The problem I see with the seng pamphlet and pretty much anything else written is that it can be interpreted so broadly as to have every child be gifted. Who's going to think their own child isn't curious? Every child is curious, just in different ways. Unless you redefine some of those terms, I think it just does a disservice.
Now a pamphlet written more like the developmental disabilities ones would be what I'd like. "Does your child seem different" Do you feel exhausted just having a conversation?
Just flimsy examples, and I don't know a bunch of gifted people like y'all do, but from looking on this board, it seems parents tend to have self doubts and struggle with parenting and wonder about their child and characteristics that aren't matching up to the parenting books. I don't know if it's a common factor, or if parents of typically developing feel the same way, but I do know that most parents in our preschool didn't agonize over kindergarten choices like I did. They chose based on price, reputation, etc. Whether their child could manage there was much lower on the list.
Milestones can be misleading too. If your child doesn't meet really early milestones in every area, you can be lulled deeper into denial. My dd isn't particularly logical or mathematical, so I was able to ignore the early reading and the flowerful language, and strong emotions, reassuring myself that she is normal. Despite the public school teachers of my older ds telling me I should do something about it. I just latched onto any evidence of normalcy (and still do).
Anyway, that's just my biased thoughts. I work in the field of developmental disabilities and see all the work that goes into reaching and supporting the parents through all means, including literature. They've put a lot of research into attracting the kids they really want to catch for their programs, addressing denial as well as overidentification. But then the pamphlets are made for programs that actually exist!
Mostly, I just wish that I had some guidance with this child of mine. Not so much academically, but I felt on my own to research and discover on the internet some of the different characteristics like intensity. It's not something you can ask professionals (teachers, doctors) about without feeling self conscious and labelled. And there's so much misinformation on the internet too and you don't know who to trust when you are just starting out researching. So many people trying to get rich by making your kid gifted. Ahh I ramble, but hopefully you can see where I'm whining from.
This is my current experience. Word for word.
As for milestones, anything non-physical is way advanced, anything physical? Not so much. My hulking child didn't walk until 18 months. Good times.
Graham is currently 2y9m and counts to 1,000 and sight identifies bigger numbers. He can one to one count and has been able to do so for about 8 months. He's starting to add and subtract things with sums less than 10. He can pattern numbers. For example the other night, for the first time, I asked him complete the pattern 2...4...6 and off he went. I don't think he understands even and odd numbers, but he can complete patterns in puzzles, etc.
Knew his letters and the sounds they made by 2y3m and read his first words by sight (cat, dog, bat,etc) at 2y5m. He's currently reading Biscuit, Mudge, Spot (what's with the early reader dogs?) and other Level 1 readers from the library.
His vocabulary is very advanced and his favorite things in the world to do are to thumb through phone books (lots of numbers and words) and do his "websites" (Starfall, etc).
To summarize our life with him....he's a great kid who acts like a kid, but on a daily basis he does or says something that makes my husband and I look at each other, and with a bit of panic in our eyes, laugh a bit nervously.
