is drastically reduced. What is observed is a neuroatypical, but not pathological, profile.
The child who observes their hand after touching the earth may be communicating something they can’t yet express in words. Something like: “This feeling isn’t trivial. It transforms me. I need to understand what happened here.” The adult who witnesses this gesture needs to listen more than correct. Because the answer isn’t in the ground they avoid, but in the way they experience the world around them.
In brains like these, precociously organized to perceive more intensely and associate more deeply, contact with the earth isn’t just a sensation. It’s a question. And each early question, when embraced, can become a bridge to an awareness far beyond what’s expected for their age.
Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela Rodrigues MRSB holds a post-PhD in Neuroscience and is an elected member of Sigma Xi – The Scientific Research Honor Society (more than 200 members of Sigma Xi have received the Nobel Prize), as well as being a member of the Society for Neuroscience in the United States, the Royal Society of Biology and The Royal Society of Medicine in the United Kingdom, the European Society of Human Genetics in Vienna, Austria, and the APA – American Philosophical Association in the United States. He holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Biology. He is also a Technologist in Anthropology and Philosophy, with several national and international degrees in Neuroscience and Neuropsychology. Dr. Fabiano is a member of prestigious high IQ societies, including Mensa International, Intertel, ISPE High IQ Society, Triple Nine Society, ISI-Society, and HELLIQ Society High IQ. He is the author of more than 300 scientific studies and 30 books. He is currently a visiting professor at PUCRS in Brazil, UNIFRANZ in Bolivia and Santander in Mexico. He also serves as Director of CPAH – Centro de Pesquisa e Análises Heráclito and is the creator of the GIP project, which estimates IQ through the analysis of genetic intelligence. Dr. Fabiano is also a registered journalist, having his name included in the book of records for achieving four records, one of which is for being the greatest creator of characters in the history of the press.