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!

Your kid develops a minor interest in science and you deem him autistic? Wow. He's so lucky to be in a family that value education.

He sounds lovely.

He might be lovely, clever and autistic or lovely, clever and not autistic. Being autistic doesn't make you less.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that some of the writing here implies that if he is autistic it's obviously a tragedy or at least a bad thing. It isn't.

I disagree- dd loved numbers and knew all her doubles within 10 at 3 (2+2, 6+6 etc) it's just another interest and an easier one than memorising the complex names of multiple dinosaurs for example that it's accepted many do. She's now 9 and in the slightly higher end of average camp for numeracy (and she was deferred a year starting school so at an advantage in that way too) partly due to effort and interest rather than natural ability, so no genius.

liveforsummer A previous poster was saying though that a child not doing that at 3 would be behind. That’s where this thread is distorted. Many children are ahead in maths and can do more than the curriculum would suggest but there is nothing in the early years curriculum that would expect a 3 year old to be doing addition.

I didn't see anyone saying they SHOULD be able to do it (apart from the poster who muddled up y4 with age 4 - that I agree is madness. It's not correct to say it's not normal though - normal is a range and plenty can do it and plenty can't (usually through lack of interest rather than ability which is also fine, and normal)

clearly Mumsnet is filled with parents of gifted children with all the ‘mine could do that and more’ comments.

Sounds normal to me. My son was the same with dinosaurs then planets.

Hi @Aliall there's a huge amount of misunderstanding and misinformation regarding ASC and ND generally. He sounds healthy and bright to me. The things they don't like, struggle with or have meltdowns over will be the tell tales, not so much the things they enjoy and are good at.

@Numbertwenty you are quite wrong, not all ASC children will have delayed speech or poor proprioception, some may but by no means all.

I thought ASD/ADHD before getting to that stage in the OP. Reminded me of my youngest DC who I'd have described in exactly the same way as the OP's DS until she went to school & it was clear she was presenting with behavioural & social communication difficulties. I'd always thought that because she was so lovely & funny that nobody could fail to adore her.

I focussed on my eldest who I felt needed more support due to being painfully shy & anxious at school (while being incredibly bright & compliant) yet challenging at home. Both ended up diagnosed ASD & I was diagnosed ADHD myself.

Its definitely something worth keeping in mind, researching & looking out for signs of. Perhaps start saving up so you're able to get a private assessment quickly in case a diagnosis becomes necessary in future.