Well, your DS sounds alot like mine did at that time. Even down to the late talking. DS9 didn't really take off with his speech until 2.5-3 (we actually had a speech consult just to make sure everything was OK). Turns out, he just wasn't ready, but when he was, the flood gates opened and still haven't closed
.
At 4 (and even now) he was exuberant, vivacious, full-on all the time, and just exhausting. He wrestled with us, loved to be tickled, really seemed to thrive on physicality. He was reading, counting, doing simple math. He was also very emotional. He frustrated easily and didn't tolerate it well. He would still have meltdowns over things that we couldn't really understand and was just very intense.
At the time, we suspected he was bright, but really had no frame of reference or comparison. He had a friend who was very similar in development (but for the late-talking), so I just thought it was normal or average. It wasn't until he started K that we became more aware of the differences and they were pointed out by his teacher. That really began our journey to discovering that DS is brighter than average and looking back now, so many things make more sense.
Regarding maturity - Sometimes I find myself saying that DS is less mature than whoever, when I don't think that's what I really mean. I think it all depends on what constitutes maturity. DS takes things like honesty, friendship, and doing the right thing seriously. He's honest (sometimes to a fault), if he's your friend he's your friend despite what others say/think, and if something is wrong, it's just wrong. If he's uncertain about what to do/say in a given situation, he comes to DH or me for help. To me, these are mature actions/behaviors.
Can he sit still and be quiet for 7+ hours a day in school? Nope. Does he still find body humor funny? Yep. Does he still get upset and not handle his frustration appropriately at times? Yep. Some would say that he's immature because of these things. I don't really see it that way. Learning the appropriate times, places, and/or actions for these things is the mature part of it, in my opinion, and he's doing that. Those are just my thoughts.
Hope some of this is helpful for you.
