my 2 year old is reading etc need advice

[clairebee22]

hi i have a 2 year old son that is reading and knows all even his double phonics knows how to count to 20 and back and can pick out individual numbers knows all his upper and lower case letters he can sings whole songs he knows all his colors, animals and sounds body parts, plus alot more! i'm here asking other parents for guidance because i want to nurture his abilities but need some advice on how to go about it plus there is nowhere that i know of to take my child to get him assessed can anyone help thanks.

[Notify]

Unless he has miraculously leaned all this without any input from you I would suggest relaxing and making sure he has a good, varied and interesting childhood. Take him out to see and do things which will develop his interest in the world around him and his social skills. Forget about the academic side of things.

My DS1 also knew all his sounds before he was 2 and read very early - because I did loads of extra work with his . By 7 he was bright in his class but not exceptionally so and now at 13 is decidedly average.

INO it's most likely that he's doing well because of the efforts you have made with him rather than any great inate ability but don't let that be at the expense of some fun and a normal childhood.

[clairebee22]

he is my 5th child and does have a "normal" fun childhood i don't push this upon him he just loves learning it's his thing, he is numbers mad and will turn a simple trip to the park or to feed the ducks into a game to do with numbers, i just wanted some advice on how to nurture his abilities! not to get told because my child can read etc that he doesn't live a "normal" life and i don't take him out and he is under developed in his social skills! jeeeze

[clairebee22]

i wanted to get him assessed is because my other children was not like this for really wanting to learn the way he does i just wondered if he could maybe get into a private school

[IndigoBarbie]

That's great :) Enjoy his development, and PLEASE don't make him feel strange or different to others. Nurture him, allow him to grow under your love and care and direction. I have no idea why you would want to have him assessed...children develop in their own time....no need to segregate him. Enjoy what you have here in communication and understanding, and be happy you have such a lovely wee soul here to spend his life with you

[clairebee22]

what is wrong with seeing that your child is gifted in his learning and want to seek help on how to nurture this and help your child develop it not waste it!!

[clairebee22]

i do not make him feel different i don't sit him in a classroom saying you must do this!!! he is normal he plays with other children with toys and coloring etc he has a big family around him we are always doing things as a family unit!!!

[maillotjaune]

Claire did you know there's a gifted and talented board in the Education section? Perhaps worth posting there as there might be people who have advice who won't see you post here?

[clairebee22]

thankyou maillotjaune

[KatoPotato]

Okay, calm down with the exclamation marks a bit. My DS would give you grief for that

I'm not sure academic bursarys are available for such a young age with regard to private school, but of course I could be wrong.

[clairebee22]

maybe saying wanting him assessed came out wrong i knew i would have keyboard warriors jump on that but what i ment was as a mum just wanted to know how academic he really is! can't see anything wrong with that ALL PARENTS want to know!

[maillotjaune]

I'm not sure all parents do want to know though. My 4 yo has been very interested in letters and numbers since before his 3rd birthday but actually I have spent the last year doing other things with him to encourage him to play with stuff (having already have one very bright preschooler diagnosed with dyspraxia after we found out he actually couldn't do loads of other things that are normal for 3 or 4 yo).

That's why I suggested looking in G&T as you may be unhappy with lots of responses from posters outside that board (including mine )

[blueberryupsidedown]

get him assessed by whom? for what? IQ tests for toddlers?

You would not get this on any NHS services, obviously you could go private but chances are, if you go private, the answer is that your child will be classified as 'high learning potential'. Most children who go thorugh these tests are found to be of superior learning potential, probably because parents have paid hundreds of pounds the they get the answer they want to hear. I have a deep mistrust in any organisation or child psychologist who will test a toddler.

Many children are found to have early development such as your son, it's not unheard of, and the child will 'plateau' later on, either before or after they start school. DS2 could count backwards in three when he was your son's age, and now is doing very well at school, ahead in all subjects. But i would never have pushed for him to have an assessment in early childhood, I don't think it benefits the child whatsoever.

[insanityscatching]

Do you have any other concerns about his development? Ds who could read at two is now at an independent specialist school for autism as the hyperlexia and the ability to manipulate numbers were part and parcel of the autistic spectrum disorder.

[Basketofchocolate]

If he is in all other terms 'normal' then I don't think that this is that special. Seems normal to me and among other kids I know where they have had parental input/support and also considering being a 5th child - they are far more likely to pick things up more quickly from the others.

At this age, it's not anything to be excited about if just in terms of academic achievement. If he's still a bit ahead at school, then make sure you make the school aware, but tbh, it's very possible that by the time school comes around he'll be around where the others are and there will still be a ton of stuff to learn.

Not sure that's come out right, but main message, unless you suspect something like autism, calm down and just keep giving him books, books and more books, hide any bills or other written stuff you don't want a toddler to read and let him get on with it.

[Goldmandra]

My DD1 taught herself to read just after her second birthday.

Since then she has always been very academically able, top of to top sets in all subjects, etc but her level of intelligence is not abnormal in that she is catered for in lessons appropriate to her age group.

She was diagnosed with AS at the age of 12 and has experienced significant anxiety in school but is doing well academically despite that because that is where her interests lie.

Looking back, I can't think of any way she could have benefited from having her ability to learn academically assessed. She may well have benefit had her AS been recognised earlier on but that is all.

I wouldn't pursue an assessment unless, once he's in school, you feel that he needs a very different curriculum from that of his peers.

For now just enjoy the fact that you have a very clever little boy and enjoy playing the games with him that he enjoys so much

[sanam2010]

Claire, you could check out the forum at brillkids.com, millions of ideas for what more you can do with your bright 2 year old.

[BlueDesmarais]

He won't get into private school - unless you pay like everyone else! There's no freebies for smarter kids.

If he enjoys it, just let him be. He's happy. He doesn't need more and more. No kid ever looked back on their childhood and said "gosh I wish I'd had some harder maths problems." Your house has books, he knows where they are if he wants to move on. The school will challenge him, ensuring he hasn't skipped any vital building blocks (you'd be surprised.) There isn't anything to actually DO about it.

Honestly, 'giftedness' isn't really a gift. If the child is intelligent and enjoy learning they will simply enjoy school and life and live happily ever after, but it's no more amazing than loving and being quite good at tennis or poker.

A child with a too-high IQ, whose brain just rushes around 'learning' and gobbling up information because they find solace in the patterns, who becomes frustrated with other children, people, the whole world, because it doesn't fit into logic and pattern and their models, then it starts to become a learning disability all of its own. Then it becomes a curse.

My son's got an evaluation next week - whether for Asperger's, asynchronous development, 'giftedness' (cringe), we don't know yet. Believe me. All that early reading, precocious verbal skill, deep conversation, complex thought processes, word play and wit... we didn't see it as a joy. We saw alarm bells. We just knew the path we were starting on. The school noticed within weeks. He's just about to turn 5 and even though I don't mention it to him, he's noticing it himself now.

Enjoy it, and just hope he likes numbers and words. And that he evens out, his development stays on track and can enjoy being a child.

[ExBrightonBell]

Clairebee, it sounds like you have already done a great job of nurturing your ds.

At the age of 2 there is not really any assessment that will be helpful or valid/meaningful. All you need to do is to continue to nurture your ds by allowing him to follow his interests and enthusiasms. Provide him with stimulating and rich experiences, answer his questions and allow him to be himself.

Don't worry about the possibility of your ds wasting his abilities - this is unlikely to happen if you continue to make learning fun and interesting.

[naty1]

You can get bursaries and scholarships to private schools.
Some can be means tested.
It can be based on an extra entrance test.
I would just see how he goes in the next couple of years

[Preferthedogtothekids]

My boy was a smart kid and an early reader. He was diagnosed at 9 with ASD and now at 17 and in Senior High School he struggles with organisation and focus which has brought his results down to 'reasonably good but could do better'. Being smart doesn't always mean the rest of school will be plain sailing

[Twobusyboys]

Fwiw there are private schools that provide funded places at primary level. I have seen adverts for that at local schools near us. You need the child to pass entrance exam and family must be on low income.
I think the private schools have to provide a few places so they can call themselves a 'charity'

[Goldmandra]

I think the private schools have to provide a few places so they can call themselves a 'charity'

I thought that too but the private schools round here give 10% discount maximum, some for children on adacemic/sports/music scholarships and similar and some saved to give to parents of existing pupils who encounter financial difficulties. One of the headmasters told me that they think its only right that charity should be prioritised for their own .

I'm sure there are schools which take a more ethical approach but the need to offer free places can be translated into subsidising their existing customers.

[DontWannaBeObamasElf]

I was an early reader, wrote my name at 2. I'm anything but gifted and talented

You're absolutely right to encourage him, I never was.