Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Is my 15-month-old gifted?

It doesn't actually matter. But being the Type A that I am, I like being prepared. I'm an over-preparer by nature, and if I'm in for some hard times then I like to know what I'm getting into.
I realize that having a gifted child may not be the most desirable thing--that it comes with many challenges.

I'm fully aware that this could all be in my head at this point. I'd like to think that I'm worrying over nothing, and perhaps he's just a little precocious. Everyone has given me great points to keep my head on straight right now, and for that I am thankful.

Magenta, I think it's normal to wonder. I tried to plan ahead too but we're facing K decision for next school year and I haven't gotten a clue to what we're going to do. DD changes and shifts so much that I can't predict what her needs are going to be in a year. I'm hoping to avoid changing school often since I moved a lot growing up and I want DD to have the stability of growing up with a set of friends.


Change 7 to 4, that'd my DD. There are certain things that come very naturally to her that she picks up through observations but then she works really hard for everything else and does not let up until she gets it.


Perhaps it comes down to perfectionism but I still find it amazing that some people can skip the practice phase and go straight to mastery. When your younger DS finds his passion and directs his energy into it, he might really take off despite his perfectionism and stubbornness, or even because of them.

Tough to tell at this age. We thought eldest was brighter than average, middle kid was below average until about age 10 or so. Now we realize that middle kid is clearly the sharper one.

I didn't keep track of what they did when they were young, but here are a few things I recall:

Eldest - Crawled at 7.5 months, walked at 11 months
- Took apart Duplos at 10 months, put together at 12 months, sorted by size and color and built towers of like Duplos at 18 months
- Speech was average until 22 months, then suddenly spoke in full sentences.
- Watched full length movies around 15 months.

Middle - Really, really liked Blues Clues. Would watch for hours starting at 6 months. First word was "clue" (yep, we let her watch a little too much).
- Was good at puzzles. Don't recall what she did early on, but by 30 months, could do a 48 piece puzzle (free form, not rectangular) that she had never seen before.
- Good at building Duplo towers by 15 months.
- Crawled at 10 months, walked at 15 months.

Youngest - Don't recall much about her. She had some medical issues and we were focused on those. Haven't tested her (turns 10 this month) but likely somewhere between the older two in IQ. Older two were tested in 7th grade to gain entry to a specific course.
- Crawled at 9 months, walked at 16 months.

Have fun with the kid. I had a tough time having fun with them when they were little - can't really talk to kids that age. Also, watching sports was painful until about 13 or 14 - I had trouble just relaxing and enjoying it, so hope you can take a step back from the Type A and enjoy.

With the wisdom of 20/20 hindsight, I'd put it like this... there is no way of knowing whether or how gifted your little one is right now. There are broad ranges for what's normal with very young children and for every gifted child who spoke or walk early, there's one who didn't. For every one who was rational and calm, there's one (like mine) who was difficult and challenging from the beginning.

But that's not the same as discounting the evidence you see as your DS grows. You are the best witness and can use the data you have to stimulate appropriately now and to make choices around testing and advocacy as the years go by.

Again with the benefit of hindsight, I can say that we knew that DD was very smart almost from birth. I can look back at the baby journal I kept for the first year and read the wonder and terror we were feeling around some of the things she did back then. Still, there wasn't much to really do about it at that age... it wasn't like we could keep her from, or alternately prod her into, developing any differently than she did.

Yet, by the time she was struggling through a terrible first grade year, we began to doubt those earlier opinions. Still, those observations are what led us to pay for testing and make changes in her schooling when we needed to.

Also note, DD (now 11) never crawled. She scooted and rolled for a bit and then at 6.5 months she pulled herself up at the couch and started aggressively attempting to walk (and falling down A LOT -- we removed all hard furniture from the living room for 6 weeks until she got the hang of it). It doesn't seem to have hurt her development (intellectually, emotionally, or physically) in any way.

This.If both parents are gifted, chances are the child is too.

Mom (me): no I'd say not gifted, though I was told I read early (don't recall). Dad is currently getting his PhD in Economics, but he's never been tested or anything. Maybe we just have a smart little cookie and not anything too out of the ordinary.

Magenta,
I won't rule out the possibility of your DS being gifted. I don't believe that DH and I are gifted. However, I would be shocked if DD is not. Your DS is still very young and at that age and even later, I believe that it is not what the child knows and has accomplished but rather how they know it, how they make connections and use it in creative ways that differentiates a gifted kid from a bright kid. There is a twinkle in their eyes as they pursue new knowledge that is just such a delight to watch. While I don't have definite proof that DD is gifted, I still hang out at this forum to learn from others. I encourage you to do the same. And in a few more months, hopefully you will look back at this post and think," why did i even ask this? It is so clear now that he must be gifted".

If your DH is studying Economics in anywhere reputable, I think he needs to be at least moderately gifted to get a Ph.D.

There, I think there is a high chance your little one is gifted. Whether he needs anything special is a whole other story. He may be what people call optimally gifted in which case he will ace all the exams and do great in life with no added emotional burden at all. Things only get dicey when someone is highly/profoundly gifted.

I'm basically saying it's too early to tell. Even testing at age 4 or 5 is quite unreliable, although it is said that parents' assessments are more reliable. Nevertheless, you can try to create an environment where a child can reach their potential, even if you're not sure what their potential is. (School's should try this idea too.)

Magenta - I would definitely encourage you to continue with the sign language. This was a tremendous help to us before our daughters could verbally express what they wanted and helped to lessen the frustration between us and them.