My little guy, newly 2, gets these random "obsessions" that he gets so fixated on! Some are normal (trucks and trains) and some can be pretty unusual, like currently, he's very into windshield wipers on vehicles... They don't get to the point where they make it so he can't do other things, but to the point where he talks about them A LOT! Wants to draw pictures of them, tells everyone about them, wakes up in the morning talking about them...
My Oldest never did this, and from I see, it's not something most other toddlers do, either. At least not to this extent.
I've seen people mention this is an autistic spectrum trait or OCD... though I've never seen anything that would make me think there is anything like going on with him. He's really social (well, with people he knows, not so much strangers) and emotionally perceptive in addition to being extremely bright. And he's been screened (his doctor screens at 18 & 24 months) and came out low risk.
Does this obsessive stuff go with the territory in gifted kids what from you've all experienced?
Others will have more specific answers, as my dd has never been tested. She is bright very sure, and definitely had obsessions. For her, it seemed to be an awareness of danger/fear much younger than normal, but not the coping ability to process the information. She latched onto firefighters, for example, and wore her fire suit dilligently every single day for well over a month. She wanted to learn everything she possibly could about them, but didn't want to "play" firefighter. Finally, we just took everything away because she couldn't get over it, and it had clearly become a fear thing. She was 2, and now, at 8, she thinks it s silly she ever did that. She doesnt even remember.
Other "obsessions" have been the same. There was some piece she couldn't quite figure out or understand, so she was "stuck" on it until she mastered it.
Hi. I made a post myself not long ago about my own 2 year old's obsession, although he only has 1 obsession, but it has now lasted 9 months. From what I've read, it is common with gifted children, although it can relate to other things like you have mentioned, but there must be other signs. Sorry I can't be more help, as my son is also so young.
You might try Misdiagnoses and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, Ocd, Asperger's, Depression, and Other Disorders for a framework to sort through which pieces are being bright and which might be something else.
From what I've read, it is common with gifted children, although it can relate to other things like you have mentioned, but there must be other signs. Sorry I can't be more help, as my son is also so young.
I did some more reading, too, and I'm coming up with the same thing. Seems like a common trait. Beyond being scary smart and a little quirky (interesting & fun quirky so far! lol), there are definitely no other signs of concern at this point, but like you said, my little guy is still so young, too! I guess only time will tell! But I would think there would definitely be some red flags at this point for other problems.
I just looked up your thread, too funny! My little guy has a fascination with space (with a focus on the moon!) too! Just by reading books he's learned all about planets and stars and he LOVES everything space related. He loves to watch the space documentaries on netflix, too.
Thanks for the book suggestion, domesticidyll! I'll have to add that to my wishlist.
My daughter was really into the moon at that age--reeeally into it. We read a ton about it, really advanced stuff for her age, and she knew all about it. She's ADHD and SPD but thus far not ASD. My son, who is 4 and very social and definitely not ASD, was obsessed with ceilings. Like every time we walked into a room or a building we would have to look for and talk about everything on the ceiling--particularly speakers, lights, sprinklers, vent systems...
My DS (almost 5) is obsessed with commercials at the moment. He quotes pieces of them at relatively appropriate times. Very funny! But possibly ASD? I'm not sure.
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