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I'm putting this at the bottom of this post because, well, it's basically something similar that happened... once again.

After asking this question about starfall we ended up limiting DD's time on it because she was getting REALLY obsessed with it. As in we couldn't turn the computer on for 2 seconds to check our email without her humming the short a song and pointing at the computer to watch it (and throwing a HUGE tantrum if she didn't get her way). So we've cut back a lot.

However, yesterday, I was really desperate to finish up some work and I was watching DD because our babysitter couldn't come. I just needed about 10 minutes but DD wasn't having it so I turned on some kids show called "words,words" just so I had those few minutes! I KNOW bad mom, right? She's still under 2 but I was hoping one day won't kill her. Anyways, the basic premise of the show was that they wrote the words, would then spell/say the words out loud and it would become an object. So they wrote out slide and before they even said it DD started saying "ide" "ide"! I was pretty shocked! Not only has she never said slide (ok, she couldn't pronounce the whole thing but you know what i mean) before but I guess she has at least one sight word! Then she did it a couple of minutes later with they wrote duck (she started saying "du" "du"). And even if she couldn't say the word she'd repeat a number of the letters (like she kept saying "r" for about 5 minutes).

Like I've posted before, DD is not a big talker and I think I've heard that there could be problems if your kid starts reading before they start talking? Yesterday was really a one time thing so it's not like I'm going to be letting her watch that show much but is there anything I should be concerned about? I would never limit how much I read to her, so I'm not sure this is something I can really slow down or prevent?

I guess, I'm kind of freaking out here. It's like I keep trying to convince myself that she's not that far ahead or that I just think she does these things because I'm a proud mother. But then she goes and does something like this. It doesn't help that we're considering a move to a country where homeschooling is illegal so that's also a concern of mine. I know it's really early to think about school but it would be a permanent move, so it's something that keeps coming up in my mind.

Ok, thanks for listening if you managed to get through all that.

[quote=newmom21C]Like I've posted before, DD is not a big talker and I think I've heard that there could be problems if your kid starts reading before they start talking?

Just curious where/what you heard about this?
My dd was a late talker. She literally started talking sentences over night. And she was reading too. I wonder if she read before she started talking.
She would bring me at least 50 books a day to read to her and would have fits if I didn't. She would even push my finger under the words.

PS I resorted to some computer and educational videos just so I could get a break!

I think it was on this board somewhere? Unfortunately, I can't quite remember where... Hopefully someone will know and be able to set the record straight!

But I'm glad to hear that your daughter turned out ok and didn't have any problems, that gives me hope. Also, DD does the pointing thing too, she'll point at individual words for me to say them. These demanding kids sure keep us on our toes, right?

Well, I won't say that she didn't have "any" problems. She was tested in prek at a 4th grade reading level. Kindergarten was torture for her while other kids were learning letters, sight words and phonics. The teacher finally gave up because she would get frustrated, esp. with phonics. They would want the kids to write the words how they sounded. She would do that but would get upset because she knew it wasn't spelled right. Finally, they gave up and gave her a "word" box. Any words she didn't know they would write on an index card for her.
She is now in 5th grade and an excellent speller. The teacher just said that sometimes gifted kids are "whole" learners.

Mr W does this as well. He'll even go get the latop and drag it to me. I keep it hidden or work out of sight if I must concentrate.


It goes much deeper than that. Consider what Mr W did yesterday.

Yesterday when I dropped Mr W off at school, I told him I was going to be gone two days for work. Well, plans fell through and I worked from home.

When DW picked him up, she told him "Daddy is at home." and he replied. "No, Mommy. Daddy is on a plane. He will be back in two days."

This is a very complex response from a kid who is 26 months old.

There is a lot going on in these kids' minds and they are struggling with making sense of it. In their own way, they are prioritizing what they spend time on. Speech may take a second place to actual understanding. I think Mr W mulls stuff over rather than verbalize immediately.

That's so funny because that's exactly like DH. She seems so like him in many ways (at least according to MIL) that I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He's said more than once that in his native language he never misspells anything. In English he's also infinitely better than me at spelling!


Very good point, and I think you've probably hit the nail on the head. It's just hard to remember that at times. I think I should be watching more closely to what I say in front of DD. It's so hard to forget because she just doesn't talk a lot.

Hi newmom21C,

Kids on the autism spectrum can have unusual language development, including delayed speech but early fixation on symbol systems like writing and math. Part of this cluster also is that their language may tend to be echolalic, i.e. repeating what they've heard (often complex utterances, which fools people for a while). The unifying theme here is that they are treating language as an abstract symbol game, not as a way of communicating. From what you've said, this doesn't sound like your kid.

Meg

I can't answer whether there will be problems, but my 19 month old DD is very average with her speech but already recognizes some words. There are a few words she recognizes that she can't say, but can either sign or use other indications when she sees them.

One of my sons (now 8) wasn't exposed to letters or words as early as my DD, but when he was 2 he had learned his letters from a peg puzzle and old style fridge magnets. I thought that since he knew all his letters and sounds I would spell a few words out for him. He was immediately able to pick them up out of context. That kinda freaked me out, and I stopped spelling things out and put his magnets away (he had grown out of the peg puzzle). I didn't take the stuff out for nearly 6 months, but by then he was no longer interested and he ended up not really picking up reading again until he was 3.5 years old. He was always rather stubborn that way. I can't say how other children with different personalities would react, but for the time being, I will continue to spell out the words for my DD when she follows me around with the doodle pad until I do.

Thanks, Meg, for explaining that! DD is Very (very, very) social, so I tend to think that's probably not an issue. Also, in the last few days she's really been putting forth a lot of effort to talk and has been saying a ton of new words, so I'm thinking (and hoping) that I was worried over nothing.


I have a feeling DD is the later, she tends to be pretty persistent about things no matter how many distractions I provide! We've learned the hard way that it is sooooo much easier to follow her lead where ever she may take us. Yeah, you're right about worrying about school, I guess I'm just worried if we don't have homeschooling as a back-up just in case, you know what I mean?


Thanks for sharing about your kids.