Hi there!
I don't know that my son is gifted, and I don't know that he's not. A good friend who is retired, but used to work with gifted children suggested that he may be while we were talking about his social anxiety/problems. He just turned 4, for reference. I hadn't thought "gifted" because he didn't teach himself to read at 2 or so, like some of your children (and my brother who was reading the newspaper at 3).
For personality background: he's very musical and imaginative. He attends a Montessori school and after a month was inconsolable because they were not teaching him to play an intstrument at school. He wanted to learn drums, but when we took him for drum lessons, they were too loud for him. We found a vioin teacher that fit his personality, so he's taking Suzuki violin lessons. At home, he likes to "give concerts" on instruments, or other objects, he likes to build things with legos, Tinkertoy, random objects; or play with his 100 imaginary robots and his 100 imaginary children, who all live under our house in an invisible pyramid. Recently, he's enjoyed spending hours (or as long as I can stand it) being read to, but that's new. He hasn't a had a history of enjoying letters and words.
His issues are that he rarely connects with peers. He loves babies universally. Adults are hit and miss and he frequently says aggressive things to strangers. He is developping control and is more and more able to just stay quiet (though frequently gives a stink eye). Just this week he has started reading signs aloud (things I didn't know he could read). He's a perfectionist who would not say it aloud if he were not absolutely certain. I am now wondering if he was trying to do this in his head and strangers talking to him were ruining his concentration, hence the backlash. I'm not sure, but since reading aloud, he has become nicer. I need to pay more attention and find out.
It fits his aggression in toddlerhood as well, as he started to dislike all other toddlers because he'd be "working" on a toy, and they'd come along and grab it. He started an offense, and just tried to hit, then growl (once we got a better handle on hitting), other toddlers before they could do it.
My friend that mentioned looking into the gifted possibility, said to try to keep him occupied and think of him ad older rather than younger (I kept bringing up his toddler squabbles). She suggested writing him his own grocery list at the grocery store so he has something to do/focus on. Which I think is good advice, wether or not he qualifies for a gifted label.
Do any of your children have this type of social problem? How do you handle it?
I also would like to know, if he is gifted (I have to say, I dislike that word personally), I'd like to hang around and learn how to help his school not suck (as it did for me, I don't know my iq but was told through ADHD testing that it is in the gifted-profoundly gifted range, I was not put in a gifted program, my brother was however. I was told that I lacked focus and didn't complete homework, so I couldn't go and was separatated from my classmates because I "couldn't focus" all through elementary school. My mother had wanted to homeschool me, but we live in a state that had prosecuted parents for homeschooling and she was scared. The homeschooling climate has since changed.). I would also like to know how to prevent these problems he's having from occuring with his sister. He spoke and signed early, which made for a wonderfully easy babyhood but a (if related) disastrous, socially-speaking, toddlerhood. I know they are different children, but if these things are in anyway related, I'd like to stay on top of it. My 12 month old spoke in full 5-6 word sentences before her first birthday, but has not picked up much sign. This morning she's said "I'm dirty" and held out a yogurt covered hand, "I want to lay down" when she wanted to nurse, and "no, blue ball" when given the yellow one. If these things are any indication of the types of problems we are dealing with now with my son, I'd like to stay on top of it.
Thank you!
I don't know that my son is gifted, and I don't know that he's not. A good friend who is retired, but used to work with gifted children suggested that he may be while we were talking about his social anxiety/problems. He just turned 4, for reference. I hadn't thought "gifted" because he didn't teach himself to read at 2 or so, like some of your children (and my brother who was reading the newspaper at 3).
For personality background: he's very musical and imaginative. He attends a Montessori school and after a month was inconsolable because they were not teaching him to play an intstrument at school. He wanted to learn drums, but when we took him for drum lessons, they were too loud for him. We found a vioin teacher that fit his personality, so he's taking Suzuki violin lessons. At home, he likes to "give concerts" on instruments, or other objects, he likes to build things with legos, Tinkertoy, random objects; or play with his 100 imaginary robots and his 100 imaginary children, who all live under our house in an invisible pyramid. Recently, he's enjoyed spending hours (or as long as I can stand it) being read to, but that's new. He hasn't a had a history of enjoying letters and words.
His issues are that he rarely connects with peers. He loves babies universally. Adults are hit and miss and he frequently says aggressive things to strangers. He is developping control and is more and more able to just stay quiet (though frequently gives a stink eye). Just this week he has started reading signs aloud (things I didn't know he could read). He's a perfectionist who would not say it aloud if he were not absolutely certain. I am now wondering if he was trying to do this in his head and strangers talking to him were ruining his concentration, hence the backlash. I'm not sure, but since reading aloud, he has become nicer. I need to pay more attention and find out.
It fits his aggression in toddlerhood as well, as he started to dislike all other toddlers because he'd be "working" on a toy, and they'd come along and grab it. He started an offense, and just tried to hit, then growl (once we got a better handle on hitting), other toddlers before they could do it.
My friend that mentioned looking into the gifted possibility, said to try to keep him occupied and think of him ad older rather than younger (I kept bringing up his toddler squabbles). She suggested writing him his own grocery list at the grocery store so he has something to do/focus on. Which I think is good advice, wether or not he qualifies for a gifted label.
Do any of your children have this type of social problem? How do you handle it?
I also would like to know, if he is gifted (I have to say, I dislike that word personally), I'd like to hang around and learn how to help his school not suck (as it did for me, I don't know my iq but was told through ADHD testing that it is in the gifted-profoundly gifted range, I was not put in a gifted program, my brother was however. I was told that I lacked focus and didn't complete homework, so I couldn't go and was separatated from my classmates because I "couldn't focus" all through elementary school. My mother had wanted to homeschool me, but we live in a state that had prosecuted parents for homeschooling and she was scared. The homeschooling climate has since changed.). I would also like to know how to prevent these problems he's having from occuring with his sister. He spoke and signed early, which made for a wonderfully easy babyhood but a (if related) disastrous, socially-speaking, toddlerhood. I know they are different children, but if these things are in anyway related, I'd like to stay on top of it. My 12 month old spoke in full 5-6 word sentences before her first birthday, but has not picked up much sign. This morning she's said "I'm dirty" and held out a yogurt covered hand, "I want to lay down" when she wanted to nurse, and "no, blue ball" when given the yellow one. If these things are any indication of the types of problems we are dealing with now with my son, I'd like to stay on top of it.
Thank you!
