Early reader? Gifted child or maybe not!

[alexsmummy]

Can I preface this by saying please don't shoot me down in flames - I'm not a competative mum and have no illusions about my toddler!

However my 2.10 ds can identify all letters of alphabet, upper and lower case, can count to 17 and reads out letters and numbers whereever he sees them, eg read me the expiry date on his yoghurt today " 3, 0, A, P, R" and "H O V I S" on the loaf of bread etc. He's been talking for a long time (can't remember exactly - maybe a year now) and has got a pretty good vocabulary.

I've looked on the development calendar and there's no mention of knowing alphabet til 5! Is this really unusual? My friend thinks he's very advanced but I've nothing to compare it to. She says I should be teaching him how to read and have his IQ tested but I'm not sure whether this is good advice or not - and if I did what would be the benefit of doing it anyway?

Should I really be coaching him or doing anything special or is this in fact entirely normal for a child of his age? Any advice would be appreciated!

This is what teachers actually think, that parents teach them everything and that's why they are bored! I did NOTHING with mine for a year and half because I was afraid he wouldn't fit with his peers.. he taught himself and is still 2 yrs ahead now age 6 and yes he is bored, why don't teachers understand that kids are not made as robots and don't all progress at the same rate! 😡 How can teachers be so short sighted! You are there to stimulate and nurture a love of learning... curriculum or not.. all children are different and shouldn't be lumped together to fit charts and curriculums

Recognisbig all the letters is very different from being able to apply them to reading. DS knew all the letters phonetically by 2.5 and was sounding out/spelling 3 or 4 letter words before he was 3. However, although he loved doing all that and was good at it, he isn't gifted, he was just ahead of the curve at that point. He's the upper end of average these days.

I could read by age 3, and my mum often tells the story about when I was taken to an infant school to look round, and my mum said to the teacher, 'she can already read quite well...'. The teacher nodded and smiled politely, but then I started reading the children's work displayed on the walls - even reading and pronouncing names of dinosaurs correctly!

I agree with sircoughalot - I never had to work hard at school to do well, and then when I hit 6th form I really, really struggled, as I wasn't used to putting effort in!

I'm certainly no genius now and have a normal job.

My DD is 5 1/2 months old, no idea whether she will be a reader or not....my DH is a terrible reader and speller!

OP, recognising letters at 2.5 is not that unusual and had nothing to do with reading as such. I really think you need to get a grip.

Your DS sounds lovely and bright but this is nothing out of the ordinary