Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment How long have you been around? Early ID...

1. When did you first expected giftedness in your child?
4yo. Preschool teacher alerted us.

2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?
6mths - spoke a few words
9mths - knew the alphabet (from a wall hanging in the playroom)
12mths - full sentences
13mths - started walking

We were cluesless parents. Never heard the gifted word till he was 4yo, from aforementioned teacher.

3. Did your child have any delays? If so what area (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
Gross motor skills - weak in general. Didn't like the playground till 6yo. Had massive falls till fairly recently.
Fine motor skills - didn't write till after 5yo. Gradually improving (7y6mths now).

4. Is your child 2E? If they are did they have other signs besides the obvious, more quantifiable ones?
2E. Sensory issues.

5. Has your child been tested?
Yes. At 6yr 2mths.

6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous? If so what are his/her strengths and were they obvious from a young age?
Asymchronous. Highly verbal, very logical but very poor handwriting/refused to write.

7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
Preschool - excelled in verbal, literacy and math skills; weakness - social, fine motor.

1. When did you first expect giftedness in your child?

Never or always, I guess. She has the genes for it, and seemed to be as smart as I expected a kid to be. We considered the local gifted school for preschool, and I remember being concerned that DD (at not-yet-3) wouldn't score 90th percentile on the IQ test for entrance, but it wasn't that I didn't think she was that smart - I didn't think she'd perform for a stranger.

2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?

None in particular. DD has always been a kid who played her cards close to the vest, so it's hard to know what she could do when. That said, there's been some weird stuff.

She could stand unassisted at 6.5 months (I stood her up in the hallway to take her picture, and she didn't fall over - she had no independent interest at all in standing.) She could walk at 9.5 months, and never fell down. Sat down, but it was always a controlled sit.

Somewhere I've got pictures she drew right before she turned 2 - a banana, complete with shading and a stem-shaped stem, and a train with wheels, windows, a smokestack, and clouds of smoke. She's never had any particular interest in drawing, either before or since, nor have I ever seen her draw anything that realistic in the 5 years since.

When she was 18 months or so, and had virtually no words (she flunked the 18-month speech screening for not enough words), she was walking beside the shopping cart and suddenly said "three." Now, she never said anything, so I puzzled over that for a minute, until I realized she was staring at the 3 on the box of diapers in the cart. "Yep, that's a 3." It was probably another year before I heard her say three again.

3. Did your child have any delays?

Probably not.

She flunked the speech screening at 18 months (not enough words) and 24 months (no two-word phrases), but passed the evaluation with a speech therapist at 26 months. She had all the 33-month milestones at that point, so I suspect I'm another "hard grader." She'd say ~10 words in a row, but slowly and deliberately, with long pauses between, which I didn't count as putting multiple words together because of the long pauses. She could always communicate just fine, and was never frustrated, even when she didn't talk (or sign, or anything) at all, so she didn't really talk until she was good at it.

4. Is your child 2E?

No: I don't have any reason to think so.

5. Has your child been tested?

Yes, sort of. The school did the OLSAT this past spring.

6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous?

Short answer: not asynchronous.

She goes in fits and starts. She entered kindergarten not reading (which surprised everyone), and was picking her way through Marvin Redpost 3 weeks later (although that certainly wasn't pleasure reading other than in the sense she enjoyed the accomplishment - it was right on the border between "instructional level" and "frustration level"). Recently, she's really into math.

7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?

I'd guess fairly even, but like I said, she plays her cards close to the vest.

DD13

1. When did you first expected giftedness in your child? 2 years.
2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?
Not sure what category this fits into: She spelled her name out loud without looking at it & without having ever practiced or being prompted (Her name is Elizabeth). I had no idea she knew how to spell it.
3. Did your child have any delays? If so what area (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
Verbal skills. I was very concerned that she did not reach verbal milestones in her 1st 2 years. She made up for it, though, by speaking in ten+ word sentences when she did start talking.
4. Is your child 2E? If they are did they have other signs besides the obvious, more quantifiable ones? No
5. Has your child been tested? Yes; in 3rd grade.
6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous? If so what are his/her strengths and were they obvious from a young age?
She is somewhat asynchronous; Her social skills developed slower than her intellect. She has strong math skills but they did not develop until she was challenged in 4th grade gifted class. In fact, her teachers were concerned that her would not be able to keep up in math. (HA!) Spelling has always been weak but not a hindrance.
7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
I don't remember much unevenness as a very young child. If she had a strength, it would have been in literacy. Her favorite toys were books.

DS8

1. When did you first expected giftedness in your child?
4 years.
2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?
Verbal & literacy skills; He wasn't a super-early reader but he could remember things that we read together without repetition.
3. Did your child have any delays? If so what area (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
Social skills; he is still learning to control his reactions to imperfections & figuring out what to do when a question doesn't have a "right" answer.
4. Is your child 2E? If they are did they have other signs besides the obvious, more quantifiable ones? No
5. Has your child been tested? Yes; at the end of this past school year.
6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous? If so what are his/her strengths and were they obvious from a young age?
He seems to be across the board gifted though he shows a strong preference for sciences. He has checked out non-fiction books from the library since he was in K, always about animals or earth/space.
7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
His development was pretty even with fine motor & literacy skills being somewhat stronger than the others.

These are answers about myself. I am relying on memory & what I have been told by my mom.

1. When did you first expected giftedness in your child?
Unsure; possibly 3-4 years.
2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?
Literacy; I read very early. Edit: I forgot to mention that after public K my parents were asked/advised that I might skip 1st grade. They declined, concerned about my social development. In 2nd grade, at a different school, I went to the 3rd grade class for reading instruction.
3. Did your child have any delays? If so what area (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)? Possibly social. I am told that I preferred to play alone or with one friend, even in the nursery as a toddler.
4. Is your child 2E? If they are did they have other signs besides the obvious, more quantifiable ones?
No, not while I was in school. I now have BP2 disorder.
5. Has your child been tested? Yes; I was tested more than once as we moved quite a few times.
6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous? If so what are his/her strengths and were they obvious from a young age? I believe I am across the board gifted. However, mathematics is definitely my strength & has been for as long as I can remember. I recall being given my math book & workbook in 6th grade by my teacher & being told to let him know if I needed help (I was thrilled!) I never really enjoyed social studies/history & had to work to make As in those classes.
7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)? As I stated above, I read as a preschooler. I don't believe I walked or talked early or late. The only other thing significant I can think of that I have been told is that I was hard to get to sleep at night; my mom said I was a "night owl" & I still am.

1. When did you first expected giftedness in your child?

Keeping in mind that we are not at the PG level and haven't done IQ testing....

I always noticed that my first child was not lining up with the cognitive milestones (we had What To Expect the First Year--often seemed that she was in the "...and your child might even be..." category--but usually for that category a month or two ahead.

I was afraid to be one of "those" parents and explained away or de-emphasized a lot. It makes me wonder what I overlooked now that I see how atypical some of her abilities are. I was amazed by everything, but didn't start thinking of her as anything other than bright until she started writing a mid kindergarten level at the age of three. Looking back though...lots of sign posts that I just didn't know were unusual. Probably the biggest one was a very early fascination with and attention span for books.


DS: seemed less remarkable to me both because I was no longer a first time parent amazed by everything and because he came along at about the same time I was starting to realize that DD was doing some pretty atypical stuff.

2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?

DD: Writing a story at age three; Verbal skills that were commented on by everyone from about 15 months onwards; Drawing with detail�bellies, bellybuttons, ponytails and holders, 10 fingers every time, �chests� and writing the names of people underneath the pictures at age three; Fluently and voraciously reading around a third grade level before starting school. Really, that was the age when I stopped telling myself I was just seeing what I wanted to see. Kind of hard to dismiss writing.
Looking back at journals, I find that: she was very creative at using blanket to move things towards her before she could move herself to the things she wanted at five months; already had favorite books and favorite pages within those books, at 3.5 months; was sitting for 15-20 books in a row by 9 months and responding predictably to certain favored pages; "reading" familiar books to us at 18 months and coutning with 1:1 correspondence; rhyming by 21 months; identifying and matching shapes by 16 months; pretty sure she had all colors and body parts by 16 months too....

DS: ahead on gross motor to greater extent than DD; extended enjoyment of interaction with books at a few months old (this time around I recognized it as being atypical); verbal complexity at age 2 ahead of typical expectations. My first strong indicator though was his love of knowledge. While interests were typical (trucks, emergency equipment, dinosaurs), depth and breadth of interest was unusual. Looking back I also see: interest in particular books and pictures at 3 months; seeking out and bring us favorite books by 9 months; reacting predictably to parts of favorite books at 10 months; knew all body parts at 16 months; colors at 22 months; recognized numbers to 100 a bit shy of 4 yrs.;

3. Did your child have any delays? If so what area (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?

DD: no delays, but motor milestones were closer to typical expectations

DS: fine motor delays probably related to the extremely thick glasses we found out he needed at age four. I suspect this also impacted some other skills which didn't seem atypical at the time, but which currently do seem atypical in contrast to peers

4. Is your child 2E? If they are did they have other signs besides the obvious, more quantifiable ones?

No

5. Has your child been tested?

No IQ testing; some school based testing and DD has also don EXPLORE test

6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous? If so what are his/her strengths and were they obvious from a young age?

DD: Across the board academically/artistically but not evenly (everything is "above", but not to same degree). Greatest strengths are related to reading, art and big ideas--deep, reflective thinker.

DS: I would say very asynchronous emotionally--emotionally younger than his years, academically and verbally ahead of his years. Motor skills are average, although he is suddenly showing some artistic ability that has surprised us. Too soon to be sure how global he is. Certainly advanced in all areas, but we are just starting to see what he can do. He is risk averse if he thinks it will make him look less competent than someone else. His confidence has grown this year and suddenly we are seeing things we had no idea he could do.

7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?

DD: Excelled verbally. Strengths evident in literacy, math, fine motor. Gross motor unremarkable. Socially shy.

DS: Strengths were verbal, math and what I would call general knowledge. Soaked up topics of interest like a sponge; found NOVA fascinating at age 4 and 5. Fine motor seemed delayed. Reading only slightly ahead before starting school (began at a late first grade level).

oooh... I'm so busy today, but I so want to answer this (replying so I can "watch" it to remind myself).

Take your time! I'm still working on putting everything in excel and am only on the first page so you still have time.

1. When did you first expected giftedness in your child?
I always new he was different since birth (very alert) but I have no clue when I thought "gifted". To be honest- until he was officially identified- I never understood what gifted meant. Did not even know they needed or had different programs.

2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?
Creativity and extreme curiosity!
He has always been interested in how things are put together and how stuff works. When he was around 3 years old- his daycare would save the lego (mega blocks and similar)creations he would make to show off to people (they had his on display to show prospective parents what kind of work kids there did :-)) Also- things like office chairs that spin- instead of just sitting on it and "riding" them- he would crawl under them and see how it spins.

3. Did your child have any delays? If so what area (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
Speech delay (8 years old and still on IEP for speech)
fine motor delay
Behind in reading and writing until middle of 2nd grade
SPD

4. Is your child 2E? If they are did they have other signs besides the obvious, more quantifiable ones?
Yes
No

5. Has your child been tested?
yes
Private (we were worried about learning disabilities) and through the school

6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous? If so what are his/her strengths and were they obvious from a young age?
DS is awesome at math and logic but no clue at this point if actually gifted in math.
He was identified as gifted because of his cognitive ability scores
His achievement scores are not very impressive though.

7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?
DS's development was always slow and steady. He was always alittle behind on most things and due to moderate speech delays- we were never able to fully understand or notice his true understanding of the world until much later so I have no clue how that developed.

1. When did you first expected giftedness in your child?

I thought he is bright since 2. I knew it when he started preschool at 3, I found out most of his peers couldn't recognized their own name, but he could read books independently.

2. What milestones/traits (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social) really made you suspect giftedness?

He read English before he spoke English sentences. (English is the 2nd language at home.)

3. Did your child have any delays? If so what area (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?

His social and motor skills are slightly delay than average but within the normal range.

4. Is your child 2E? If they are did they have other signs besides the obvious, more quantifiable ones?

Probably. The evaluation is scheduled on Sep.

5. Has your child been tested?

He only took CTY SCAT test. IQ test is scheduled.

6. Is your child across the board gifted or quite asynchronous? If so what are his/her strengths and were they obvious from a young age?

Quite asynchronous. When he was younger, he could discuss atoms and molecules with me like a big kid then few minutes later he cried in public caused by small issues.

7. When your child was young (baby/toddler/preschooler), was their development fairly even or did they excel more in certain areas (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal skills, literacy skills, mathematical sills, social)?

Yes, especially on math and science.