There's been a lot of talk about psychic and paranormal kids in current movies, television, and books. The truth is, most kids today have intuitive and spiritual gifts! It's a whole new kind of intelligence that lets children understand and process things differently—at school, with peers and at home.

For parents, it can seem confusing. But once you understand what to look for, intuitive and spiritual gifts aren't hard to spot. While these abilities may "cluster" differently in individual children, here are some traits to watch for:

• Is your child highly sensitive or gifted?
• Is he imaginative, creative, or a "right brain" thinker?
• Does your child get the "vibe" of people and situations, even total strangers?
• Is she affected by crowds or noisy places?
• Does she sometimes say she's been to a place before, even though you know she hasn't?
• Does he have an imaginary playmate, or say he hears voices?
• Does she have a deep knowledge of her ancestors, and you’re not sure how?
• Does your child say he sees ghosts?
• Does she experience noises, flashes of light, or other unexplainable occurrences?
• Is your child deeply attracted to animals, or has a "way" with them?
• Does she feel an urge to put her hands on things to help or heal them?
• Can your child see auras?
• Does your child have especially vivid dreams?
• Does your child understand the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, and other Holy Ones, and you aren't sure where she got the information?

If you answered yes to even a few of these questions, it's likely your child has emerging psychic or spiritual gifts. It goes without saying that if you're the parent or caretaker of a child who's showing abilities like these, you'll want more information—fast! But before we delve into the what's and how's of intuitive abilities, there's something that you need to know. Basically: Psychic development and spiritual giftedness are the same thing.

In other words, if you head down the path of psychic development long enough, you're going to become spiritually aware. And if you head down the path of spiritual practice long enough, you're going to become psychic. That's because both abilities stem from the same source—the Divine. You access them through Source/One/God/All/Love/Light—whichever name you choose to use. If you head down one road, you'll eventually reach the other.

This applies to your child. And also to you.

Moving Beyond Labels
I get frustrated when I see quizzes meant to quantify psychic abilities in kids. There is more to the souls of our beautiful, glorious children than tallying points on how psychic or spiritual they are!

But more importantly, kids' skills are developing as they grow. They might have one kind of psychic ability now, and a new ability next year. Once a child begins to open to intuitive abilities or spiritual knowingness, their abilities continue to open (and open, and open!) So where they are now may not be where they're going to end up.

For example, one month ago, Margaret might have shown no clairvoyant ability at all, and now she might be easily able to see "movies in her head." At Christmastime, Trina may have been obsessed with Santa, but by February she might have received a message from grandmother, who died four years earlier.

Opening, awakening, emergence—it happens over time.

I'm also, for the same reasons stated above, not going to break down your children into categories determined by their year of birth or eye color. It's just too simplistic to take a quiz and then firmly nod your head and say "Oh, Gabe's an Indigo," or "Jesse's a Crystalline," or whatever the category du jour is.

I know, I'm stubborn.

I know, it makes it harder for you.

But we've evolved past that.

My point is, your children are whole beings, and even if they score off the charts on some imaginary PQ (Psychic IQ test) it's just as important that they have earth skills for this very earthy life, such as how to make themselves a bowl of cereal, play nice with others, and get their science project turned in on time.

What Are the Ten Core Psychic Abilities?
That said, your child is like to develop in some key ways. Here's an overview of what I call the "core abilities." Remember, there are no points to tally here, no grades to hand out, no birth years to consider. Just take a look, and see if any of these abilities match up to what you've noticed about your child.

1. Clairsentience is the art of psychic feeling. Basically, a clairsentient child feels everything. She picks up energy from a crowd, at the grocery store, in a hectic classroom. Clairsentients may also have the ability to hold an object in their hand, and to tell you about its history (psychometry).
2. Clairaudience is the art of psychic hearing. If your child is clairaudient, she will hear things—unfortunately, this does not mean she will hear you calling her for dinner! She may hear via spirit guides, angels, or other entities; this may take the form of an imaginary playmate. She may also hear music.
3. Clairvoyance is the art of psychic seeing. If your child is clairvoyant, he will be able to easily see what he might call "pictures in his head," or "movies in his mind."
4. Mediumship is the ability to communicate with those who have died. If your child is a medium, she'll need support—it can be tricky when you are being contacted by spirits from other realms.
5. Channeling is the art of receiving via another entity. Channels move themselves aside in order to receive from the collective consciousness of the Divine, which may show up as a spirit guide, angel, or other teacher. It also may appear in channeled writing, music, or art.
6. Remote viewing is the ability to see things that are far away, as if you were there in person. Kids who are good at this can have a career working for detective agencies!
7. Astral projection. Kids who astral project are able to move their consciousness to different places, while their bodies stay put. Astral projection can also be related to shifting or traveling across time, including past life regression.
8. Energy healing is the ability to use energy to heal via hands or distance. If your child is an energy healer, she can find the exact area that aches without being told. She'll also may be able to sense illness in the body as a medical intuitive.
9. Spiritual advancement is the gift of deep spiritual knowing. These children know everything about the universe, without ever being told. They just know.
10. Other abilities. If you can't determine your child's abilities from the above categories, consider the idea that our children are evolving beyond the abilities we've had in the past, and that new abilities are evolving!

As a parent or caretaker, the more you know about what psychic abilities look like at what ages, what stumbling blocks your child may encounter, and how the energy of the universe works in general, the more you can support your child.

The best news is, once you become open to the reality of what is happening for your child, this stuff isn't particularly hard to learn. Better still? As you explore the realm of psychic development and spiritual giftedness for your child—there's a very strong chance you’ll become psychic yourself!