I remember when Rite was given the Denver II screening at 18 months, he was able to do most things at 4 years of age (plus) and he pointed out alphabet on the wall and colors and told the story of a fork lift dropping a load of boxes at the local Home Depot place (fos lif go up UP UP. blumpblumpblump boses all fall down. Oh Oh! bwoke all duh lawnmos -- accompany by hand motions and big eyes:^), etc. The Dr. after he was done, plotted the Denver II, while still squatting down by Rite on the floor, then rolled back onto his heels and said, "Wow!"
chuckle.
This was the same doc who, when Rite was born, thought he flipped over from back to front on accident the first day in the hospital then the next day, when the doctor took him out to look at his dislocated hips, he did it again and again and again. Oh! said doc, "he really can roll back to front already". He also noted that he could hold his head up in the hospital and lift it off the mat. He didn't doubt me when I said he smiled at his 1st week check up...cuz Rite smiled at him!!
This was the same doc who noted at 4 months that he'd never seen such an active and alert baby and that I was "going to have" my "hands full".
When I asked him at the 18 month check up if Rite was gifted, even after saying "Wow!" himself, he said, "I don't believe in giftedness".
We lived out in Boulder, Colorado then. It is a highly educated and very liberal town, but there was a very strong culture against "giftedness". Rite didn't have a chance. Even the fellow playgroup moms hated me for my worry over his precocity. We were ostracized when he started spelling his name at about 15-16 months.
When Mite was little his ped. noted his singing and vocab prior to his first birthday. He too said I was going to have my hands full. I never broached the idea of giftedness with him, though, because at 15 months Mite "shut down" and stopped doing everything for about 7 months. His ped, thank goodness, knew where he had been prior to the "stop" and immediately found intervention for him. I think it might have saved Mite from a descent into autism.
Anyhow...off on a ramble again....i wish someone had affirmed my suspicions and given me advice on how to mother these guys!!
Toddlers are sorely neglected when it came to identification and intervention by the medical and education communities. It amazes me that what money is spent in our district is spent at the middle and high school levels. IMO, by then we've missed the boat.
