When did you know?

[La Condessa]

If you don't mind my asking, when and how did you know that your children are very bright?

[mmpmelmack]

today at the bookstore, when I went looking for a math workbook for my 3.5 year old, who cant get enough math, and had to buy a 1st grade book to find any challange for him. scares me to death.

[Kissy]

I knew from the beginning. My older child spoke at 5 months, was saying sentences by 1 yrs old. He did everything early. When he went to preschool the teacher was amazed and had a hard time finding challenges for him. In Kindergarten he had the same problem then by 3rd grade they were telling me I needed to get him on meds because he was disrupting class. He was bored so I brought him home to teach him myself.

[Truscifi]

I always knew he was bright, but I really got scared when both my mother and mother in law (who don't agree about ANYTHING) laughed at DH and I and gave each other knowing looks when we talked about having a hard time keeping up with him. (DH and I are both PG.)

 

Also, when he was in Montessori preschool and his teacher, who specialized in gifted ed, told us he was keeping an eye out for any savant tendencies based on ds's rapid progress. None appeared, fortunately.

 

And when he built a slide in his room out of a chair and an old door we had just taken off his closet for something to do while he was in timeout (he was 2.5 at the time).

 

But mostly it was when my mother and mother in law agreed with each other that we were in for a ride. :glare:

 

That might be too long an answer, but there it is.

[EKS]

One indication was when my 18 month old was pointing out trapezoids imprinted on the sidewalk.

[patchfire]

The moment that crystallized it for me with my oldest was when she was either one or maybe just barely two. She had spontaneously started making sets. When dh came home that day, I tried to explain it to him. "Sets! She intuitively understood sets!"

 

Ds came out a wise soul. I don't know how else to explain it. I knew around the time he was two that words would be his 'thing.'

[Donna]

With my oldest ds, I suspected when he was a tiny preemie in the NICU and would stop crying no matter what they were doing to him when I came in and talked to him...his little eyes were just so alert and bright. I knew when he was speaking in sentences at 1yo and was over a year ahead on all his other developmental milestones except the gross motor skills which were on target if adjusted for his prematurity. (I'm a pediatric physical therapist who was doing evaluations for Early Intervention so knew milestones inside and out.)

 

With second ds, I knew when he began walking at 9 months and speaking in sentences at 1yo. He sat for over an hour one morning until he figured out how to tie his own shoe, absolutely refusing any assistance, when he was not quite 2.5yo.

 

With dd, I knew when she was 4 months old, looked me right in the eye and said, "nin nin mama" (I breastfed and called it "ninny") then continued to ask for it whenever she was hungry.

[nitascool]

If you don't mind my asking, when and how did you know that your children are very bright?

 

Actually, I was in the dark for a while. Him being our first it didn't occur to me that speaking in complete sentences at 1 as he signed them, putting together 50 piece puzzles backwards, counting objects, making patterns out of blocks, etc. was abnormal. I honestly thought that the packaging on toys were ridiculously absurd (I mean do 1yos really play with chew toys?). I had a few concerns in the early days, that maybe he was a little different from the way others interacted with him, but didn't want to be that mom who "thought" her child was "special" when he was really average. When he was 3 I took him for testing for head start (required for entrance). When we got the results they offered to advocate for his entrance into 1st grade even though he tested on a 3rd grade level. I finally got a clue and gave up the idea of leisurely mornings after the yellow bus picks up the children. Of course there are still days (he's almost 10) that I wonder if he is as bright as his scores tell us... like when he's trying to set his brother into flight. haha.

 

Ds #2 is so different from his brother and with his SPD, I wasn't quite sure. I was too busy trying to keep him alive through the 2's and 3's that I didn't catch it till he was almost 4, He just sees things in such unique ways, only slightly advanced academically and average maturity wise, but his humor and spirit is way advanced.

 

Ds #3 is a more even bright all around kid I'd say he's very bright, but behind in matters of maturity.

 

Dd is 2.5 and is probably the smartest of them all. She's light years ahead of where the boys were at her age... of course she's got more teachers too.

Edited January 17, 2010 by nitascool

[Misty]

For our first.. It was very early.. speaking in sentences by 12 months.. Reading by 3 without formal instruction.

 

For our second.. Around four years of age when she began doing multiplication in her head consistently without any formal math instruction (aside from listening in on big sister's lessons).

 

For our third.. No early signs with her, but the psychologist did tell us she has a near photographic memory when she was 5. Her IQ is not as high as the older two girls.

 

For our fourth.. Nothing amazing with him yet, but I can tell he is extremely smart and will do well academically. He learns very quickly and would probably be on the verge of reading if I worked with him on it a little, which I don't really plan to do just yet. He's 3.

[nmoira]

I knew DD the Elder (8) was a bit ahead of the curve, but didn't suspect how much until she hit about 15 months. At that time, she started grilling me about letters, words, punctuation marks... anything and everything to do with symbols. By 18 months she had it all down and moved me on to the next phase of her education, running my finger under the words I was reading. This was a child who didn't have a real tantrum until she was about four *unless* I dared tried redirection when I was weary from her incessant quizzing.

 

DD the Younger (5) isn't gifted in the same way, but there's something going on there. She was doing role playing with toys and puppets from about 12 months, and will get lost in drawing for hours. Apparently she thinks entirely in pictures, and you can sometimes see her struggling to contain her grand visions to accommodate mere words. Her receptive language has always been strong, but she had articulation issues she's only now leaving behind, and didn't string two words together in casual conversation until just as I was writing the check after an evaluation by a speech pathologist. Strangely, when she became angry, she's speak in complete sentences.

[nova147]

I had an inkling around 18 months when he knew all the shapes in a book he'd never seen before, but I ignored my instinct, not wanting to be that mom. Around 2 1/2, I was certain, because he had an insane interest in letters and the sounds they made. By 3 he was reading and within 6 months of that I knew his giftedness extended to mathematics as well.

[StephanieZ]

My oldest was conversing in whole sentences and understanding everything I said around the time she turned one. . . She absorbed everything very easily. . . It was always obvious to anyone who knew her that she was ahead of the norms just by spending time with other kids. . . The youngers have followed in her footsteps. . . So, it's always been pretty obvious that they are exceptionally bright.

[zaichiki]

I didn't really *know* until I had testing results staring at me... dh and I always just rationalize away all the signs...

 

In hindsight --

 

At 18 months oldest engaged in a three-language discussion with us: I was speaking English, dh was speaking Russian, and he was answering us in ASL. But this is just typical stuff for a kid surrounded by three languages every day. Isn't it?

 

When he was 3 our neighbor who screened kids for K readiness in the local public school asked to try out the new test on him "just to practice giving it." Her results? She told us he was "K-ready." (But I thought she was nuts -- he was 3 for goodness sakes.) It was a silly test anyway. Right?

 

Our second child was building Lego Great Walls of China and shouting about the "Mondol Hosemen" coming when she was 2. But that's just a little sister copying what her older brother is learning. That's typical.

 

When she was 3 and her viola teacher asked her if she knew what her new viola was made of (so excited to have traded in the cardboard "toy" viola for a real one...) she answered, "Molecules." But her brother and I were reading RS4K Pre-Level 1 chapters about molecules, so that makes sense.

 

And when younger ds was 12 months old and we were walking through the supermarket and he was pointing out all the letter A's in the signs around the store (loudly proclaiming and pointing) -- and several strangers commented in shock. But his NAME starts with A, so that's why he recognizes THAT letter. That's gotta be normal, right?

 

Anyway... you get my point. It's all easily explained away until you're looking at numbers. Then you have to just accept that they are different from the norm... somehow...

 

Lots of people have pointed out that my babies (all 4 of them) are "so alert!" from birth. I always just thought that was simply "something to say." Don't these people just "say" that about all new babies whenever they're not asleep?

 

???

[Garga]

When and how did we know?

 

Pretty early, but mostly because that's the one thing that EVERYone always said about ds. Like the last poster said, right from the cradle they'd say, "He's so alert!" and it just kept being said over and over, "Your son is so smart!" by family members, friends and strangers.

 

And when other moms would compare their kids to mine, mine was always ahead. "Oh. Your son is already talking? Mine isn't yet..." I hated it when they'd compare their kid to mine, because mine was always ahead and then they seemed to feel worried about their kid.

 

We homeschool and love it, but it started out of necessity--he was just too far ahead of the other kids his age and was creating havoc in his preschool class because he was so bored.

[cjzimmer1]

Shortly after he turned 2 and came out of his room one day and told me the names of all the letters of the alphabet. He learned them from an electronic book. Also he only had a working vocabulary of about 20 words at the time. he double that in one day.

[abbeyej]

With the first one, by 20 months when he started drawing recognizable people, trains, dinosaurs... (Funny thing, he's not a particularly great artist or anything...) There were other things that made me think, both before and after, but I think that's the one that stands out. With my second, I just assumed she was particularly bright. ;)

[lmrich]

My guy didn't talk super early but he did everything else early - smiled, held his head, walked etc. At three he asked me why there aren't capital numbers like capital letters. He always noticed details and could work very intently on a task. He and my youngest ask a million thoughtful questions a day. You can tell that they spend a great deal of time thinking.

 

My middle daughter, who is not gifted academically, but who I consider to be gifted in a social way - was always the most liked girl in her preschool and Sunday School. She has a magical way about her to make others feel good. I think her "giftedness' will prove to be an assest if she goes into sales.

[Carrie12345]

I knew ds was a "good learner" when he was 2. I knew he was a fast learner when the Leap Pad taught him to read at 3. I realized I was in for it when he was 4 and driving me insane, lol.

 

For the record, he's slowed down a bit since then, and I'm relieved!

[AnitaMcC]

If you don't mind my asking, when and how did you know that your children are very bright?

 

For Ds#1... we knew when he was in kindergarten. We had ideas sooner but he wasn't one of those early readers. It was more about how he asked questions, how he picked up knowledge... very scientific and factual. One hind sight sign was when he was three years old and asking his daddy about black holes and galaxies.. His IQ testing in 3rd grade was 125, but the examiner told me that considering some issues with the autism and writing, Ds's IQ is closer 150.

 

For Dd and Ds#2 they are bright but not near Ds#1. Both are accelerated in many areas. Dd has to work a bit more in math as it does not come to her automatically/intuitively. Ds#2 does very well academically (struggles with ADHD issues though) and is in accelerated elementary program in ps. So for these two... we didn't see any obvious stand out signs. It is more gradual and smooth. Nothing hit us over the head-LOL.

 

Ds#3 we know he is very bright, especially in math so far. We don't know his IQ. He has shown his talent/ability since very young. He was 2yrs old counting to 1000, doing simple math addition/subtraction, understood simple as well as more complicated shapes, grouped items (for fun-LOL), recognized patterns, etc. Due to his speech delays it was hard to "see" his abililties. He didn't talk at all until he was almost 18 months old (he was deaf until about a year old and past his first hearing tests at 14 months old) and only about six words. He just did the math stuff. His first stringing words together was to do with numbers, shapes, colors, etc and this was after 24 months. He started speech therapy at 24 months old through early intervention. When they tested him, the only delay was Ds speaking ability. He showed his knowledge by doing. When he was tested for special education at age 3 (he was delayed in language due to hearing issues and was very delayed in social/emotional development), he maxed out the academic scores except in reading/recognizing letters (he did well, just not maxed out the scores). He was very delayed only in social/emotional, communication issues that is common for autistics to struggle. For him we just aren't sure what his abilities are due to his communication and abstract comprehension issues. Also it depends on if he feels like cooperating when tested-LOL. He recieves pull out reading services at school (3rd grade)... because he refused to cooperate when teacher was testing him... his score was a zero. But he reads quite well and reads advanced chapter books when he wants to. But since he does have troubles with reading comprehension questions they figure the pull out time is to his benefit so teacher can work on the abstract comprehension questions more in-depth.

Edited January 17, 2010 by AnitaMcC

[AnitaMcC]

One indication was when my 18 month old was pointing out trapezoids imprinted on the sidewalk.

 

 

LOL, yep this is a sign I am familiar with.

[joannqn]

At the age of 8, my daughter tested the the MAP test. It's adaptive and was giving her upper high school level excerpts for the reading test because she had gotten all of the lower levels correct. Results came back and told me she was capable of 10+ grade level language usage and 9th grade reading.

 

The year before she earned a 97th percentile (99th in all language sections, math pulled her overall down) on the CAT-5 when I gave it to her at the beginning of the year. I thought the test was just overly easy.

 

I picked up on it faster with my second child because I already had the experience with my daughter. When he started doing 2-3 years of math each year & understanding it all without a problem, it was pretty apparent.

 

Jury is still out on my 2 year old. I think he's following a similar path as my son. We're pretty sure he had similar lactose intolerance issues, just not as severe as his brother.

 

Jury is definitely out on my 5 month old but she's already using multiple sounds and have used some combinations that sounded like words and phrases at the time.

[Tracy]

I suspected when she could roll over at 5 weeks old and was doing motions to songs at 4 months old. But I was pretty sure when she could identify the entire alphabet, upper and lower case, at 21 months, and could count to 10.

 

My younger one is a little harder to figure out. He will be 2yo next month and is still almost entirely non-verbal. But he can point to all the letters of the alphabet when asked and is very motivated to learn his colors (he frequently asks to be quizzed, in his very cute, non-verbal way). Since giftedness runs strongly in families, there is a good chance that he, too, is gifted on some level. But we will not know to what extent until he starts to talk (soon I hope).

[Crimson Wife]

Tracymirko- I highly encourage you to read The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children who Talk Late by Dr. Thomas Sowell. My DS has speech & language delay but ceilinged out on the puzzle assembly subtest of the WPPSI. He also did well on the block subtest until he got bored with copying the evaluator's designs & decided to start building his own clock creation.

[lisamarie]

Tracymirko- I highly encourage you to read The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children who Talk Late by Dr. Thomas Sowell. My DS has speech & language delay but ceilinged out on the puzzle assembly subtest of the WPPSI. He also did well on the block subtest until he got bored with copying the evaluator's designs & decided to start building his own clock creation.

 

This was my DS. He was born 6 weeks early and automatically was enrolled in Early Intervention, yet he never needed any adjusting for his age in any area of motor skills except speech. At 2, he could barely speak, and only after DS's EI coordinator asked if DS had a lot of ear infections and I said yes did the suggestion of hearing loss come into play. His hearing was tested and he did have some hearing loss. After receiving ear tubes at 2 1/2, his speech took off. He did need speech therapy for 2 years to help with articulation, but his speech delay in no way held him back academically. My DS would ask us questions like "why do the leaves change color in the fall" and we would explain the entire scientific reason including the "big terms" and my DS at age 3 just "got it." We never had to "dumb down" our answers to him.

 

At age 4, he would count to 1000 just for fun (it took him about an hour). He could do 2-3 digit adding and subtracting in his head. At this point DS is 6 and can do multiplication and division of 2 digit numbers in his head despite never learning them. When we pulled him out of PS Kindergarten this past Oct, DS could only read Bob books--I purposely did not teach him to read so he wouldn't be completely bored in school. 2 1/2 months later, he can read on a 2nd grade level and his reading skills are constantly improving.

 

 

My DD-4 I didn't think was necessarily gifted like my DS, but she is surprising me. We started using MFW-K with her this fall and she is already up to reading simple books. She could do 100-piece puzzles at age 3. She is extremely creative and outgoing. I can see her giftedness coming out, just not in the same areas as my DS. (math and science)

 

My DD-2 is my wild card. I think she is going to end up gifted because she has been fully verbal since 16 months (complete sentences, fully able to express herself with words). At barely 2, she knew all her colors, her shapes, and is now working on her letters and numbers. She will often steal my DD4's letter puzzle pieces and run through the house shouting the name of the letter in her hand. She could count to 10 at 18 months and is now up to 20.

[La Condessa]

Thank you all. I asked mostly because I'm wondering if I am just crazy or reading too much into things with my daughter. She's only ten months old, and she seems to speak a lot for her age. Not in full sentences or anything, like some of you posted, but as much as many of the eighteen- to twenty-month olds I have encountered working at daycares. People keep saying things like, "She probably just made a sound that sounded like that to you, she probably didn't understand it as a word." Okay, this could be the case in some instances, but I've counted at least eleven words which I'm absolutely certain she has used in context repeatedly. And she seems to understand so much. But I don't want to be that Mom that assumes everything her child does must be incredible.

[Tracy]

Tracymirko- I highly encourage you to read The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children who Talk Late by Dr. Thomas Sowell.

 

Thank you so much for this reference. I never thought to even look for such a book. I am looking for it ASAP!

[GoVanGogh]

Like others have mentioned - the early alertness was a big sign with DS. He was premature and didn't open his eyes until he was a week old. Soon after, the doctors were saying that they had never seen a baby - let alone a preemie in NICU - that was so alert and aware of his surroundings. One doctor often commented that DS waited a week to open his eyes, then never shut them again. :tongue_smilie: (True. He has never been a big sleeper. Now, at 8, he is trying to figure out a way to make humans solar powered so we don't need to sleep to recharge. He says sleeping is a total loss of time.)

 

Re: alertness. I bought a sling for DS but he hated it. I sold it and bought a chest carrier. He hated facing towards me, as he wanted to see every.thing. He had amazing head control at a young age, so here I would carry this tiny premature baby facing outward in a chest carrier and he would take every.thing. in. People were always freaking out.

 

DS was also a late talker. Well, he said, "Oh, thank you," at a very early age whenever appropriate. Then after a month, he stopped talking totally and didn't speak again for over a year. He was in speech therapy at that time, but spoke less and less until he went totally silent. Yes, I was freaking out. Then I realized that while all his friends were signing the ABC song, they had no idea what it related to. Meanwhile, DS could identify every letter of the alphabet and put them in order.

DS didn't start talking until one month before his 3rd birthday, then it was a complete sentence with adjectives, perfectly articulated. He hasn't stopped talking since. :lol:

 

DS actually hit all of his developmental milestones, sans talking, at a very young age, even though he was nearly 7 weeks premature. He was walking at 10 months and full out running at 11.5 months.

[Desert Rat]

For us, besides the talking in complete sentences by 1, it was the day at 16 months when we were playing with alphabet blocks and he put a U and P together and said, "Look momma, that spells UP."

 

My 6yo is bright too just in a different way. There was no aha moment for us with him. Lately, he's been surprising us with his word play and puns.

[Staceyshoe]

I was very slow on the uptake and, frankly, in denial. When he was still crawling, ds would line up about 15 toy cars from smallest to largest. He spoke very well at a very early age. He taught himself to read at age 2 (I'm embarrassed to admit that I blew off his requests to learn how to read at that age, so I guess he took matters into his own hands). Before he turned 4, he was reading encyclopedias like they were the best thing ever. He would focus on learning something--for like 5 hours--at age 2 and refuse to take a break, even if it was mealtime. I knew he was "smart" and "quirky", but I really didn't truly GET IT until after he turned 4. At times, I'm still stunned when I get a glimpse of what is considered "normal". It's amazing the little (or big) things you can take for granted, esp if it's your first child.

[Mommyfaithe]

If you don't mind my asking, when and how did you know that your children are very bright?

 

I knew ds was very bright when he was 3 and picked up my Bible and began to read the Psalms.

 

All of my kids are very bright, but unfortunately can be lazy and sometimes downright obstinate.

 

I have found it kind of frustrating to have a couple (no names please) who are of "average" intelligence...or beter termed "on grade level." Those children are also gifted, but not in an academic sense.

 

Having said all that, wisdom is definitely more important than intelligence...and one of mine is proving to be very academic...after being quite a late bloomer.

 

So, ya never know...

 

~Faithe

[Quad Shot Academy]

Wow! I am surprised so many of you knew so early. I thought my son was special needs. He did not speak until 3 and had motor issues too. In first grade I noticed that he was about 2 grade levels ahead, but I thought it was because we started K when he was 4 and worked year round. I think when he was in second and read an entire encyclopedia set, I realized that he was smart. But when he took an achievement test in 3rd grade and came back as being on a 7th grade level is when I finally realized that he was gifted. I guess I am pretty slow. ;)

[SunshineMom]

I knew something was up when my dd at two years old responded to a conversation my husband and I were having. A couple of weeks before Halloween we were talking and I said I didn't really want us to get a whole bunch of C-A-N-D-Y, well my then 2dd said "but mom I want the candy!" Tonight she said something really interesting. I found that my older dd had used a whole brand new bottle of bubble bath for her bath. Of course I said I was disappointed and upset. Well my 6dd says, "Mom is the value of the bubble bath as valuable as your decision to have children?" Ok, I was at a standstill.

[krisperry]

I have a socially gifted child too. I'm an introvert so it amazes me that at 8, he easily strikes up conversations with the people who are working in WalMart or anywhere for that matter and automatically anticipates people's needs. Things he has done for years. He remembers everyone's face and name.... Academically, he is above average but not gifted.

 

 

Now, my 6 year old? Gifted for sure. His science lesson last week? Ventilation systems and how they work for underground or underwater tunnels. Um, yeah. And it was him who check out the Bridges book from the adult section and though he doesn't read well yet, figured out the complex diagrams.... He is much much stronger in math/science than in reading. Honestly, because he overthinks reading :lol: I *knew* he was gifted when he was 2. He stated to me "mom, I know why they planted those shrubs under the gate at McDonald's. To keep people from being able to climb over the gate and get into the play area. They make you go through the restaurant". Not typical at all.

 

Academically speaking, I have 2 above average children (1 of these being socially gifted), one bordering on gifted and 2 truly gifted I think.

 

My 2 year old is my other very gifted child. She can construct amazingly complex arguments already. For instance, she argued this to me today: "I don't want to wear a diaper. A diaper will make more laundry for you. You don't like laundry. I will wear underwear. If I pee in my underwear, then you can wash them. You wash my diapers. (we use cloth). It is the same." For the record, I do let her try to wear underwear and use the potty :lol: I know she understands the process but it is a matter of her stopping what she is doing..... My 2 year old also can operate a computer extremely well. I'm not talking about just a mouse. I'm talking surfing the web, copy and pasting pictures, opening programs, installing disks (this one drives me batty), printing (even memorized how to set it to quick draft), the tasks are endless. She changed my screen saver the other day. All this by memorizing where things are b/c she is not reading yet.

[Tracy]

Wow! I am surprised so many of you knew so early. I thought my son was special needs. He did not speak until 3 and had motor issues too. In first grade I noticed that he was about 2 grade levels ahead, but I thought it was because we started K when he was 4 and worked year round. I think when he was in second and read an entire encyclopedia set, I realized that he was smart. But when he took an achievement test in 3rd grade and came back as being on a 7th grade level is when I finally realized that he was gifted. I guess I am pretty slow. ;)

 

No, you are not slow, at all. Giftedness can be masked by other problems, especially in the early years. And sometimes it takes professional testing by people familiar with gifted issues to sort out the giftedness vs. LDs, etc. Many gifted people are actually 2E (twice-exceptional), meaning they are gifted with some sort of learning or other disability.

 

Have you checked out the TAG (talented and gifted) lists? They are a great resource for these and other gifted issues.

[tabrizia]

Well I've suspected from birth with both mine. The fact that the 2 3/4th year old is working on reading, had known all his letters and letter sounds since before he was 2, and one day out of the blue when I told him he could nurse for 5 minutes looked at me and said "times 2 is 10", and then later in the day did a couple more 2 times facts for me really cemented it though. Oh and the alert from birth thing, it always amazes me when I see people with newborns, because neither of my children were ever that vague, even at birth.

 

With DD we aren't positive yet, but she is only 10 months old, she started speaking at 6 months and was speaking occasionally in two word phrases by 7 months, is helping cement the theory though. I am also pretty sure she knows some of her letters. She is an observer though unlike her brother and likes to sit and watch until she knows exactly what she is doing and then shows off her new skill.

[Quad Shot Academy]

Have you checked out the TAG (talented and gifted) lists? They are a great resource for these and other gifted issues.

 

I haven't seen that list before. What exactly is it? Is it a message board or do you get emails? Should I use my real name when signing up?

 

Thanks!

 

BTW Crimson Wife, I put the book you recomended on hold. People have always told me that my son's weak area would be talking. I noticed like Krisperry said that he would talk to anyone and everyone at age 4. It was very embarrasing for me sometimes. :blushing: When he was 6 people started telling me that he had an different way with words and asked me where he got his very unique way of viewing things, speaking, and vocabulary. I was never sure if he was exceptional in this area or very deficient. :001_huh: No one ever said it like it was a good thing. His third grade test ranked him as 7th grade through post highscool for verbal ability. So now when he says really odd things to strangers, it doesn't bother me as much. ;)

[galtgrl]

All of our girls are very bright, but our 2nd dd was asking how she could know that her life was 'real', that she wasn't just dreaming, when she was 3 or 4. The question (and others like it) really had her worked up, and she was so focused on things like that - existential type questions- that we knew something was different about her.

She also started reading one day out loud b4 we knew she could even sound out simple words. Surprise!

-Jen

[saw]

Not sure when we realized with the three older ones, but the one that really surprised me was number 4. I remember the day we got him in China, when he was 2.5, and within the first few hours dh and I were looking at each other and thinking, oh, no, not another one! We'd been so prepared for a delayed child or a child of average intelligence or problems or anything (which was fine by us, otherwise we would never have gone ahead with adoption) that D's intelligence had us gobsmacked. Still does a year later.

[StartingOver]

With my 2nd oldest son, I knew when he was about 2. He was teaching himself to read. My youngest I knew much earlier, when he was about a year old. He was just so interested in everything, soaking it all up. Started teaching himself to read at 2. My youngest daughter is now 21 months, I realized even earlier with her. She was advanced from birth, rolled, crawled, walked, talked early. She was talking in complete sentences at 12 months. She is learning fast while just being in the room with her brother. She knows all her letters and sounds, and can count to 20. She knows her shapes and colors. She is really making me scared LOL

 

In hide sight it is easier to see now. With my oldest I didn't admit it till way later. I just taught him at his level, as I do the younger ones.

Edited January 19, 2010 by alatexan68

[Guest]

At eighteen months my daughter would go around tracing letters on license plates and telling everyone she met that C A L I F O R N I A spelled California. A bit older, she told me that 2 was her favorite prime number because it was the only one that was even.

 

But I didn't get it -- my daughter turned out to have Asperger's Syndrome, so she was really delayed in other areas and very different than other kids her age, more hesitant physically, very slow, cautious. She also had vision problems that I didn't discover until she was much, much older, so her independent reading didn't take off like those of other kids. When she had just turned six she found the exact paragraph in a 300+ page book at which her taped recording of the book had given out, but yet she could not sit and read a kids' chapter book by herself due to eye strain.

 

I was never really entirely sure, because of the combination of precocity and delays, until I got her formal IQ test results when she was eleven.

[LittleIzumi]

The girls aren't tested. But I'm technically gifted, so I wasn't very surprised when dd1 figured out how to read on her own at 3. I was a little surprised that she wanted to know everything about science and remembers almost *everything* in one telling (like telling people about white blood cells and large intestines around her 4th birthday), and I was very surprised when her little sister, who may end up 2E with SPD, went from knowing no letters at all to learning all the letters in a week and learning all the basic letter sounds for upper & lower in 2 weeks around her second birthday. It's the sudden jump that startled me. They're still little so we'll see what happens!

[Dmmetler]

My OB commented that he'd never seen such a young baby as alert as my daughter, and at 3 months, a pediatrician at the children's hospital commented the same thing. At 10 months, she was speaking in complete, complex sentences and was able to carry on conversations. At 15 months, she couldn't walk yet, but could read signs and ask questions about them. By then, I'd figured it out.

 

And if I hadn't by then, her private school kindergarten teacher saying that she can't keep up with my daughter (when my DD is regularly bringing home 2nd grade level material and taking AR tests on books that are at the fourth grade level and higher) and suggesting that I home school might have given me a clue ;).

 

I have to say that I feel like I've come home, finding this board ;).

[mktkcb]

No defining moment for my older 2 girls, but I knew generally with oldest by age 4 or so, same with middle dd, even though they are total opposites and are gifted in VERY different ways (oldest is extremely analytical/logical,middle dd is more artistic/spatial). Middle dd learned to read at 4, so I knew she was no slouch, but she doesn't really like academics. Much prefers arts of all kinds...singing, violin, theater, choir, painting, sewing...the works. Oldest is a total engineer at heart. Now the defining moment with my youngest was when he was around 1 and my dds were playing with him and singing him some tune while he banged away on a oatmeal box. He began babble singing with them *totally on pitch*. The kid could match pitches perfectly at age 1. Also he was reading at 3. Turns out he has perfect pitch, is very musically and otherwise gifted. So, I would say I had inklings by age 3 or so for all my kids.

[Millie.T.Cook]

It was about the time he was going to school. He would be acting up in a way we did not understand.

 

It turns out that he interacts with older children much better. He is only 6 right now. My biggest regret is the fact that we are not able to teach him the way he should be taught. The working thing is getting in the way.

 

You could never pay too much attention to your children. Remember to spoil them every chance you get and take too many pictures!!!

 

________________________________

Here's the best place online to find insurance quotes.

[LittleIzumi]

No defining moment for my older 2 girls, but I knew generally with oldest by age 4 or so, same with middle dd, even though they are total opposites and are gifted in VERY different ways (oldest is extremely analytical/logical,middle dd is more artistic/spatial). Middle dd learned to read at 4, so I knew she was no slouch, but she doesn't really like academics. Much prefers arts of all kinds...singing, violin, theater, choir, painting, sewing...the works. Oldest is a total engineer at heart. Now the defining moment with my youngest was when he was around 1 and my dds were playing with him and singing him some tune while he banged away on a oatmeal box. He began babble singing with them *totally on pitch*. The kid could match pitches perfectly at age 1. Also he was reading at 3. Turns out he has perfect pitch, is very musically and otherwise gifted. So, I would say I had inklings by age 3 or so for all my kids.

 

Does perfect pitch relate to a form of giftedness? (Can you tell I haven't really looked into this much? :blush5:) The Sponge has always had perfect pitch & rhythm but I didn't know that could be tied in. Cool!

[delaney]

You know that is a good question. We always assumed our kids would be bright since we are both...well smart. But for some it was obvious. DS #1 knew all of his colors, numbers, shapes at 15 months and could talk. Taught himself to ride a bike at age 4.....Now DS #2 didn't talk early and seemed to be...well a bit flat until 2ng grade. Then BAM he turned math maniac and could read 5th grade books. We were like WHAT? He is our "sleeper" child. DD#1 seems to be average but has the performance bug in her. She is on a competition dance team and thinks nothing of going on stage before hundreds of people. DD#2 is shy a bit but her reading is taking off(turning 6 this month) and she is on small chapter books. Her math skills seem to be innate also. DS#4 well he is just a little genius with large motor and could ride a skateboard at age 2 and knows how to make microwave popcorn and scrambled eggs!! He will be a challenge to wrestle into schoolwork I think. DS#4 well he is just a little puzzle. He won't talk at 15 months but has been up on 2 feet since 9 months! Like I needed that! He has a knack for figuring things out though, and despite his small stature he is EVERYWHERE!! He's a thinker I can tell.

[LisaDSB]

Well I've suspected from birth with both mine. The fact that the 2 3/4th year old is working on reading, had known all his letters and letter sounds since before he was 2, and one day out of the blue when I told him he could nurse for 5 minutes looked at me and said "times 2 is 10", and then later in the day did a couple more 2 times facts for me really cemented it though. Oh and the alert from birth thing, it always amazes me when I see people with newborns, because neither of my children were ever that vague, even at birth.

 

I suspected it at birth too (or shortly after). I couldn't believe the wisdom in the eyes of my day old firstborn (but I didn't know at that time what normal was). People commented on how alert both boys were as infants.

 

DS9 used to crawl around on the alphabet puzzle mat before he could walk and smack a letter that we called out. He started that at about 12 months. His comprehension as a small baby was cool too -- you could ask him where something was and he would clearly look over at it, even though he couldn't get his hands to point yet (I think he was about 4 months old). Or if I asked if he wanted to nurse at that age, he would pant heavily and turn toward my chest, even if I wasn't giving him any visual cues (like lifting my shirt).

 

My DS7 was very verbal (unlike DS9, who didn't talk until he was 2, but who had his own "language" that we had to learn until then). When DS7 was about 22 mos, I held him up to the window and said "Look at the pretty birdy". He turned in my arms and dryly said, "That's a robin, actually."

 

Fun to reminisce....

Edited February 5, 2010 by LisaDSB
ridiculous typing error

[DandelionMom]

My oldest DD, who is now 13, started speaking at 4 months, and spoke in complex sentences by 11 months. When she was 3 we discovered her reading chapter books in her room. We guessed that she taught herself to read. She would often become so engrossed in searching for insects that it was almost dangerous at times. She had, and still has, extremely deep interests. When she was 5 we had be tested at the Gifted Development Center because she was so precocious, and found out that she was Profoundly Gifted. She has Aspergers and displays savant tendencies. Her artwork is at professional level, and we believe that this is the path she will probably take in adulthood.

 

Our youngest DD, who is 7, also started speaking at 4 months and complex sentences at 12 months. Strangely, she also taught herself to read at 3, and now reads at an 8th grade level. When she was around 18 months, she used to say that she could remember what it was like when she was inside my tummy. She would always tell us that she could see angels, but that they were leaving her as she got older. One night when she was around 2 she was sobbing desperately while pointing at the window. We tried to console her, but she kept saying that "they were leaving her". She didn't see them after that. She is an extremely sensitive child that will cry when there is a sad song on the radio or when she notices that a building is constructed with trees. We had her tested at 6, and she is also Profoundly Gifted, testing a full 10 points higher than her sister. Luckily, she does not seem to display savant tendencies. We do not believe that she could ever has a normal educational experience is a classroom setting due to her radical acceleration in certain areas.

 

Needless to say, we homeschool both of our girls.

 

Blessings,

Kelly

[debdebdebby13]

We've had inklings since she was born. She was another super alert newborn and would get so mad if we tried to cradle her in our arms, she wanted to be upright so she could see everything going on around her, dang it! I see other newborns and she was so different from them. She never seemed like a newborn except in size.

 

She talked early and very well, could count to 10, knew all her letters, shapes, colors by 18 months. That was when I thought "well...maybe." She's also always been very social and talkative and will try to strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone.

 

It was really cemented though in the last year when she's been spouting off facts and intricacies of the human body to anyone in earshot. She about blew the doctor away back in January when she had a UTI and the doc came in telling us she found white blood cells in DD's specimen. DD pipes up "I know what white blood cells do!" and proceeded to explain to the doctor exactly what function they served. The doc was flabbergasted and we were pretty amused. She loves science and the human body is her "thing." She could name many bones in the body before she was three.

Edited April 27, 2010 by debdebdebby13

[Embassy]

With my oldest it was when he was an infant. He needed constant stimulation. There was no way he could just sit and look around. He grew into a toddler that soaked up everything. LOL, he is still like that.

 

With my second child it was little glimpses during his preschool years. He would say or do something that surprised me like write the complete alphabet in order when he was 3 or read a few simple things. He is still like that.

 

With my third child it was rather recently around the age of 2. She likes to tell her own jokes to make people laugh. She can count up to 3, knows a lot of colors, and has a great vocabulary for her age.