Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Is my 2 year old gifted?

That sounds much more reasonable. Thinking of a typical kindergartner (which i had to learn about when I discovered that my child was not ND), very few of them know how to spell, and in our district, many are just learning their letters. I guess they could just copy and paste pictures into a presentation. Although basic powerpoint is certainly not rocket science, and it probably could be taught in k, i don't think it would hold the interest of the typical kindergartners.

I'm thinking some of the panic created by pre-k directors may come out of them not being esp. familiar with what powerpoint is anyway.

Sounds like you've got some good plans. FWIW, we have our HG+ DS4 in his second year of part-time preschool, and he complains about it every day he has to go. We're thinking one year was enough to get what we wanted out of it (socialization, learning to listen to a teacher), and we should have waited and kept him out of it last year. But it's hard to know when everyone else's kid is going to pre-k and it's your first kid - you just figure that's what you're supposed to do. We're thinking of pulling DS after christmas, and just going to zoo and science museum classes. DS also loves his gymnastics class.

HoosierMommy,

JMHO, but your DD is definitely normal ... yep normal in this gifted community!!! Of course that is not normal! You could ask your friends in your area if their soon to be 3 year olds are doing math in their heads. I suspect that you know the response and taking a wild guess here but probably another thing you hide from the others like I do.

As far as the potty-training it is one of the things cited as difficult for gifted children to accomplish and I am sure someone else can explain exactly why it is a difficulty but I remember reading that it is.

So in conclusion: simple math in her head before 3 = gifted

I second what K's Mom said: GT, and wet pants are nothing to worry much about at her age.

HoosierMommy - for comparison, my DS4, who is identified as HG+, started doing simple math (1+1=2 and numbers+1) at 3.5. And even having him identified as HG+, we still have many days when we wonder if that can possibly be right!


I did this when DS was littler. Our very good friend's baby, who was a year younger than our DS, would just sit still and happy in his bouncy seat for long periods of time. DS never sat still at the same age - if you left him in a bouncy seat for any length of time, he would scream! Of course, our friend's son is perfectly normal, but at the time I worried about him.

My DD never sat still either. She's always needed a lot of one-on-one attention and interaction -- even now.

Are GT kids really harder to potty train?? We've been at this for a week and a half and I feel like we're getting nowhere. I don't want to push her if she's not ready, but I don't want to give up if it's just going to take more time. After all, she's almost 3 and I can't help but think a 3-yr-old should be potty-trained. Not to mention the pressure from DM-I-L and my own DM. Sigh! I'm afraid if I go back to pull-ups, DD will think she won the battle. I don't know what to do. None of my tactics -- rewards like M&Ms, sticker charts to earn a small toy, hugs, singing, books -- have worked.

Any thoughts or advice on this?

I'm afraid I don't have much advice on the potty training, except to say that my DS got interested in it when he discovered that all his older cousins used the toilet, and so he then wanted to. He was pretty young. I don't know what sort of advice to give if your DD doesn't care about running around wet. Luckily, DS hates that so that helped. We also had the big thomas roundhouse that he really really wanted in a high place so he could see it, but could not reach it. He knew that once he was potty trained he would get it. (We went for the big guns!)

I don't know if GT kids are harder to potty train, but I do know that many of them are very strong-willed. Good luck!

Reading this makes me feel better about not getting in a preschool. My DD listen's well to the teacher in dance class, but is just starting to show wants to socialize with the other girls in class so I am excited about that. We do take her places. Her passion is pandas so we went to memphis zoo to see them. (And I just want to rave about that zoo. I have been to San Diego and the Memphis one is way more intimate and you are right on top of the pandas not kept at a distance. I highly recommend the memphis zoo.)

We also go to art museums which at this age is hard to tell how much she is getting out of it, but since it is an interest of mine she gets exposed. We also take her to live shows and plan to take her to the nutcracker this christmas.

I want to believe that preschool would be good for her but I am also concerned that she will be bored such as your son and FWIW I think you are right to pull him out after christmas b/c he probably has gotten everything he could from the situation of preschool.

I think (if I remember correctly) that the average potty-training age for girls is in the 33-36 month range. Boys average 3 months later.

So your daughter isn't necessarily ahead of the curve, but she's not behind either.

Beyond saying "don't push her or it becomes a power struggle" (duh!), I have no helpful tips: my DS7 went to Grandma's house for a summer visit for a week and came back trained, and DS4 taught himself to keep up ith his big brother. I always feel like such a sham!

I think I'm going to give the potty a rest for right now. It has definitely turned into a power struggle. And she is one strong-willed turd. I hate feeling like I'm supposed to meet some deadline with this stuff, like I'm not doing my job right if DD isn't trained by 3. She pooped and peed her pants again and said, "uh oh, I get a sad face," on her potty chart, but she doesn't care about it. She just says it like it's no big deal. One of the more frustrating things about this is that most of the potty training tips/books are for ND children, and I think potty-training a GT child is different than that. They obviously think differently, so ND tactics don't seem to be as effective. Grrrr.

Sorry, a little frustrated. Maybe once I let up, she'll take control on her own. Who knows -- I keep saying the child is crazy.