My son is very exceptional. He was tested by a neurologist at Texas Children's Hospital and his IQ is extremely high. He also has Sensory Processing Disorder and is possibly on the spectrum. He will be 5 this summer.
In the past week, he began speaking a new language. At first, I wasn't sure what language he was speaking because he has made up his own languages in the past. But, now that I've done some research, it is clearly Russian. He seems to speak it fluently.
I don't know anyone who speaks Russian and since he only has access to DVDs, I know he didn't learn it from TV.
I would bet that at least one of the DVDs he has access to has an option for Russian audio, if everything else you say is true, and he really has not had any other live, TV, or internet exposure to the language.
My DD loved to watch her favourite DVDs in other languages when she was little. I was not aware of her learning to speak those languages but she certainly watched DVDs in them quite regularly by choice.
It's hard to tell online because you can't hear voice but I sound curious rather than disbelieving with my eyebrows wrinkled trying to think of a way this could have happened. How do you know it's Russian? What were some of the words or phrases? (if you wrote them down). Was it a whole lot, paragraphs or single words? I don't not believe you. What does he say and what's the translation? That would give us context clues to where he might have picked it up. You'd be very surprised how sometimes they can memorize stuff from hearing it once. They're little sponges. I've got a 7 month old who keeps using phrases correctly too often for me to call it a coincidence. She has always had a habit of copying the amount of syllables in a word from 2,3, or 4 syllables. When she chooses not a trained trick. The other day she copied a five syllable beat then quite clearly said "I did it.". (one of her brothers catch phrases he picked up from Dora). I've heard her say "I did it" before. Actually "I deyit" the same way her brother says it plus a couple other phrases in a correct context. But she doesn't talk yet, she just makes baby sounds. Other than the out of nowhere full sentences she uses correctly sometimes. So I have to say she doesn't talk enough to call it talking but too often to call it co-incidence. Luckily she does the same stuff around the hubby so someone else notices. She memorized stuff. She sings some of the verses of "our song" sometimes, approximating the verse pretty closely. Also she was playing with a toy that said "first there's the egg". She said a while after playing with it "ffff eh eh a". Why am I typing all this here? It has only vaguely to do with the title of the thread and even less to do with what you say your son has done. I ask myself this and answered, maybe to introduce myself and maybe hear more of your story and find out what you're thinking about it happening. I know that children memorize easily. And my baby copies the tune correctly on the few little bits she's ever sang along to with this as well:
My son is very exceptional. He was tested by a neurologist at Texas Children's Hospital and his IQ is extremely high. He also has Sensory Processing Disorder and is possibly on the spectrum. He will be 5 this summer.
In the past week, he began speaking a new language. At first, I wasn't sure what language he was speaking because he has made up his own languages in the past. But, now that I've done some research, it is clearly Russian. He seems to speak it fluently.
I don't know anyone who speaks Russian and since he only has access to DVDs, I know he didn't learn it from TV.
Has anyone ever heard of this before?
Welcome!
Wow. That's something I haven't heard of before. Your son sounds like quite a kid! When you ask him how he knows this new language what does he say??
Would you consider taking your test scores and achievement testing (if you have any) and anything else you might have and applying to the Davidson Young Scholars Program (DYS) if you haven't already? From what you have described above, he seems like the type of child they were created to assist. You can search on "DYS" here on this forum if you have questions after you check out the info on the web or you can always just ask as you did above. It appears to be a wonderful program to help with raising a PG child. They have likely seen children "more like yours". And I understand they also have a forum... Maybe someone there has seen something like this before..
I think the above posters are right. He probably got the Russian from one or more DVDs. If true he is probably not speaking Russian fluently yet, but that's irrelevant; it may be evidence of some great intellectual talent. A DYS application sounds like a good idea, especially if you think he may need extra support for SPD, autism etc.
Or he heard it in the background at the grocery store, Restaraunt, or mall. I could see a kid hearing something a parent was too busy to hear in a public place. If he did hear a conversation in Russian and it stuck in his head long enough to repeat it correctly later, yeah, I'd be fishing around for someone who might understand too. I told the hubby what I'm typing right now because he's sitting here watching tv and he said yeah, our three yr old just heard a song in the car and we came inside and he was singing it. I know I've been at the store and he hears a baby crying across the store, faintly, that I didn't notice. I know because he says something. So, yeah. It's more likely that you saw what you thought you saw happen and it's related to giftedness.
Are you sure it's another language? Could it be that he is playing with language (talking backward for example)? Could this be echolalia of foreign phrases?
wow, neat. i vote for the russian option on the dvds - did you check? does he operate the dvd player himself? (only asking because my brilliant DS is just about 10 and has never had any interest in operating things like that, i have to push him to do it himself if he wants to watch a DVD!!)
same DS had some echolalia type issues when he was dealing with speech delay and frustrations early on, around age 18month-22 months. Once I thought he was babbling and my SIL recognized that he was counting in Chinese lol pretty sure he heard it on a Baby Mozart video or something!! He has very little interest in foreign languages right now.
It is not April Fools day, but I have a feeling someone is trying to pull one over on us. A first post by someone named nuttybuddy about such a bizarre event got me thinking this might be the case.
Sorry if this is not the case. But if this is the case, very well done, the post sounds very convincing.
It is not April Fools day, but I have a feeling someone is trying to pull one over on us. A first post by someone named nuttybuddy about such a bizarre event got me thinking this might be the case.
Sorry if this is not the case. But if this is the case, very well done, the post sounds very convincing.
Can your son also interpret what he is saying in Russian? I have a strong audio visual learner who could memorize just about anything she heard and repeat it back verbatim, including other languages, but could not translate what she was saying unless she was specifically told what it meant. The ability was strong around ages 4 and 5 and has subsequently faded.
I found this forum because I was trying to google this because I remember reading something about it before. When my son was younger, he made up his own language.
I thought that is what he had done again at first. And then I thought it actually sounded kind of familiar, so I thought it might be Arabic or something (we live near a university and there's a large Middle Eastern population) he had overheard somewhere.
I was talking about it with a co-worker and repeated a few things I'd heard him say many times. One of them is dos nadanya or something like that, which apparently means farewell. My co-worker said it was Russian.
I asked my son what language he was speaking and he said, "The (city we live in) Language." I asked him if he heard it on TV or out somewhere or if he dreamed it. He said he didn't see it on TV or hear someone else speaking it. He said he just learned it.
A co-worker also mentioned she'd read about kids waking up one day with a foreign accent and I thought that could be related too. But, I just can't find what I am looking for.
I hope you don't take offense to what others might have posted about your original post being a possible joke. Even for a community of extraordinary, your inquiry was a curve ball to say the least. But if being in this community and reading about everyone's children has taught me anything, it's to accept that we haven't seen it all and there are in fact some amazing children out there.
I, personally, have not heard of children spontaneously speaking a foreign language but I do remember my daughter from an early age 'spitting out' what sounded like Arabic and sometimes even Mandarin. (And by early age I'm referring to before age 1.) I wasn't shocked by it considering how early she spoke her native tongue and even less shocked now with how quickly she picks up other languages. She is fluent in Spanish and strong in French and Mandarin. I saw the early years (DD is only 4 now) as a way in which she stretched her vocal range; flexed her tongue muscles, basically she was practicing all kinds of sounds.
I do want to ask for some clarifications from your original post.
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He seems to speak it fluently.
Fluency, to me anyway, is not necessarily having a complete vocabulary in any given language but it is the ability to communicate effectively with anyone in that language. Like I stated earlier, DD is fluent in Spanish. She is fluent in so much that she is able to have conversations with Spanish speaking individuals and not just simple Hi, how are you? and responding to it. Is this what you mean about your DS? Or do you mean what words or phrases he is using appear to be accurate Russian? If it is more in line with the second option than I'm inclined to believe he overheard those phrases somewhere: on one of his DVDs or at a store where someone was talking in Russian. It doesn't downplay, by any means, his abilities and clearly this is another example of his intelligence.
Anyway, I hope you aren't offended by the posts of others and I really hope you share more about your son. He sounds wonderful.
You're welcome to stay or come back any time but I will suggest you're more likely to find the type of answer you want to receive on this particular topic by copying your posting at the following forum as well: http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/
If they fail to help you now or at any time in the future on this or any other issue don't forget us, let us know how we can help you more. My boy was picking up that Chinese from that ni-how-Kailan, plus making up his own words, plus we already live in a Spanglish speaking community. Kids. And I heard an anecdote about someone's kids who were fluently taught 5 languages before kindergarten. Kids are hard to understand when they're young anyway. Imagine. Not knowing which of the five languages you're not understanding them in.
If you'd rather look for a mystical explination your first clue is the word "xenoglossy". It took me a 15 minute google trail to fing that one. hth http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glossolalia. I wish you luck on your quest. Peace
I. A co-worker also mentioned she'd read about kids waking up one day with a foreign accent and I thought that could be related too. But, I just can't find what I am looking for.
I took this part to mean you were looking for a more spiritual than cognitive explination. That forum i mentioned has a spirituality section about kids, with a resident intuitive it looks like.Oh yeah. I was curious if he could translate what he said. Either way doesn't downplay The giftedness at all. Katelyn's mom is right about that. I probably shoul just leave it at that, but I've had a long week and a nice cup of coffee. So I probably won't. It makes a difference in which terms you want to define the things you see. �If you want to call the "increased empathy and creativity, as well as conceptual thinking as apposed to linear thinking" by the term "Indigo children" or if you want to call it "overexcitibilities" determines who you want to talk to. �Seems like several groups have noticed exceptionality and have tried to define and communicate what they saw. �Actually a recent goal i've seen posted here is to create a way of discussing gifted issues and also create some comprehensive easy to grasp terms to discuss them with. �Seems to me like you have an in- depth kid, and, well, we're an in-depth bunch that frequents this forum. �If you're looking for something multifaceted and you're flexible I think you'll find it here.
Language fluency has to do with how many words one knows, as well as how they are applied. I have heard that for somebody to have a basic fluency in a language they need to know at least 1000 words and about 400 phrases. This is may require very little effort for somebody who is gifted. However, to be able to apply the words and phrases fluently in a language the person has to be exposed to the spoken language.
On a practical note if he has a memory for languages (however he is exposed to them or even if in some mystical way they are innate) and if it may have a window of opportunity that could close/fade (as TX G experienced) I think you would try to find him someone to talk with in that language as much as possible. (or multiple languages).
When my SIL wanted her children to "keep" their foreign language, after moving to the US from abroad, she had a tutor make crafts, play games, etc with them --in the foreign language.
My family are notorious for creating humor out of almost anything and playing tricks on each other. Nothing like having a mom that hides around corners and tries to scare you or starts a water fight in the house with gallon pales of water. I definitely learned how not to be easily scared, to question everything and not to take life too seriously. Your post sounds so much like something my cousin Danny would try and pull off.
I would be surprised to find someone being spontaneously fluent in a language. However, it is quite common for someone on the spectrum as you put it to learn certain abilities very quickly. It is very easy to interpret these abilities as being more than they are. Some will be able to instantly learn words and phrases from having only heard them once or a few times. Das Vedanya is a fairly commonly used Russian phrase on English movies. So I wouldn't be suprised if a child picked up a number of commonly used Russian phrases from non-Russian movies.
I have dealt with a few AS children and learned you have to be aware of this ability to pickup skills very quickly. One of the big mistakes a person can make is over-interpreting what the child is able to do. This can lead to situations where they are moved to the next level in school without having properly developed an understanding of the current subject matter. Later when they reach a more advanced area of the subject matter, they may end up having difficulty and this can lead to future insecurities. So it is very important to be careful when interpreting a child's skills or they can be falling behind without even realizing it.
Behavior is another area where this can be an issue. Just as with all children, AS children will try different things, including undesirable actions. If they feel rewarded the first time they attempt an undesired action, this ability to learn quickly can lead to them continuing the behavior. It is good to keep a list of undesired behaviors and plan how to deal with the behavior when it first occurs. If caught on the first occurence, an undesired behavior will takes minutes to resolve, but if not, it can a considerable effort to resolve. It would be impossible to catch them all, but the time saved by just catching a few undesired behaviors early can save a lot of time in the future.
I was however hoping this was an attempt at humor. It has all the elements of what I would consider to being done in good taste. The subject matter is reasonably positive, the username would provide a subtle hint it is humor and the idea of a child being instantly fluent in a language not commonly used even as an available language on DVDs in the area where most of the forum members are from could be seen as another subtle hint. Definitely all the elements of a person gifted in creating humor.
I think humor can be very positive, even on a forum where the topics are often fairly serious. There is a fair amount of humor on this forum. When people get too serious about a particular topic, they often get too fixed onto one train of thinking. A bit of humor can take them outside of the box long enough to become open to new ideas.
I may have used "fluent" in the wrong context because it isn't as if there are many Russian-speaking people in this area. But, he does have entire conversations in this language and he can translate it for me. I am not that great at spelling in Russian, but the translations seem to be accurate.
My son is taught at home. I know that the public school system would just fail him in so many ways. He has been "kicked out" of many pre-schools in the past few years because the teachers cannot handle him. He's a good, sweet boy, but he just demands so much stimulation mentally. And he gets excited easily. And he is easily distracted by the smallest of things.
I fear so much the day that I can no longer teach him because he is smarter than me (he already is in a lot of things). Then what do I do? The current school district we're in doesn't even provide classes for high achieving students. My daughter is above-average intelligence, but not gifted, and she makes straight 100s in first grade.
I took offense to the thing about it being a joke because often times people on forums do not believe what I say my son is capable of. I don't know if it is because they are jealous or what (not that I'm saying anyone here is). I just am so used to jumping on the defensive.
I will look at the links everyone suggested and I will get in contact with my son's neurologist at Texas Children's to see if they've ever heard of anything like this.
It's hard to accept his accomplishments sometimes and be happy about them because I worry whether or not he is getting worse, rather than better. I don't want him to have to bear the burden of being extra-special. I just want him to be happy and have normal relationships in childhood.
I hope you find the links and information on this forum relevant to your situation. There is a lot of wisdom and experience here. And it is a safe place to talk about your children and your concerns for them. Heck-there is even a brag thread.
My daughter was tested at the school she previously attended, but just tested as a high achiever, which is what I expected. I've never taken her for outside testing because she gets along with other kids her age and seems to respond appropriately to things. She is very highly motivated to learn and catches onto things very quickly.
I originally sought help for my son because I suspected he was on the spectrum. He was having random horrible tantrums and would scream if another kid even looked at him. He also wanted only me all the time. He wouldn't even look at his father or grandparents. And he has always spoken very well, but there was a point where he only spoke a made-up language for about 3 months straight. I knew he was very intelligent and probably quite gifted, but I didn't realize just how gifted he is.
I read about the whole indigo children thing and it seems fairly accurate for him. My son seems to be able to do things and just knows things and I have no clue how or where he learned them. He also seems to not be motivated at all to prove his intelligence, for the most part. He had me convinced for about a year that he was color blind until he slipped one day and told me the right color when I asked him. He really tries to manipulate me and everyone around him.
If I've ever heard of a fine candidate for unschooling I would call it this story you've just told me. �Anything else seems unreasonable and counter-productive if he's that exceptional. �Eh. �He's on a path of his own. �The alternative is to let people less intelligent than him spend his whole childhood trying to "fix" him. �Leaving the option open for outside help as far as they're actually helpful only. http://eomega.org/ That's a college in the catskills in NY that offers interesting classes. �They had a remote viewing course available one summer. �Seems like you could call and ask someone there and be taken seriously. �I have a good friend that went there to become an artist and I considered going there to become a yoga teacher (before kids...Groan.)
If he's trying to manipulate you, well, kids learn what they live. See Jaime H's post above. It's odd I'm telling you this because it's not how I'm raising my kids, but it seems like it might help you do what you need to do to find out what your family needs. hth
Also, have you been reading some of the other stories and threads on here? It gives a mamma peace and understanding.
Uh. It's not because they're jealous it's because your story's a bit bizarre, but not unheard of. It's not what most people mean when they say gifted either, even though he can "do" gifted on a test. Like herenow I too hoPe you find what you need. What I've found here goes beyond Diversity in that not only is there Tolerance for differences also people try to help you do what you're trying to do for your family, not just what they think you should do for your family. Even though everyone will Gladly tell you what we each think you should do.
I agree with La Texican - I would really look into unschooling. He seems like a great candidate for it. He is totally going to be on his own path in life.
Interesting to hear you mention that he has no desire to show off his intelligence. I'm beginning to wonder if my son (17 months old) is color blind - lol - just because ignores me when I ask him to get the red item. But several months ago he pointed at my cranberry juice in a cup and said "red," so I'm sure he's just fine.
He's like that with everything. Who knows what he's picked up that we don't know about yet. Though I doubt he'll be picking up Russian at any point.
Your little guy is very special. Don't let the schools try to "fix" him.
My daughter has been very selective is who she feel comfortable with ever since she turned 18 months. It showed up suddenly and she only wanted to be around me and no longer wanted to be around her mom.
There is something known as Selective Mutism where children will only speak in front of certain people. Now I believe in my daughter's case, it affected more than just speech. She would often freeze up and in some cases try and drag me away from these people. If I would not go, she would sometimes start kicking me. What I feel happens is certain people cause her to feel a great deal of anxiety. I am fairly certain this anxiety causes her to be unable to understand what I am saying and perform certain actions she can do normally.
About a year later, I visited a town where some of my closest friends live. In every case, she was almost instantly comfortable with these people. This was the first time in since she was 18 months where she was ok around other people. When I went home, she instantly went back to not wanting to be around anyone but me. At this time though, I was not typically able to be around my favorite people in the area I lived in. Once I did finally get a chance, she turned out to be comfortable with them as well.
I cannot put my finger on what it is that attracts me to the people I like the best. I don't make my choices based on having common interests. My daughter seems to have the same taste in people, I just don't know what it is based on.
She has improved greatly in the last 5 years. However, she is still the shy child in the class. Usually it takes her about 15 minutes to warm up and then has almost no problem interacting with her class. She still appears to be selective, but is more comfortable with a wider range of people. Signs are good she is heading in a positive direction fairly quickly. Only time will tell if this will continue.
Nbuddy, Have you figured out a way to deal with the tantrums? Do they continue to trouble your son?
My son really clung tight to me for the first 5 years - as if he needed me to be his interpreter to the world. It was hard on my DH. I had no idea that there are levels of giftedness, and that giftedness could be more than a 'nice bonus.'
Good for you for homeschooling your son! Love and more love, Grinity
My son is more open to other people now. He will occasionally hug his grandmother. He finally says "I love you" to people. He didn't even say it to me until the past 6 months or so.
He is very close to his step-father now, maybe even more so than he is to me. They have similar problems - my husband suffers from synesthesia, so he can relate in a way.
As far as the tantrums go, they have gotten so much better. He may have one a month now. Before, it was several each day. He would hit, kick, bite, headbutt, scream, etc. The only thing that calmed him was holding him tightly in a dark, quiet room. His step-father has taught him ways to calm himself since we've all been living together (about 9 months now). He is able to stop his hand "flapping" by himself now. When he gets overly excited, he stops himself and twiddles his thumbs. He's learning coping mechanisms pretty quickly. He still has trouble relating to other kids his age or even older though. I imagine that will continue.
My son has been different from birth. But, he really started to change around age 2. One of his major sensory issues was with food. He ate only bread or bread products for years. Now, he eats a large variety of foods and asks for more!
I'm going to try and read more around these forums this weekend when I've got the time. I really appreciate everyone's responses.