My favorite topic. My DS9 was id'd by the District back in 1st grade when he was 6. (OLSAT) Given his lack of (as this thread is referring to it!) Doogie Howser qualities, I assumed he'd barely squeaked in so I had him sit for the WISC-IV right after he turned 8. 144 FSIQ/151 GAI. Not quite like some of the superhuman kids of the folks on this board, but enough to overwhelm me for a brief time.
I don't think that every EG/PG/whatever person has Doogie Howser-like qualities, though the media and even a few books about giftedness perpetuate that idea (err, myth IMO). Everyone is different. Plus, factors unrelated to cognitive ability play roles. Take motivation, which isn't necessarily tied to giftedness.
As an example, my HG or HG+ eldest started rolling over when he was only 2 months old (well ahead of schedule). It wasn't because he's smart. It was because, as we realized, he hated sleeping on his back.
He wasn't a huge talker (still isn't), though he was somewhat ahead of the curve. But my second son: he was and is a YAKKER. He started talking sooner than the first and his sentences were way more sophisticated at the same ages. IMO, this was because he had a lot to say, and my eldest didn't. So, motivation was presumably a large part of what was driving him, as his IQ isn't higher than the first son's.
BTW, the second kid hated being on his tummy. He'd cry, so we just stopped positioning him that way. He never rolled over. When he was 4 months old, I put him on his tummy to see what would happen. Presto! He rolled over and then started playing with his toes.
Sometimes motivation is key.
