when we figured out how different Aiden was, I stopped speaking about him. I stopped mentioning milestones and achievements. He started hiding his abilities and even when he started pre school at 3 he then tried to average out his abilities to fit in with the kids in the class.
Once I managed to adopt the attitude that Dude mentions, it got a bit better, but now he is 5 and still tries to average out himself. Even to the point of deliberately messing up a reading assessment with his Grade 0 (K) teacher so that he is more in line with the only other 2 kids in the class who are reading.
So now when people say their comments I smile, say thank you for noticing. And when they ask more questions I quite openly say something like "yes he is an accelerated learner", or openly say that he is reading at a Grade 2/3 level or does grade 2/3 maths at home.
If I get negative comments then, I just tell them that each parent has to love their child just the way they are, and for me that means embracing that my child enjoys learning and thrives on it.
