It is hard to say if he is gifted but don't think that just because he didn't get math early during toddler years that you have to rule out the math component in the gifted realm. All children develop differently and it is possible that verbal was more interesting to him and he focused on that. But now math appears to be an interest and he has clearly jumped leaps and bounds. I also hear people state that their kid was not a early talker and used that as criteria for not being gifted but oops they were wrong.