My DD18 is an only, but here are my answers--
My questions are these:
1) when did you start to see that your kid was different?
2) In hindsight were there things that were "normal" for you, your SO, or your families, but in reality were indications of giftedness that you merely accepted as routine?
3) when did you for sure conclude/accept that your child was gifted?
1. She was 'different' by the time she was 2 or 3, from our perspective-- she was more rational and thoughtful than any other children her age, and moreso by far than a good many 3-5y older than herself. She had these social reasoning/understanding skills that literally
wowed when she explained herself (which wasn't that often). She outstripped adults in terms of her emotional regulation. At three. She was just, so... so... self-assured/self-possessed. Perfectly autonomous, but in a quiet, non-confrontational way. VERY determined, resourceful and purposeful, though, when she was motivated. What motivated her was unusual, too. She was actively concerned for the welfare of other people around her at 1-3yo. I didn't really appreciate that she was HG+ at that point, though, since she wasn't doing anything that seemed all
that advanced... then she learned to read. Well, we taught her decoding skills just before she turned 5, I mean. She already knew phonemes, etc. from about a year old. Once she realized that decoding was a thing that worked for any text, though-- she took OFF. It was surreal. She went from BOB books to Harry Potter (and beyond, I suppose) in less than five months.
2. Absolutely. MG+ is the norm in both families. Both parents, and more than 50% of extended family are HG+. Looking back, from birth she was different. It was most striking in childcare settings, and carers (and medical staffers) noted it even in infancy. She just quietly and unobtrusively did things that were developmentally impossible, no muss, no fuss-- she was just doing
her, if you see what I mean. She's NEVER done anything for "show" at all. Ever.
3. Within a year of learning to read, her comprehension and decoding skills were basically adult-- and she read faster than most adults by the time she was six. That's when I knew. When my 6yo wanted to talk about the problematic characters of Iago in Othello, or Jim in Huck Finn, there wasn't much of a way to deny it. Looking back, though, she was alert and following along in lab meetings when she was 6 and 7, too-- asked about a figure legend on a doctoral student's slide once, as I recall. I shushed her-- but the student
thanked her for noticing that the units were inconsistent.
