Hi everyone
Obviously I realise this is an internet message board and no one will be able to actually assess my son for giftedness. Having said that, I was wondering if any of this stuff sounds like your kids? Or is this all typical kid stuff?
My son is currently 4yrs 11 months and has never had any formal schooling. He's in preschool but it is completely play based. He was always a few weeks to a few months ahead in early milestones as a baby.
I wouldn't say he's super advanced in maths and reading, he is at around about a 7yo reading level according to most internet reading level tests. He LOVES numbers, does addition and subtraction and understands multiplication (hasn't memorised times tables or anything) and simple fractions. I don't push these things at all besides reading to him a lot, and I have bought him a set of maths manipulatives and I do help him with them when he asks. He gets VERY excited about using them and is constantly wanting me to ask him maths questions. He does have a reading eggs (online reading program) membership, but uses it maybe twice a month for half an hour to an hour.
He writes (sentences) reasonably well for his age, but spells words very phonetically. (Eg paper = papr, orange = oranj) and hasn't mastered punctuation beyond full stops.
Although he's not particularly ahead in these tangible things, what makes me really wonder about him is his insatiable quest for knowledge, and the way he makes connections between topics. I'm bombarded with questions throughout the day, it's like his mind is constantly ticking over, and I'm frankly exhausted by the end of the day.
Example questions:
Why do things that are far away look like they're moving slowly when things up close look like they're moving fast when we are in the car?
What happens inside a lock when you insert the key and turn?
How did we evolve to become bipedal? And did the birds come from T. Rex type dinosaurs because T. Rexes were bipedal and birds like emus are bipedal?
Does Jupiter have the most gravity because it is the biggest planet in our solar system? What about the giant planet that doesn't have a sun (rogue planet)?
These types of questions just keep on coming all day long, and each question will spawn more and more questions. I'm constantly googling and looking for youtube videos.
From his fish dying when he was 3, he extrapolated by himself that we would die and that he himself would die one day. He is quite anxious and can get preoccupied with death/injury. He is very intense, sensitive and energetic. He has an amazing imagination and spends a lot of the day "in character" as a dragon or griffon or whatever he's interested in at that moment. He has a phenomenal memory and can remember events from years ago and describe them in great detail.
I have to remind myself that he's still 4 sometimes, because my expectations on his behaviour can be way too high due to the way he talks and relates. I've been able to reason with him and use logical explanations from a very early age. He can be very emotional and very much 4 at times, and like a small adult at other times. We can be having an in depth discussion about something complex and then he'll make a poo or fart joke and think it's the funniest thing on earth.
I've felt like there's something different about him from birth.
Ok this has turned into an essay! I'm interested to hear your opinions and won't be offended one way or the other. I was tested as gifted as a child and it made for a difficult time at school, so I wouldn't be offended to hear that he sounds typical.
