Gifted?

[marispel]

Since DS is my only child I have no idea if he is gifted, advanced or just ahead of the curve?

DS is 22 months old and is obsessed with his ABCs. At 17 mo. he could identify all the letters. By 20 months he could say his ABCs and 21 months he can sing the song. He can count 1-10 and we started going from 11-20. He does pretty good but seems to always miss 15. He can also sing twinkle, twinkle little star from start to finish. He can do all the signs from Signing time videos 1-3 and he is saying 3 word sentence (bless you mommy, help me mommy, I see you, I do it, I love you).

In the past couple weeks he has been having a hard time settling down for his naps. Our DCP said that he just says his ABCs and counts over and over. IDK - he loves it, but could he be obsessed? Seems a little early to be obsessive?

My DH thinks he is just going through a developmental stage and this too shall pass and he'll be back to sleeping better. It just got me to wondering if he could have something else going on?

[Thing1Thing2]

Sounds ahead to me. My DS is 24 months old and can name some of the alphabet but does not know the abc song and tries to count.. 1,3,2 - The thing about him not sleeping and saying his abcs sounds obsessive to me though.

Does he watch TV? Maybe that's where he's getting it? He sounds like a really bright boy.

[confustication]

He sounds like he's pretty well on par with where my daughter was at that age. Yes, it is advanced. She read before she was three.

However, 'gifted' is kind of a double edged sword. School systems provide support to kids who are fall below the norm for their age, but they do not provide much (if any) support for kids who are significantly above the norm. Both situations are equally challenging and need as much support.

Also, hyperlexia is something to be aware of- particularly coupled with obsessive/repetitive behaviors and sleep pattern disturbances.

I would certainly be excited about the letters and numbers, but work really hard to keep him engaged with other things (Lets run and play outside! Let's make a sandcastle!) At this point, numbers and letters are not where his developmental focus needs to be intensely, and you can guide him to help make the necessary shift to more age appropriate activities most of the time.

[LadyCatherine185]

My 22 month old is in a similar place. Always been very advanced verbally and with movement milestones (walked at 9 months, etc). He can count to 20, knows some ABC's, has memorized several of his books, etc. He is very active, though, so to me it is surprising that he is interested in numbers/letters/reading/art. But he seems pretty balanced to me. He also has always had a hard time sleeping. I think for my DS that his brain works so fast that he needs a lot of help to calm down and get into a sleepy state. For us, getting to him before he gets tired and starting the "calm down" process really helps. We start reading books about an hour before bedtime, then "cuddle" in his bed for a bit until he gets sleepy and then I leave and DH holds him on the bed to sleep. He has always needed a lot of help to get to sleep and to stay asleep.

[ellemenope]

Your DS sounds very bright.

Number and letters were a phase thing for DD starting around 18 months. She was also very obsessive about it. She also could identify all the letters upper and lower by 20 months. However, she is now just turned 2, and has very little interest for them. It was just one of many obsessions she has had and is still having.

She does still love to sing the complete ABC song and count to 20.

At 2 years old, she is constantly talking, using complex and long sentences, with an ever expounding vocabulary. She has near perfect grammar and uses words after only hearing them once.

I consider my DD advanced at the moment. No one can take that away from her. I will go as far as saying my DD is gifted in language. I try to tell myself these are only modifiers and do not change who she is and will certainly give no bearing on her future, but I also don't want to diminish any of her gifts however large or small.

Hope that helped.

[ASusan]

It's further along than my DS was at 22 mos., and he is the most advanced among his peers at this point (32 mos) for language, social and physical development.

My first thought was to agree with your DH - that it's just a phase. But then I read other posters' experiences and was reminded that even very young children can have obsessions. (My son's is airplanes.) If it's disrupting "normal" behavior and activity, I think it moves into the realm of obsession. The tough thing here is that it is somewhat normal for a 22-mo-old to have difficulty settling for sleep.

If you are concerned, you could remove all cues of the alphabet (save his internal cues that you have no control over, of course). Take all the alphabet/ABC books out of his bookshelf for a few weeks (or more). Take down any alphabet posters, decor, magnets...remove alphabet/ABC toys from his collection. With fewer reminders around, he may back off a bit.

Don't sing the alphabet song with him or ask him about letters. Nor should you try to stop him if he starts; that just points out to him that you're concerned. I'd ignore or redirect to another song or poem. Teach him some different songs and poems. Maybe choose naptime/wind-down books with a nature theme or do a non-singing CD of lullabies.

[LadyCatherine185]

Originally Posted by marispel

In the past couple weeks he has been having a hard time settling down for his naps. Our DCP said that he just says his ABCs and counts over and over. IDK - he loves it, but could he be obsessed? Seems a little early to be obsessive?

He is probably just doing those things to keep from going to sleep. My DS has always faught sleep, and he will start pointing to body parts and saying them, or pointing out different things in the room, or talk about the day we just had if he is trying to put off going to sleep. We just have to tell him "Liam, it is time to be quiet and go to sleep."

[Grace and Granola]

My ds1 is very bright, possibly gifted, and sounds much like your ds at that age. I remember when he was 3 and started adding numbers. He stayed awake for hours one night doing addition problems with his fingers. he just could not shut his mind off. I remember panicking wondering if this is just how it's going to be. But it didn't last. The obsession, that is. I think toddlers get turned onto something interesting and become fascinated by it and sometimes very strongly. My ds was also crazy about letters from about 18-30 months. It was like all the other kids were into trucks and trains, but for ds it was letters. I wouldn't worry about it being an obsession just because he doesn't take his nap. I think your mama instinct will tell you if it's really keeping him from enjoying other things in life. I also wouldn't get too caught up in the gifted label this early either. Like I said, my ds who is 4 now was like your son. He started reading at age 3, but the interest has waned. He is now into other things and doesn't care so much about the reading. He is still ahead of the game, just not miles ahead like it seemed before. When it comes time for schooling to be an issue, then it's worth taking an inventory to see if he has special needs that will need to be met.

[physmom]

Now, I had a nice long answer typed up for you and my computer ate it! GRRRR!

I do think your son sounds advanced you can check out milestones here if you're interested:
http://drhart.net/clinic/forms/Denve...Milestones.pdf
http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/

You can't really test for giftedness until 5+ and get accurate results but in the meantime it doesn't hurt to read up on it. There's a forum here on MDC with a lot of great resources.

DH and I were both gifted kids and DD's always been pretty advanced so I've done my research. It's been more enlightening for me than anything else (understanding my own childhood and why I do somethings certain ways). Even if DD doesn't turn out to be gifted, I'd learned a lot in the process!

As for the sleeping, totally normal in this household. DD's a horrible sleeper, so was I when I was a kid.

Originally Posted by ASusan

If you are concerned, you could remove all cues of the alphabet (save his internal cues that you have no control over, of course). Take all the alphabet/ABC books out of his bookshelf for a few weeks (or more). Take down any alphabet posters, decor, magnets...remove alphabet/ABC toys from his collection. With fewer reminders around, he may back off a bit.

Don't sing the alphabet song with him or ask him about letters. Nor should you try to stop him if he starts; that just points out to him that you're concerned. I'd ignore or redirect to another song or poem. Teach him some different songs and poems. Maybe choose naptime/wind-down books with a nature theme or do a non-singing CD of lullabies.

I have to disagree with this. DD has A LOT of obsessions, some shorter lived than others. Her longest has been airplanes. After much thinking about this we have decided to encourage her interests. This is the way that she's learning about her environment and exploring it, why would you want to limit that? Wouldn't that show a kid that they interests are not valid? Yes, they need to sleep but eliminating their interests from their lives seems rather drastic.

We've also found that DD needs some winding down time before bed. Often that consists of reading, sometimes she chats to herself, points out body parts or will talk about airplanes/helicopters. I did the same as a child and I think it might be her just recapping her day and preparing herself to sleep,

I've also found that DD's little obsessions make her such an interesting person! I can go to the library/bookstore and know for sure what books that she'd absolutely love. It also makes long flights easier because toys are extremely easy to pick out for her that will fascinate her for a long time! Sure, it can be tough keeping up with these kids but it's always well worth it.

[ASusan]

Originally Posted by physmom

I have to disagree with this. (WRT limiting cues to alphabet.) DD has A LOT of obsessions, some shorter lived than others. Her longest has been airplanes. After much thinking about this we have decided to encourage her interests. This is the way that she's learning about her environment and exploring it, why would you want to limit that? Wouldn't that show a kid that they interests are not valid? Yes, they need to sleep but eliminating their interests from their lives seems rather drastic.

We've also found that DD needs some winding down time before bed. Often that consists of reading, sometimes she chats to herself, points out body parts or will talk about airplanes/helicopters. I did the same as a child and I think it might be her just recapping her day and preparing herself to sleep,

I've also found that DD's little obsessions make her such an interesting person! I can go to the library/bookstore and know for sure what books that she'd absolutely love. It also makes long flights easier because toys are extremely easy to pick out for her that will fascinate her for a long time! Sure, it can be tough keeping up with these kids but it's always well worth it.

Yes, I agree with you. I was suggesting limiting alphabet cues IF the OP felt as if the obsession interfered with daily behaviors (like sleeping, although, as I said, it's a tough call because toddlers go through phases that include difficulty falling asleep). And, I didn't suggest entire removal, forever. Just for a period of time, to see if it helped reduce the "obsession."

We don't limit DS's contact/interaction with airplanes. We encourage it, and we will be sad when/if it ends, as we all get a lot of pleasure out of it. But it doesn't interfere with anything, really. And this respect, I would call it an interest, not an obsession. I *do* try to keep books/toys around that feature nature, because DH and other relatives buy books/toys that are plane-focused, and I want there to be balance.

My other thought behind the suggestion (of ABC removal) was a somewhat Waldorf-y philosophy of not introducing/directly teaching the alphabet until a later age. Obviously, the child has already learned the alphabet, but if the OP is concerned about an 'obsession,' she might want to consider/think about a non-academic "environment" (e.g., nature, animals, music...) in the household.

[physmom]

Originally Posted by ASusan

Yes, I agree with you. I was suggesting limiting alphabet cues IF the OP felt as if the obsession interfered with daily behaviors (like sleeping, although, as I said, it's a tough call because toddlers go through phases that include difficulty falling asleep). And, I didn't suggest entire removal, forever. Just for a period of time, to see if it helped reduce the "obsession."

We don't limit DS's contact/interaction with airplanes. We encourage it, and we will be sad when/if it ends, as we all get a lot of pleasure out of it. But it doesn't interfere with anything, really. And this respect, I would call it an interest, not an obsession. I *do* try to keep books/toys around that feature nature, because DH and other relatives buy books/toys that are plane-focused, and I want there to be balance.

My other thought behind the suggestion (of ABC removal) was a somewhat Waldorf-y philosophy of not introducing/directly teaching the alphabet until a later age. Obviously, the child has already learned the alphabet, but if the OP is concerned about an 'obsession,' she might want to consider/think about a non-academic "environment" (e.g., nature, animals, music...) in the household.

Thanks for clarifying that a bit. It's hard to get intent sometimes over the internet. We're not very waldorfy here. I guess, we do something more like unschooling here in that we expose DD to a number of things and let her lead the way. But I see where you're coming from at least.

[crunchy_mommy]

My 16mo DS is obsessed with body parts right now... and when we're trying to get him to sleep he says "elbow... elbow... knee... cheek... elbow... eyes... elbow..." (can you tell his favorite is elbow? ) It just happens to be something he's interested in lately, he talks about body parts throughout the day, I don't think it's a concern unless he's not enjoying any other activities. For a while he was obsessed with counting (only to 3, he was 13mos at the time) and then he lost interest for the most part. He also is obsessed with books and would literally have me to read to him all day but I don't feel that's a good healthy balance so we do encourage other non-reading activities (though still allow for plenty of reading of course!) Soo... that's my take on the obsessions. I do suspect DS is gifted, he is definitely very advanced (pulled to standing at 5mos, was taking steps at 7mos, had over 100 words by 14mos, makes obscure connections, etc.) It runs in my family so I wouldn't be surprised but then again he could just be developing fast now & it could even out over time. I think at this point, just providing a wide range of fun physical & mental & social activities should be just fine!