Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Academic "red shirting" - are they really gifted?

The discussion about Leapfrog and Starfall reminds me of a revelation I had recently. My mother always claimed that I "taught myself how to read" when I was three. She remembers me spontaneously picking up a newspaper, saying "I know how to read now," and then reading the newspaper out loud to her.

A little while ago (last year, perhaps) I was flipping the channels, and on PBS I saw a tribute to the 70s show "The Electric Company". I didn't consciously remember the show, but I was amazed to find myself singing along to every song on that show. The character would say one thing and I instantly knew how the second character was going to respond.

Amazed, I called my mom and asked her about the show. She recalled that when I was three she was sick with her pregnancy and slept on the couch every afternoon after parking me in front of PBS.

So, I didn't teach myself how to read-- The Electric Company taught me!

So, does that mean I was "Hot Housed"? No, benignly neglected is more the truth. Even if Electric Company did teach me how to read, that doesn't discount the fact that I was a gifted reader.