Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Could my 3 year old possibly be gifted?

I've been curious for a while and have wondered if my 3 year old son has gifted abilities. I spoke with his pediatrician about it this afternoon, but she didn't seem interested at all in what I had to say so I'm not sure what to think.

My son is pretty average to a typical three year old except for one thing. He can read at a very advanced level for his age and this is something he learned to do on his own without any adult instruction. He began reading at the age of one. Ever since the age of one he has been mesmerized and obsessed with letters. At the age of one he would sit for long periods of time staring at alphabet videos on my iPad. One day out of the blue when he was about 14 months he surprised me and his dad by naming all the letters and sounds of the alphabet. I know that parents teach the alphabet to their kids this young, but this surprised us because we had not yet took the time to teach him the alphabet, he just figured it out on his own. Then about 22 months he would take his magna doodle and write simple words and read them out-loud. Again, I was surprised to see this since he had not been formally taught to hold a pencil to write, let alone spell and read words(he doesn't even attend preschool). Once I saw that he was reading words, I bought some flashcards to show him and to see how many he could read on his own. Surprisingly, he read almost everything without any help. His reading has progressed over the past year and now at three he could independently read a book meant for a third grader from front to end without any adult help.

However, his reading ability doesn't always mach his reading comprehension when reading the more advanced books. He has no problem understanding the simpler books he reads, but he does ask me to explain to him the more advanced books. A lot of times he will read complicated things just because he likes reading, but he has no clue what he is reading.

While doing some research on the internet I found something called Hyperlexia that could explain the early reading. However, the traits of Hyperlexia also do not fit him since he does have good speech and communication for his age.

Aside from his reading skill he seems pretty average. He doesn't seem to be super advanced at anything else. He does learn fast and comprehends simple math, but nothing that extraordinary in other areas.

So my question is, is this something I should look into now or wait to see what happens as he gets older? I've read that kids who sometimes start out ahead seem to level out about first grade, but by the same token I don't want him to be bored at school and not be challenged. I've also heard that kids this young can't be tested. I am new into the gifted topic and would appreciate some advice. Thank you.

The new WPPSI-IV would be a perfect test for him. It has extended norms (unlike the WPPSI-III) and also unlike the previous version it is just more preschool appropriate, i.e. it has ways to answer questions that don't test fine motor, which most preschoolers, and many gifted kids, have issues with.

Sounds like now is a good time to understand him and what your local school may offer. Do some research, the reading that early is a pretty common gifted attribute. Don't buy into "leveling out" that's more about kids who've trained to read with some effort. To put into perspective I still remember my son's first grade teacher reporting that he could count to 150. Yawn? Had since he was like two and a half, but those are what average expectations are. Odds are you have other gifted family members and your sense of normal may be skewed. Ours was.

Early reading can be common in gifted children, however, not all gifted children are early readers (my son is PG, and not an early reader), and not all early readers are gifted.

If it were me, I would wait. In fact, there's not always a reason for testing at all if the child is doing well at school, is well adjusted and happy, and accommodations are being made (we tested due to hime being labelled the 'problem kid' etc.) - other than for specific programmes.

Welcome!

Some may say that learning the alphabet after long periods of time watching alphabet videos on an iPad may not be figuring it out on one's own, but responding to targeted instruction.

Recent discussion of reading skills including decoding, fluency, vocabulary acquisition, and comprehension are found on this thread: http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....chronous_reading_ability.html#Post178728

Hopefully you came across the book [u]A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children[/u]. You may wish to read this, as it is a highly accurate guide of what to expect, and a prepared parent is best able to navigate the journey.

You may wish to look into this now, in terms of preparing yourself should you find yourself on the journey of parenting a gifted child.

It is typically said that kiddos even out by third grade (not first grade). This is related to what Zen Scanner shared, Other threads on this topic include http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....5728/Hothousing_did_you_didn_t_you_.html, http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....child_gifted_or_hothouse.html#Post174514, and http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB/ubbthreads.php/topics/173485/1.html

Enjoy your child!