If you had a really early talker would you please talk to me, a few q's

[sedgieloo]

I am just wondering if you later found that it signified anything or did other toddlers simply catch up, and do you think I should encourage it further? I am 35 wks pregnant so if there are some books I could get for the next stage I would like to do that now. Or should I just leave her to it? I have not attempted to teach her to read, and have no idea how.

Background if interested, or if it helps to explain...

She was putting 2 words together at 10 months, then at 14 months I counted up 40 words then stopped as it was new words every day then from 15 months several new words a day. By 18 months 100's of words and more complex sentences. She knew her alphabet, could count to 12, multiple shapes, colours etc. That sounds like I was pushing her, but just the normal books and songs, she picked it all up fast. I noticed she is a good mimic, as are several in the family and put it down to that.

To be honest I didn't think much of it except it was highly amusing.

Then I was started to notice her grammar, for example at 20 months I recall she said: Daddy bumped his head, and in the same sentence, Mummy bumped her head.

Then at 22 months I overheard her having conversations with her toys and doing their voice, I'm a first time mum so I don't know but felt surprised. Here is an example at 22 months:

DD: 'Teddy what is the name of a baby pig called?'
DD in a squeaky voice: 'A piglet'
DD: 'Very good teddy'

We get quite a lot of this now, I hear her in the car or at bedtime chatting away doing both voices. That is a bit odd unusual I thought, but do not have much to compare it to.

I would now describe her as verging on precocious fully conversational?!? Yesterday she said 'mummy I want to play upstairs', 'OK but I want to finish my cup of tea'. Immediately, 'Are you nearly finished mummy?' she is 23 months.

What's your question then?

My ds wasn't an early talker but other babies in his group were. Ds didn't say much until he started talking a 20 months and putting 3 words together. Other babies were putting 2 words together at a year old.

They are all now 3 and at pretty much the same level speech wise (and most other things actually!) Some are more creative than others with their speech but they all have a lovely conversation with each other and make up imaginative games.

Just keep talking to her and encouraging. She will pick things up at her speed. I don't think you need to do anything special other than maybe find a nice pre school for her to go to in a year or so.

My dd was like this. I wish I had written down the sort of milestones that you have but I remember her talking in sentences clearly at 18 months.

I now have a ds of 19 months who has about 3 very unclear words

My dd is now 4 and does not stop talking. Ever. I frequently have to tell her to stop talking so as to concentrate on what she is doing. People are frequently shocked at the breadth of her vocab. She also has an amazing imagination and will tell very complicated stories.

We have always read a lot to her and I encouraged her early speech. My ds is a bit neglected in this because dd is always talking!!

She is bright but not ridiculously so, but I would say her speech now is better than her peers of the same age. She has just started school so I am interested to see what the teachers make of her. A TA has already said that she is 4 going on 14.

One thing I have noticed is that she is very confident with adults - I guess because she feels able to communicate. She also asks loads of questions.

We didn't send her there in the end but she sailed through the assessment for a local selective school and the headmaster of another didn't even require her to go through the normal selection procedures (morning at the school etc) and offered her a place there and then.

Sorry this has turned into an essay! We have to be v careful that she doesn't get bored as she goes off into her imaginary world !!

terrywogan question is at the beginning...basically I thought she was just an early talker - - the end - - but now wondering with what she is continuing to come out with, if she is a bit 'clever' so...

Did you find that it signified anything (e.g. just an early talker, or particularly bright - just curious), should I encourage her or let her get on with it?

morethanmamma thanks, well that sounds much like my dd. I think she is a sociable soul too. I am noticing some of her problem solving skills so that got me wondering too if she is on the clever side. I don't really want her to be unusual in her abilities, in that I want her to relate to her peer group and not be an odd-bod, so I wan't going to try and hothouse her or anything like that but at the same time, I don't want to do her a disservice in that I wish that my parents had noticed my love of reading and encouraged that. I didn't have many books and read the same ones over and over I wonder if I may have benefited from more input (boohoo poor me).

Did you try to teach her to read young, if so how?

I've had 2 early talkers and one okay talker who had hearing issues (glue ear).

I don't think it makes much difference really. With dd1 she was full sentences by 19 months, she was speaking like an "average" 5 year old-sentences with and/but/because and other "old" language like probably/actually/exactly at 22 months when she had her 2 year check early, because it was noted down.

She had a friend exactly 3 weeks older who had speech therepy at 2.6yo because she had 1 word at 2yo and about 3 by the time she started speech therepy. We lost contact for a bit and re-met at swimming lessons when they were both just over 4yo. You wouldn't have been able to tell by their language and sentence construction who was the early talker and who had needed intervention. Both have so far achieved similar at school.

Dd2 was very high vocab. The bit I remember from her was a friend who had a child a little younger than dd1. She was telling me in a "deadful HV" way how at the 2 year check the HV had asked if her child said 50 words yet. "Yes." she said proudly "he's definitely going to be genius level because he says 120" (and she did mean it too) Apparently the HV looked at her and she thought she should complain...
At that point dd2 age 15 months looked up and said clearly "I can too say one hundred and twenty one..."

Ds was much slower. Not a poor talker-the HV laughed when I expressed concern. It was slow in comparison to the others, but still had just over "121" at 15 months, but his pronunciation was not as good. His speech came on very quickly once he had grommets at 20 months, but he's had a certain amount of speech therepy due to poor pronunciation.

All of them were reading books by the age of 3yo and went to school fluent readers, and will settle down with books to read out of choice, although ds's choice is usually factual and always has been.

Other experiences I've had include my db who had huge speech issues vocabulary and pronunciation. He learnt to read and spell phonetically very early-the huge incentive for him was he communicated when he couldn't say the word with writing.

A friend of dm's child spoke very early-I think full sentences by not long after a year. He sounded like a mini professor and would come out with concepts you wouldn't think and under 2 could understand let alone express. However as he became older it also became clear that he wasn't as bright as he sounded. They had him tested for dyslexia and all sorts, but the conclusion was that although he could talk the hind legs off a donkey (and more) he wasn't academic. He would have made a great politician all talk and not much thought behind it

mine were all early talkers, continue to have broad vocab compared to others of their age, use much more complex sentences etc.

tbh I think a lot of it is that we talk a lot and use lots of vocab, complex sentences etc.

now they are all in school, all doing well (report says significantly above average ) we are looking at grammar school for oldest

they all continue to talk non stop (dh never gets a word in edgeways in our house)

as to how to foster it, keep talking, use adult vocab, don't simplify, if she doesn't understand explain or repeat it simpler, read to her. Don't get stuck on simple toddler books.
Be careful though, bright kids usually need the social emotional level of their age peers.

Ah, sorry
My DD was quite a late talker, but was early to read and is fairly gifted at maths and reading etc. I wouldn't say she was a chatterbox now but is still bright and has always been able to communicate her needs/ opinions without frustration.
My niece is just as you describe and is now 8yo. She is also very very bright and seems to be good at everything she turns her attention to- so I don't think you are unreasonable for wondering if it is a marker of things to come.
I would say though that you just need to carry on encouraging and gently pushing your child as much she wants- if she is keen on early reading then do it, but don't force the issue if not. My DD could read before she went to school but I would have had a job stopping her- I think she would have become like Matilda and taught herself if I hadn't!!!

oh, forgot to say, none of mine were early readers. Think dd1 would have been if I taught her, but as older ds wasn't yet reading, I just left it. They took off like express trains once they started school.
but ds came out with some amazing number concepts very early

Thanks all, with regards to starting with teaching to read do you have any tips. I am about to buy a bunch of books so I can read to her whilst breast feeding baby due next month, so any rec's would be great.

One early talker (DD/DC2, started talking at about 9 months) and one late talker (DS/DC1, didn't even say mama till about 18 months). Both equally bright (G&T lists etc) and learnt to read around the same age.

I think you just chat away and encourage her, give her lots of challenging toys (puzzles, duplo, messy arty crafty stuff, things she can do imaginative play with, not 'educational' things with batteries and buttons you press) by all means read lots of books to her/with her, but it's counterproductive to start 'teaching' her to read at that age, in my opinion.

don't get too hung up on reading writing etc, if she gets it fine, but her primary need at the moment is to explore her world. Give her access to plenty of creative and imaginative play, paint, playdough, sand, water. cooking, planting seeds, feeding birds etc etc. Be prepared to answer endless why questions, and to follow up on them. Asking lots of questions about how lights/radio works? Follow the electricity wires back to the meter, and then show her the wires in the street and then find a picture of a power station, and so on.
have dolls tea parties, learn songs and nursery rhymes, make dens and so on

Chidren who write the best imaginative stories aged 7 are not the early readers, but the ones who had access to lots of imaginative play aged 3

Definitely read lots of fun stuff to her. Nice dramatic stuff with chances for funny voices, good rhymes and rhythms, new and interesting words.

DD talked early (used to say Hello to people while lying idly on her back in the pram -- their reactions were entertaining) and by 2 was coming out with things like 'I tied to put the light on but I dust couldn't so I standed on the chair and it felled and ALL the books comed down' (after bedtime, I seem to remember, DD...)

Aged 8 she's one hell of a talker still. Good at writing, reads everything (no I didn't teach her, she's the only one of my three who actually appreciated the phonics system), can't be bothered with maths, has her nose in a book when she should be getting her socks on.

Dd and ds1 we're like that, dd more so than ds1.

Other than having great literacy skills at 7 she's in no way ahead of her peers (behind in s lot of ways tbh). She's not what you'd call particularly bright and bizarrely she now uses more baby talk than she did at 18 months

Ds1 on the other hand is very intelligent, finds school easy (too easy tbh, he's bored 90% of the time which causes behavioural problems) and still has very precise eloquent speech.

Ds2 didn't say a word til he was almost 3 on the other hand and is extremely intelligent, psyche and SALT have said his comprehensive and reasoning skills are well ahead of his peers, he can figure things out that dd cant and at 3 is starting to show an interest in learning to read.

So in our house early talking didn't mean much tbh!

Ds was an early talker, single words at 7 months, putting two together at 9 months and totally fluent speech by 15 months (GP commented that he had never heard anything like it before when at fifteen months ds was discussing the cause of his hayfever ) He did everything early and is recognised as exceptionally gifted.He's an adult now and an exceptionally able communicator still.

DD was an early talker, I kept detailed records. At about two and a half she became very self-conscious and publicly put on a baby voice, point blank refusal to 'perform' when the neighbour's kids tried to teach her 'new' words. eg Kid says 'Say "green"'. DD chews thumb. When kids goes away DD says 'Mummy do you think that's green? I think it's turquoise.'
It got a bit awkward around that age with friends whose same-age kids hadn't said more than a few words. Now she's five, I'm not sure how obvious the difference. I do play games with her to get her to notice how children talk to each other, to grown ups, and how grown ups talk. Clearly am falling down as her friend did ask her why she talks like a grownup.

I deliberately avoided teaching reading and writing, did anything else I could think of instead, while having heaps of books and printed material available and reading 3 stories a night. She is getting through the reading scheme fine at school. I'm so glad I spent the time I had with her playing music, going to the park, the zoo, the botanic gardens, painting, drawing - there's so much that they don't do in school.

If I had another baby I'd make sure I spent time alone so they did get a word in edgewise.

Urban -- that sounds familiar (both the refusal to perform and the embarrassing profusion of words in front of silent peers)!

DS, two-year check: total, glazed silence. After concerned health visitor had left the room, he pipes up with 'All those children out there was making too much noise. I couldn't fink with all that noise.'

DD, after other mum had just said, 'Doesn't she talk a lot? My Tom only says about six words': 'I can say six words, mummy. One... two... fee... six!' Maths still not her strong point.)

I was like that (so my mums says): started talking at 9 months, more or less fully conversational by the 2nd birthday. mum says my speech and language was way ahead of the other children. but to cut a long story short - the other kids soon caught up with me. I did fine at school but not exceptional. I seems I simply went to certain stages of s&l development early. that is it.

just enjoy your D :)

My friend's DD was an early talker, she's the same age as my DS, who wasn't. DS was referred for hearing tests etc because he rarely made any sounds at all before he was 1. Now they're 3, you wouldn't know any difference between them. It does make me chuckle a teeny bit now that she thinks her new baby is terribly backwards because he's just developing at a more average rate. But I guess that's just me being a bitch

Dd was as you describe - a very early talker, and using sophisticated speech much earlier than her peers. She is still an absolute chatterbox, will talk to anyone, never shuts up...she is a bright girl (top groups etc) but not exceptional and her speech no longer seems particularly advanced; she didn't end up writing speeches, joining the debate society or anything like that

DS had speech therapy at 3yo, but people (including his teachers) now comment on how articulate he is - now he is in the debate society! He is as clever as DD, but far more thoughtful - he doesn't chatter constantly, but when he does say something it is really worth listening to.

I suppose what I am trying to say is - no, you can't tell at this stage whether it will result in anything significant, and others will certainly catch up.

DS1 was an early talker - maybe not quite as early as your DD but had a lot of words by 1, reasonably complex sentences by 18 months, on holiday at 20 months he taught himself (honestly, no input from us other than him hearing us speak) a few words of French and seemed to be able to use the appropiate language (e.g, "thank you" to us, but "merci" to the waitress in a cafe). In the 18 months - 2.5 phase, people were constantly commenting on his advanced speech.

He's 4 now, and completely "normal" speech wise. He has a good vocabulary and seems bright, but not in a ridiculously advanced way - if anything, the thing that does make him stand out from his peers is his numeracy (can do comparatively difficult sums - addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, and is very good at mental arithmetic - school have suggested that he is working at the level of an average 8 year old). But his verbal / literacy skills I would say fall into the bright but not outstanding category. And he's actually quite a quiet child, definitely not a chatterbox. From very young, he has used argument / debate to try to get what he wants, he's never resorted to physical methods.

DS2 on the other hand is 17 months and only has 2 words! Its interesting to watch him develop so differently (but he seems fine too - understands a lot, walked early and much more physically co-ordinated).

Being a good mimic could be indicative of musical talent, OP.

DS1 was a very early talker and is still way ahead in terms of his vocab and verbal communication. His reception teacher told me she has never met a 5 year old with such an extensive vocab !

He is also a pretty fluent reader - I just think words and being curious about language are "his thing" and he enjoys them.

He's utterly rubbish at anything creative or musical though!

Early talker = nothing to do with general intelligence. Other children may catch up or even 'take over'.

Just enjoy it, she sounds fun!