My 4 year old - is this normal?

[Aliall]

Please don’t jump on me. I’m a first time parent so no idea what’s ‘normal’.

My just turned 4 year old DS has become interested in the periodic table. It started from reading a physics book for babies and toddlers that was bought as a gift (as a joke really) as his dad is a science lab technician and a science graduate.

He loved looking at the periodic table and talking about it with his dad.
Now he is always drawing his own periodic table. And says he drawing an ‘element’.

He can write and read already quite competently already and so is writing things like Helium and Hydrogen when doodling on paper at home.

I’m thinking he’s possibly got autism. I’m not sure. A few people have suggested that, as he’s been able to write his name since he was 2 and a half.
His speech and social skills are fine though, so I don’t know.
He is quite ‘sensory’ and gets obsessive about things (currently the periodic table) and his memory is amazing.
He’s started adding simple numbers together too.

I’m just thinking how it’ll look odd if he starts going on about elements and hydrogen etc at nursery!

Its quite common for 4 year olds to get obsessions. He sounds a bit like my nephew who was an early fluent reader (properly understanding phonics) and writer. He's a normal, bright 9 year old now. He's exceptionally good at maths but actually while he was an early reader, other children caught that up, hes one of the better ones in his class but not the best.

I would have thought to be diagnosed as asd you have to facing real struggles as a result of your sensory and other needs. Being exceptionally bright and having a good memory and otherwise happy, more like to just be a bright little boy.

Sounds like a fairly normal obsession for a 4yr old. My nephew can name 10000s more plants and dinosaurs then I can!

Ok that’s good that it sounds normal for a 4 year old!

I had this with my eldest. He could write his name and read the alphabet at 2. He knew many car logos and after getting him a flag chart he could name 100s of flags. He could also beat anyone at the memory game at aged 3. He's now and adult and although he did well at school, nothing extraordinary. He has adhd though so he's always hyper focusing on something.

He sounds ahead with learning but not necessarily autism but that’s just a view without experience

He sounds well ahead of my four year old but not sure that links to ASD?

Exceptionally bright doesn’t mean he has ASD unless you have particular concerns. I agree 4 year olds can have real passions (bordering on obsession) for things - dinosaurs, space, particular programmes, superheroes etc so that on its own wouldn’t make for red flags. Is there any reason to make you feel he might be on the AS Spectrum apart from his accelerated learning and interest in things many pre-schoolers might not be aware of?

Sounds pretty normal to me. The fact that it's the periodic table he's interested in is really neither here nor there - four-year-olds can get obsessed with all sorts of things and it's not unusual for a child to learn to read and write early on. Sounds like he's a bright lad, but not abnormally so at all.

What you're describing is very much like me when I was four. I went on to be a very academic kid, but there are millions of very academic kids. I'm not autistic.

Young kids always get obsessions- mines were tractors, dinosaurs, knights, then skylanders and football cards.
:-)

Early reading and writing is linked to asd but having werid obsession is a very normal child thing.

It could be ASD or he could just be very bright.
See what his teacher says when he starts reception.

When my Granddaughter was 2 she was pointing out ammonites in walls. She is brilliant, highly gifted and autistic. Your son sounds similar.

What does it matter? You said yourself his social skills are fine so don’t spend time worrying about it! Children with ASD have delays with speech, fine/gross motor skills etc etc it’s not as simple as having one trait. If he’s not delayed in any area then teacher’s aren’t going to worry about him. He might just be quirky!

Doesn't sound normal to me, my daughter is 5.5 and can't read fluently or spell words like hydrogen, and I would be surprised if many/any of her friends at school can.
But that's not a bad thing, not indicative of a problem, he could just be advanced.

Nah, he sounds normal, most kids at four can reel off complicated dinosaur names your is obviously interested in the periodic table instead. They all even out around the age of 7 anyway.

He is absolutely exceptionally bright (that's not 'normal' for most 4 year olds, despite what Mumsnet will tell you) and yes he possibly could have autism but no one here can tell you that of course. I hope he channels his enthusiasm and interests, he sounds like a lovely little boy.

As everyone has said, it sounds normal for a very bright 4 year old. My lad understood hinges and fulcrums at around that age, we joked that he'd be an engineer.......zip forward 20 years and he's a fairly average aduĺt, and is an office administrator.

Whatever you and dh are doing with him keep it up!

It wouldn't be average for a four year old in my experience (infant teacher nearly 20 years ) but that doesn't mean an immediate jump to autism.
Was he taught to read and write as a toddler or.was it acquired independently. Hyperlexia is not always autism but they are linked. Is his speech age appropriate, I have taught autistic children with well above language and vocabulary.
I would not be too concerned about having a current obsession however does he talk about it to the detriment of all other topics even if children or adults are clearly not interested.
He sounds like a very bright interesting little boy.

Have you come across the basher science book? They do a great one on the periodic table.
if you’ve got spare cash they do little models on eBay but they are mostly for sale on America hence the spare cash comment ! The books are absolutely brilliant though.

my daughter was obsessed with the ordering of animals and Latin names at that age.

Strange no-one mentioned ADHD/ADD yet which is much more common (at least 7% compared to ASD 2% of the population). I started reading and writing at 3 and had really weird obsessions throughout life (hyperfocus). I used to read encyclopedias because I loved general knowledge about everything possible.

I grew up assuming I was NT and my symptoms never truly affected my life to the point I felt something was "wrong". I did suffer a lot of anxiety issues which led to an adult diagnosis. I feel with all ADD/ASD symptoms, if it's one harmless thing taken individually, then there's no point wanting clarity on whether a child is "normal" or not. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't but how does that help?

If there is a cluster of behaviours and most importantly, mood issues relating to how much he enjoys his life then that warrants more investigation. It's not so much how "normal" a quirk is from the outside but how "normal" the person feels from the inside if that makes sense.

He sounds adorable! And very bright. The obsession could be very normal for a 4 year old and many 4 year olds have them but perhaps when they are about more mainstream categories people don't worry as much. Toddlers can also be very sensory too.
I think it's important not to rule ASD out but when thinking about an ASD diagnosis you always think about the impact it has on everyday life. If your little DS is happy and sociable please focus on that for the time being and just see what develops. Also have a look into hyperlexia.

What's his speech like?

My 4 year old asks me questions about diesel and petrol engines....I think it's quite common to fixate on things at this age and then they move on. Your son sounds very bright, embrace his little quirks and don't worry unless you have a significant reason to I say 😊

Kids get obsessed with the weirdest things and learn every single thing about it. Then they move on.