Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Baby can read

I have friends who let their children watch Baby Can Read, and some of those children can read many sight words as young as 10 months old. I understand they are hothousing their children.

My real question is if their children are gifted since they can sight read so young?

They may be gifted or they may not be. Hothousing makes the water cloudy so it is harder to see true giftedness.

I am very curious as to what happens to the babycanread kids around 7-8.I hope you are still around here so you can tell us if they stay ahead or not

Don't get me wrong. I am happy that their children are already sight-reading at such young age.

What is considered hothousing, and whether they are hothousing or not is not my place to judge.

I am just curious whether they are indeed gifted. Or any children who can sight-read at such young age are gifted?

No clue what it means when kids can do that but I met a mom once who had done those DVDs with her son. She said her son knew all his letters, colors and a lot of numbers between 1-2 years. She was trying to get me to do them too (everyone assumes we'd like that stuff because we sign with DD???).

I'm curious how it'll play out for those kids too.

I would say you cant tell, and I agree a better predictor is te intelligent leve of their parents as if both parents are gifted the likihood is the child will be.
People aways assume we use something like that with DD since she reads at almost a second grade level, it is nice that she rsponds very loudly..."I taught myself!" Something i guess she is proud of LOL. she is very outspoken. I am interested to see where the kids who used this method are in several years as well.

I think the difference is between "let" and "make". Parents of infants who let their babies watch DVDs are not hothousers. Parents of infants who MAKE their kids watch DVDs are hothousing.

I had a neighbor when my DS was little who put her son in a high chair and showed him flashcards. She would give him a bite of his lunch when he got one right. That to me is hothousing. Making a child, far below the expected norm, perform for food (or love or attention or whatever you're withholding).

That being said- a baby that can read may or may not be gifted. I don't think you know until you see what else they can do at an older age.

Also, children can learn to memorize words as symbols. It's not the same as learning the alphabet and reading phonetically. I spoke with a school principle who says he gets kids at his primary who appear to read well but are actually unable to read unfamiliar words.

CAMOM I am so with you on the difference between let and make. To me, if someone shows educational videos and the kids like it, isn't that better than watching Sponge Bob? If the mom is forcing them to watch it or using flashcards when they don't want to do it, that is a whole other matter. I can't force my kids to do anything they don't want to in terms of learning so it is hard for me to comprehend, but there are probably little ones out there who are more compliant and are just forced into learning. I can't imagine that is good for their creativity or self direction. We read books from the library that teach things about animals or science etc, and if my DD like it, she likes it. If a baby loves the Baby Can Read video and they aren't in front of it all day, big deal. Is the kid gifted???? I don't know. I suppose you would look for other signs that were not related to memorizing those words. If the child learns a word after seeing it once or twice they are probably gifted if he has seen the word a hundred times and finally gets it, it seems less likely (but that is at an older age and not in reference to a ten month old learning to recognize words).

I think most very young readers that are truly gifted in this area, have a 'hunger' for words, books, signs .... . We're not talking about learning from a video, but constant demand - pointing to print by the young one ... desiring to know the word and then using it next time they come across it. Somehow, and it's beyond me how, there is meaning to these squiggles - and a genuine 'need' being met, in our world of the written word. Of course this is not a basic need. I wonder how kids without access to print over the centuries applied their talent. There must be other purposes for this ability, but I don't know what.
This then moves on to the child who loves to decode, just as another loves to build puzzles ... there's a fascination. Basically books satisfy.
Again, there is the comprehension aspect. Single words and mundane sentences won't hold the gifted reader's attention for very long. In my experience reading becomes entwined with their personality, opinions can be expressed at a very young age and judgements made.
So there you have it folks, one Mom's take on this thorny subject.

Yes, books satisfy...that is exactly the word that comes to mind when I think of DD.

I do think there is a difference in letting and making a child watch....DD has an assortment of videos...some educational...some just kid movies and vidoes. When it is TV time she can choose...and sometimes she chooses the educational ones....actully I would say about 75% of the time she will choose a leap Frog, a magic school bus, or some other one that is educational. But that is her choice...I will let her watch any of them.

DD has been interested in print and words with no promting from a very young age. I can't imaging forcing DD beacuse well she does what she wants...she is more stubborn then I am. I have learned things have to be her idea. LOL