We didn't know- DS is an only child. He did things early that made us think he was advanced or at least had an excellent memory (he could recognize the alphabet by around 18 mos.). We had some people comment on his language skills, but we facilitated some of that we a lot of conversation at home.
We considered "gifted" around 4 when he began to pick up on math concepts quickly was adding and subtracting large numbers in his head by pre-k. He didn't read at 3 (more like 5), but accelerated so fast that he now reads books at around the 4th or 5th grade level (he's in 1st).
I think that a WISC or other IQ test may provide good information about our kids, but even after we had him tested (he's HG), some days we wonder. Gifted kids don't "act gifted" all the time. Sometimes my kid (now six) sits around and makes up complex multiplication games. Just as often, he screams and throws a tantrum because I tell him he can't watch another episode of Ninja Turtles.
Also, (sorry for the disjointed post), my DS likes to go "fast" and will make some careless errors or misread instructions on schoolwork. It confuses the issue- because he's far beyond the "work" but he makes mistakes.
