She seems older for her age

[Justsawagecko]

My toddler Dd. She’s almost 3 but has crazy vocabulary..using words like ‘Absolutely’ ‘Broadcasting’ ‘Besides’ etc. She hears something and it just seems to stick in her mind, she knows what it means too. Ever since she was around 1.5, her language just took off and we’ve had normal conversations ever since. She crawled & walked fairly late, but just seems so attuned to things and like an older child in a toddlers body in many ways. It worries me for the future, is this normal?

@theleafandnotthetree I’ve been really open to posters who have offered advice or given details of their own experiences, I’m so grateful for that 🙏
I’ve been rude back to a couple who have been very rude to me and I feel I've been pretty restrained in that tbh!
I’ve got a good sense of humour, but this post wasn’t meant as a joke or for people to insult me, it was a genuine concern and some of the replies made me feel pretty shitty. Thankfully, the majority are helpful and supportive and not nastiness disguised as supposed ‘Humour’

I had this with 2 of my children they were very early talkers and it did worry me with my first as I felt he wasn't a baby for long, he's now a grunting teen and I long for those days ! My 6 year old could talk at around 18 months full conversation and a massive vocabulary. She is exceeding in school and has a thirst for knowledge. Is a free reader and has a great understanding of the Welsh language already. Some children do excel at language from an early age, just embrace it and enjoy!

@Dutch1e I don’t understand it either 🤷🏻‍♀️I think some people are lacking in their lives, I’m all for humour, but the crappy replies aren’t even funny or witty 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣
I had a genuine concern and wasn’t boasting, there’s nothing to boast about, I explained this a few times, but some posters just seem to jump right on you. Sad thing is, they may write a quick, nasty comment, then go off and forget all about it, whereas the person in need of advice or worrying is left with that and left feeling shit! No need to treat people badly, I really don’t understand it.

@bunnytheegghunter Thank you 💐there’s been a lot of reassurance on this thread, I just want her life to be as simple as possible and for her to be happy, it’s true I am a massive worrier though, so need to work on that really.

@VeganVeal And there goes another one 👏 Congratulations yourself on being such a nice person

I had excellent spelling and grammar skills as a child - I was diagnosed with Aspergers as a teen (it runs in my family - my dad, cousin, aunt and granddad all have diagnoses) and also struggled a great deal with my MH - both depression and anxiety.

I struggled at university and got a 2:2 and now run my own business. I still struggle socially and I don't cope well with pressure.

But your DD may just be a child that's great at spelling - try not to worry about her at such a young age :)

My 5 year old son is startlingly bright in terms of his memory and ability to use large words correctly. Not sure I'd feel the need to ask for advice about it

What is a normal standard child? I saw a video the other day of a five-year old playing a complicated piano piece in front of an audience. I have seen videos of a two year old climbing over a two-layered gate. I don't know if that two-year old could talk, nor the pianist - for that matter. Enjoy your child.

There is a gifted and talented section post this there

I get the worry. My eldest (almost 5) was very articulate very young (also slow to walk) and while my family and DH delight in how "intelligent" she is, it's always niggled at me. She seems a little "too" precocious and advanced in some ways and while I obviously don't want to hold her back I've always felt something was just "amiss". The health visitor, her nursery teachers and any medical professionals that have seen her over the years have never raised any concerns and just praise her, so I try to put it to the back of my mind but I think if anything is "wrong" it will come to the fore once she starts school this year.

On a positive note she became much more social the past year and loves being with other children (mostly prefers older but I think that's often normal for the eldest child?) she does try to control the games and can get very impatient when things don't go her way, can be very "bossy" etc. but I could be viewing it that way because she's a girl and society tends to discourage this trait in girls, who knows?

Her younger sister (3) is also articulate but not as much and is just different and more "typical" of the average child so that raises my concerns somewhat. My mum reckons it could be because I was a SAHM with my first and she had mine, DHs and my mums full attention for the first two years of her life and so benefitted from the constant one to one care. My second had much less input being the second child and started part time nursery much earlier but is much more social so that could explain things? Anyway sorry for the rant on your tread OP! just a long winded way of saying I understand why you would be concerned and know it's impossible to talk about IRL without sounding like a not so humble brag!

@Justsawagecko That’s great! She has early language acquisition (girls tend to develop language earlier than boys). She may also prove to be a great reader. She might be really bright, but just keep in mind everybody else will catch up, and by 11 they have all pretty much evened out.

I never learned to read.
I just picked up the sports page from where my mum had put it over a floor she'd washed to dry it and read out a bit about cricket.
I was 3.
It freaked her out but so what?
It was just a gift..unearned..like other kids get lush hair or are brilliant at sports

@Ingridla Maybe because, yours is a different situation?

@Recessed That sounds a lot like my Dd, the bossy thing most definitely and wanting to control games, she also gets very upset when it’s not her way. Again, I know lots of toddlers are like this, there’s just something, hard to say, like you think possibly about your Dd too 💜

Normal ..
Girls in general learn language east lier than boys as they have already developed some language skills before birth..
She has concentrated on this over her gross motor skills ..
It is nothing to worry about ..
But take time to help develop those gross motor skills
Scooting
Running climbing
Etc
This helps fine motor skills develop
Ready for later writing drawing
Sensory messy play is good for this too ..
Saying all this I have two boys whose language skills are excellent so no hard or fast rules but it’s nothing to be concerned over

I am foster carer for a 3 year old and he has had a difficult little life, He came to me at 12 months and he was already starting to talk, he had a vocabulary of about 30 words. Now his speech is incredible, he listens to everything and he remembers everything. I really hope he achieves his full potential in life but who knows when you are in the care system

[quote CallmeBadJanet]@Justsawagecko That’s great! She has early language acquisition (girls tend to develop language earlier than boys). She may also prove to be a great reader. She might be really bright, but just keep in mind everybody else will catch up, and by 11 they have all pretty much evened out.[/quote]
This is very true, she may be advanced now in speech but most kids even out by end of primary.

Reading over your posts she sounds exactly like my daughter. She’s 12 now & just been diagnosed with ADD. Might be worth speaking to your GP about your concerns.

I would say quite normal. 3year olds will parrot what they hear.

Sounds great. Ignore the bitchy posts about ‘humble bragging’
Focus on asking her the meanings of the words she’s using 😊

DD1 was like that too OP. Sentences from 18 months, huge vocabulary and extremely articulate. And still is at 11. DD1 had a reading and comprehension age of 16+ at 9 years old, and was ranked in the top 2% for her age.

However, we know this because she was being assessed by a educational psychologist. At the time she could barely spell her own name, whilst her reading age was way ahead. DD1 has dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD traits.

As a teacher you'll have some idea of what is usual (I had no idea as a ftm, and school were not useful until we said we'd pay to get her assessed if they thought it was worth it). If something is a concern keep an eye on it.

I was like this and so is my 5-year old son. We are both high-functioning neurodivergent. Often girls with high-functioning ASD show amazing skills with language I’ve heard, though with my son it was his number ability that was even more noticeable. His ASD has already been picked up by the School, I didn’t realise I was until I was 37! It can be very subtle in girls. It is really early days though, try not to worry —either way she will be fine with your love and understanding.

It's a sign you talked to your kid as a baby! Average 4 year-old knows 4000 words but if parents are only using a fraction of the ones they can (12000 instead of 40000) then the kid won't learn new ones. It sounds like you're bringing up a kid who has had a good literary start. Get them reading next!

Not really anything out of the ordinary. My DS is exactly the same at 2.5.