Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school 1st child 18 mo. -- Is he gifted?

Sometimes I think my child is gifted, other times I don't because he doesn't seem to fit some of the criterion for gifted. He just turned 18 mo.
Here's what I think is special:
1.Sight reads over 100 words and started reading a few days before 15 mo.
2. Knows alphabet, by sound and name (he says both)
3. Knows 10 colors
4. Knows 8 shapes
5. Knows all his body parts
6. Can follow 3 step directions
7. Fine motor skill of stacking blocks and balancing objects that would blow you away. He didn't color until we went to a restaurant that had thin crayons. I had been giving him fat ones.
8. At a young age he would sit alone flip through fine paged books and point to and say items like apple. One time at 12 mo. I asked him where the octopus was, thinking he'd point to an octopus on the train track in front of him, instead he goes to a pile of books, pulls one out, flips through the pages until he gets to the page with an octopus on it. He pointed to the octopus and said "Ooooo".

Here's what may not be so advanced
1. Didn't walk until the day before 15 mo. (he read before he walked) He didn't roll over until late either and didn't do it that much before learning to army crawl. He didn't do the traditional crawl until 12 mo.
2. He only says 35+ words not counting the names for the letters of the alphabet. He says some two word phrases like, I eat, My Dada, Mamma says, and I see,. When he was very young he could say Kitty Cat, Night Night and Moo Cow, but he quit saying those words. He also has lost some words like cow and key although he still says Moo. He says most animal sounds.
3. He knows what seems like thousands of words but doesn't say thousands of words. I know this because if I ask him to find the or show me the whatever he does it. Although he knows 10 colors he only says one out loud, "Blue". I know he can read because he will point at a word in a book or a word I write down, or a word he sees somewhere else and either say it, do the action for it (like clap), make the animal sound, or look at the word and bring me the item (like a plastic rhino for the word rhino).
4. He just now started kicking and throwing a ball overhand.
5. He can put a spoon to his mouth but cannot scoop food into the spoon. He recently started stabbing items with a fork.

I read that gifted kids have advanced motor skills and have large vocabularies. He doesn't seem to be advanced in either skill.

Additional info: He has a wonderful since of humor. He loves making faces and tickling my feet to make me laugh. He loves playing hide and seek. He loves being read to, to the point I've become hoarse and actually hidden books from him. Sad but true. I guess starting around 9 mo. he would bang on his closed bedroom door and scream and cry to get to the majority of the books, then he didn't want to leave. He loves puzzles, blocks, numbers, letters, shape sorters, music and climbing. He loves asking "Ta?" which means, what's that?. He wants to know what everything is and how it works.

So do you think my son is gifted?

Yep.

I had one of these kids, too--and it seemed to me like a kind of perfectionism--he didn't want to try to walk, talk, whatever, until he was sure he could do it perfectly, and then he didn't walk, he ran! He didn't talk, he gave speeches! And so on...

It will all come in time (and then you'll be *really* tired!!).

peace
minnie

My DS7 didn't walk until he was 14 months old and then ran two weeks later. My DD4 took steps at 14.5 months and didn't really walk until 16 months. I used to think he practiced in his crib when no one was walking.

My impression is that walking is part of a completely different skill set from cognitive giftedness.

The reading, colors, and comprehension sound giftie-oriented to me!

Val

My DD was pretty average on the gross motor skills. She did not official let go and walk until 14 mths. She could walk since before she was 1 yr old but she is my little perfectionist and would not do it until she was absolutely sure she wouldn't fall.

Everything you described in the first section is definitely gifted. The only concern I would have is your comments about losing words. Just keep an eye on it and let your doctor know. It really isn't a concern until after they turn 2. If at age two he is losing words it is considered a red flag for autism. Not trying to scare you and certainly don't want to diagnose anything. The word lose and the fine motor skills of using a spoon are red flags.

From what you've shared, I definitely think he sounds gifted, perhaps highly to profoundly so. The loss of words worries me though. That sort of verbal regression can happen with autism spectrum kids. They also tend to have motor skill delays. You may want to talk to your pediatrician and see if a referral to a specialist is warranted.

best wishes,

First, let me say that DD3 lost a few words around that age, and I got all panicky about ASD. Now I feel silly for even thinking it--she's now absolutely symptomless. Of course that doesn't mean that you can rule it out just yet.

I'm not an expert, but I think that reading words he cannot say is a sign of hyperlexia. I also think that it is possible for a kid to be both gifted and hyperlexic. I can't tell from your post whether he has any of the other signs, but you might look into it.

Good luck. Your son sounds delightful.

Sounds gifted to me.

FWIW, my DS6 who is HG+ didn't walk until 18 months old. He was actually in early intervention from 8 months until 2 years old for gross motor delays. I joke that the reason he talked so early is that he was just sitting around on his butt all day.

Welcome AnnaC!
Sounds like he's definitely gifted. And remember, most kids don't hit everything on checklists. I for one am very happy that not all kids are the same! My DS5 took a few steps just before 12 mo., fell, and didn't try again until 14 months when he knew he could do it perfectly. But speaking of gifted checklists, have you seen Dr. Ruf's levels of giftedness in preschoolers info? Here's a link: Preschool Behaviors of Gifted Children and Ruf Estimates of Levels of Giftedness

I agree with the others that you should mention the loss of words at your next pediatrician visit.

Sounds Gifted to me too! My DS6 wasn't an early talker and his motor skills are average. In his classes he is given the concession of being allowed to type his assignments because his writing skills are very "kindergarten". In the early stages. speculation was given first to autism, then to aspergers because my DS was just an odd little guy. As it turns out he's fine (other than driving me crazy!)

Your education is the key to keeping up so you've found the right place! Welcome!

I also agree that your child sounds gifted. All children are all different by their abilities, weaknesses, and inerests, so it is hard to be certain in younger children. The best thing you can do now is nurture your childs curiosity & encourage his natural interest. Welcome and we look forward to hearing more about your young'in