Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Early Milestones - what do they mean?

Neither of my children had early large motor milestones as babies. DD was right on time; DS was delayed, and actually quite seriously. He was in PT for a while and then magically caught up. Now he is the athletic one. Don't ask me.

However, they both smiled very early and were very alert. Despite DS's obvious physical delays, there was never any concern about any other delays. It was very obvious that everything else was in order.

I'm trying to remember what it was that DD did at her 6 month appointment that freaked out the ped--I think the ped said "I'm going to turn off the light and check her eyes" and DD immediately looked up expectantly at the overhead light, like, "Well, okay, lady--do it."

MY DD freaked out my OB doc during my c/section delivery. DD squealed a little as she was pulled out then stopped, stared very intently at the OB doctor and smacked her lips a few times while watching her. For at least a year she was unusually excited when we saw any young Asian woman (like my OB doc) and I started to wonder if she imprinted on her

DD first freaked me out when I set her down in her crib at about 2 months and walked away and she yelled out "MOM". I almost fell on the floor but dismissed it as crazy sleepless mother illusions. She did it quite a few times in the same context though until she started using it with very obvious and specific intent at 5-6 months.

Anyway, thats all totally off topic rambling. I don't really think gross motor milestones have much meaning. My DD was ahead on some and behind on others and will never be a star athlete unless perhaps in swimming or something like that.

Those are amazing stories! 2 months is phenomenally early to be speaking! You sure have a little go-getter.

Don't get me wrong....I still don't know that I believe it myself....but it was quite clear, it wasn't just one sound I pulled out of her crying or cooing, it was said in distress and my sister witnessed it once as well out of the 3 or so times I remember that early. By 5-6 months she said it often in other situations specifically to me, 6-7 she started the dada specifically, 10 months started others and by 12 she had about 25 with a few phrases. I only mention the rest because I only even consider the possibility of the 2 months (?close to 3m) being real because she backed it up with other things as time went on. Who knows...I may be crazy. I admit that I do not mention it to people if I want them to think I am sane. When asked, I generally say she started speaking at 10 months because that was her first word beyond mom and dad. But I also recall her clearly looking at pictures in a specific book at 2.5 months. She was looking intently and moving her head slightly as she moved from picture to picture in the book and laughing every time she got to a certain picture with a dog. She still likes that book.

coveln - my youngest started saying a very clear approximation of Hi or Hello whenever we came to collect her from the cot at a very young age. I haven't documented it, clearly I thought I was crazy, but I remember DH and I having multiple conversations about whether it was real as she did it very consistently very young. I also (stupidly) haven't documented use of Dada or mum/mama. The first record I have of speech for her was saying "Bye Bye" to guests at 7 months (and I've written down who she said it to, clearly thinking I was crazy still). Interestingly she didn't wave goodbye consistently for another 6-7 weeks after speaking it. The next recorded word is "this" at 9 months. Then a receptive language indicator at 16 months, clearly my records are somewhat lacking! At 16 months she heard me ask her older sister to set the table (who did not respond), so she did it, which involved getting plates and cutlery, climbing around on the table and spreading the plates around (I did not note if it was the right number of plates), putting some cutlery (random) with each plate.

coveln, I hear you. DS was speaking early enough that I decided not to tell the paed, lest my sanity be questioned. He never was a performer, least of all at that age.

We stopped discussing DD's early milestones with her pediatrician because we figured as long as she isn't behind, there isn't much to talk about. The cat is out of the bag now since DD can read charts on his wall and asks dozens of questions and when she started naming all the organs and bones during the last visit, he looked at us and said "Medical schools are expensive, mom." I replied, "Well, we'll see how she does in preschool first."

Given how she was as a baby and toddler, I thought for sure her strengths would be related to fine-motor and visual perceptual things. She prefers to type and she is into drawing maps these days so she is progressing nicely but about a week ago, we discovered that she can run like the wind. We've had no clue but apparently, when properly motivated, she can run faster than boys twice her age. I thought she was going to trip and fall but she didn't.

SO always insisted that she was very well coordinated for her age and strong but I thought he was just seeing things because there are better coordinated girls in her gym class and she seemed just so hopeless in her ballet class but it's all coming together for her and I see the spark and in her eyes when her body is in motion. She is also fiercely competitive (to a fault, we're working on this) so she might end up quite athletic just like her father and my father. This is not something I'd have predicted based on her babyhood physical milestones because she was early on some, on-time for most, and late on a few things like jumping. I'm so relieved that I didn't pass my lack of grace to her but she sure took her time to let us know.