Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Two-year-old reading at grade two level?

I would second this. It's a good litmus test.

Most public schools resist testing for gifted until second or third grade.

My older son was tested in kindergarten, but I could've told them he was gifted when he was two. While some recommended that I try to "slow down" my son's learning (as if that were possible with a gifted kid) so he wouldn't be bored, it wouldn't have made a difference if I had. When your five year old is going up to websites to learn about weather patterns, circle time is boring when kids are guessing if it's hot or cold outside.

So my thought would be to let your wee one learn at his own pace and deal with school when it comes.

I'd say that it also might be a good litmus test for a gifted parent and, in a round about way, that comes back to it being a good test for the child's giftedness as well. The parents who go around bragging wildly without regard or notice of others' irritation or discomfort often don't strike me as particularly astute themselves. As there seems to be some genetic basis for giftedness, I tend to assume that brilliant children are less likely to be born to parents who aren't particularly bright themselves.

Re your little guy, assuming that his reading isn't related to anything like hyperlexia, I'd feel fairly safe in going with the assumption that he is a gifted or quite likely highly gifted person. Neither of my girls read that early either but they are HG enough that just going with the GT classes starting in 4th grade that were offered by schools wasn't enough. We've homeschooled, changed schools a few times (charter, public...), grade skipped, subject accelerated, done GT pull outs, extracurriculars in their areas of extreme interest (SCUBA diving starting at age 8 for my budding marine mammologist)... I'd say that their education is almost "good enough" right now but it certainly isn't perfect and probably less so for my more 2e child who is less willing to self advocate b/c she is more concerned with fitting in and not appearing to be a braggart.

I guess that, in your situation, I would come up with some options for schools and not worry if you have to make course corrections along the way. As long as you have alternatives if something doesn't work as well as planned, you can always try something new. You have time and you don't know for sure what he'll need in a few years when he is school aged. The good news is that early elementary teachers and parents seem to be so focused on reading levels that a child who is tremendously far above grade level is likely to get noticed and that may make your advocacy job easier.

DD started preschool this fall at a small play-based school and has had no problems with being able to read. She is barely 3.5 now and reading quite well, although not at a second grade level yet. She can just now get through the first Little bear. I have no doubt she will be reading quite fluently by the time her school begins any reading instruction (almost 2 years from now,) but I have learned her school bumps advanced readers up into the upper grades for reading in kindergarten. So, we will cross that bridge when we come to it, and we have options to fall back on.

I personally think it is too early to tell and don't put much stock into the Ruf estimates. After watching my DD learn how to read I think that early reading says more about personality and interest (and maybe attention span) than intelligence. She was insatiable-- I'll give her that. We also read a lot, and I know she would not be reading without all the input from us. But, early reading has been a great way to engage DD and hopefully one day soon it will be a great source of pleasure and information for her as well. That is most important.

All of your comments have been tremendously helpful. Since posting my original question, I've read three books on giftedness, devoured many of threads on here and have thought a whole lot about these issues. It's funny how often these thoughts end up turning toward yourself; I think I understand myself (and my family members) in a slightly different light now. In fact, my mother's eccentricities makes a lot more sense!

I also really appreciate hearing about Grinity's 'home IQ test'. I'm constantly biting my tongue to prevent myself from blurting out all of the wonderful things my son has been doing. It's hard, but I feel like we would be judged harshly. I especially don't think it would help my son. I recall that when he was around 21 months, he was a bit of geography whiz. He loved spinning objects and has a phenomenal memory, and so the globe became a great game for spinning, pointing and remembering. I made a video of him identifying a bunch of random countries around the world and posted it online for some friends and family. The response to this video shocked me, as I had no idea how different my son was at this point. I've since felt quite badly about posting it. In fact, since this point, I've kept my mouth mostly shut about my son, with the exception of a handful of very close friends. He is more of an introverted kid, so his abilities aren't readily obvious. He's also in a play-based preschool, so I'd say he doesn't stand out among his peers (he just kind of does his own thing or reads quietly on the sofa). So, allow me to say that I am very grateful to have found this forum! I'm not sure where my son's skills will lead, but for this stage it's really nice to find other parents who have had similar experiences. Thank you!

I love Grinity's test! So true!

I have a 2.5 year old that was a self taught early reader as well so I'm enjoying the responses in this thread. He began reading words at 15 months and full sentences by 2. I have no idea what his official grade level or how to even test that sort of thing. He was diagnosed hyperlexic and autistic which makes it hard to tell how much he really absorbs and what his IQ level may be.

Isn't it interesting how learning all about your kids, in this case giftedness, sheds some light on your past? I've had many aha moments while studying up on all of this!

I'll allow you to say you are grateful to be here - we are grateful for the privaledge of being here for you, if you are willing to stop blaming yourself for posting that adorable video (which will come in handy some day when applying for Davidson Young Scholar Program- age 5)

It isn't your fault that no one sat you down and explained why you always felt a little 'off' before you had kids, so you had to learn on your own. It might be unforgivable if you did it now, but now you know better, and then you just plain had no way of knowing. Many of us have been in your same boat.

Smiles,
Grinity

Grins...only you, LOL.

I for one gave up trying to make my kiddo fit in by keeping my mouth shut. When the kid never stops talking, being a quiet parent doesn't help at all!

My son started reading at 20 months. He read everything he could get his hands on whether or not he understood it. Menus, signs, junk mail, all of it. At about 28 months, he discovered math and his fascination with reading was over. He didn't go back to actively reading until 4ish. His GT was never a question, it was obvious in everything. If your mommy gut says so, it is so. You know the answer already, but denial is part of the process. That being said, welcome aboard!

I just posted this yesterday. I pretty much have the same concerns. My wife and I are always embarrassed to bring up my son's abilities. Here was my post.

I'm new to this. I have three children. All of which are intelligent. My first two children began reading small simple words between two and three years old. My oldest is now 7 and finding first grade very easy. My concern is actually my youngest child. He is 30 months old. He can read and spell a lot of words. I would guess he can read at a first or second grade level. It started out with him memorizing the word, but has now progressed into sounding it out. He can easily read level 1 books. He can also spell over 100 words, and keeps learning new ones everyday. In fact he may know well over 100 words. My wife are I are surprised everyday when we ask him to spell a certain word and it turns out that he knows how. He can actually get most of my son's first grade spelling words correct. He loves letters and words. We can give him a pile of letters and he will sit and make words with them until there are not any letters left. He can also read most cursive writing. Especially if the cursive letters happen to be the ones that are similar to print. He is also teaching himself to write simple words. He actually gets very upset when he cannot physically write the word, but knows how to spell it. My concern is that he may be gifted, and I'm not sure what I should do about it. Sorry for the long post. Any feed back would be appreciated. Thanks.