Is our 4 year old son gifted?

[Riddler266]

He seems very bright as we've been told by several people he's probably gifted and talented, but I don't have any experience in this area. A few of the things he does.......

Reading - Oxford Reading Tree Stage 9/10.
Read and teaches himself Science from a DK Science Dictionary

Science - Loves learning about blood and the imune system
Knows over 200 human bones, by their medical name (eg Femur, not thigh bone)

Maths - Knows 1s 2s and 3s times tables, part of 4s also.

Follows instruction very well (he's been attending Hocky training and the coach thought he was 6 or 7 because of this) and has a long attention span - for example, he watched a whole episode (1 hour) of the Human Body the other day, then went to tell Mummy all about how macrophages protect the lungs - he was very detailed and exactly right in his explanation.

Yes, of course he is. And what you're doing for him sounds just right.

Riddler - he sounds a lot like my youngest (who is now 13). He started reading at 2 and by the time he started nursery aged 4 his reading was very, very advanced. The nursery teacher tested him on all his key words up to the end of ks2 and he knew them all. He effectively taught himself to read as he insisted I followed the words with my finger when I read to him and his brothers. He was also very very good with maths and had a brilliant memory. He too knew all the bones of the body around aged 3/4 - (including things like proximal inter-phalangial joints and distal inter-phalangial joints).

The problem is, school hasn't really been a challenge for him and I am fully aware that he coasts. He passed the 11+ with one of the highest marks in the area and is doing very well at grammar school .... but by no means as well as he could if he actually put some effort in. My middle son, on the other hand, is at the same school. He is 2 years older than my youngest and didn't start reading until he was 6. He only scraped through the 11+ but is getting very good results.

The difference between them is that my middle son works hard, is very competitive, very focused and 'works the system' (by that I mean he wants to get high marks and works out what he needs to do to get them, setting himself targets to increase his grades).

I'm not sure what, if anything, we could have done to avoid this situation. But if you can do anything to foster a diligent approach to schoolwork and a desire to achieve his best then I'm sure that would help your son.

A couple of things:-

1. there are very few schools around that offer yr3 scholarships. None of my local ones do (the scholarships now seem to kick in a yr6). Private may be a good route forward but that depend upon quality of education and specific schools in your area.

2. As most parents on G&T will affirm, whether your child blossoms or not at school has as much to do with their social skills and ability to interact as it does with academic leanings. Many, many G&T parents would swap their children's skills for 'popularity' or 'normality' in a heartbeat. Whilst it is lovely to have a child who is clearly very bright, it is sometimes terribly difficult to deal with the related fall-out - especially if they become aware of the academic distance and start relating more to adults than children. It sucks when your child is the one not invited to playdates (esp if their DB happens to be Mr Popularity). Bear in mind that this is where you may need to focus for the next few months.

I think he sounds like a bright 4 year old. My dd is similar. I would not say 'gifted'.

duchese, very good advice.

Sorry but I have to agree with others that your son sounds bright and clearly loves learning but a lot of his achievements sound within the normal range to me (albeit at the higher end). My niece is 2 (nearly 3) can focus on a tv programme for 90 mins and then will tell you all about it for the next 90 mins!! Lol. She knows all her phonics and is just starting to read basic words and knows her 1, 2, & 3 times tables. She is also excellent at following instructions and is currently doing swimming lessons with children 2 years older than her as shedoesnt need an adult with her to be able to follow instructions etc (when she isn't throwing a terrible 2's tantrum!). Also her understanding and consideration of quite complex issues is quite impressive.

I don't say this just to boast (although I am a very proud auntie) but to give you an idea of the levels other children are reaching.

I'm sorry, Jammie, but your niece is NOT within the normal range.

It is, of course, possible that my kids and their mates are really thick. But I don't think so

I think that he sounds amazing!

I have just been old that my DD (aged 7, Yr 3) has been put on the G&T list for her literacy and creative writing. The thing is, she was one of the later children to be able to read in her class, but it was like one minute she completely couldn't read (at the end of yr 1 she was still only on stage 4 of ORT and struggled terribly with that) and the next minute she had finished the Harry Potter series. There was no obvious learning phase or semi literate stage. She couldn't do it, then she could, then she was off the scale. So I suppose what I am saying is that early reading skills are not necessarily indicative of much (just as no doubt the fact that my 7 yr old is currently considered G&T probably won't signify anything particular in later life)

my daughter is in reception,she will be 5 in November,she cannot read,but can write her name and can do simple maths.is she far behind? do i need to arrange extra tuition for her?

He certainly sounds bright and has a love of learning. I would just keep doing what you're doing and give him lots of fun experiences and opportunities to make friends if I were you.

Take a look at the NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children) - they have quite a lot of information on their website about identifying "Gifted" Children.

Hope that helps!

angel, your daughter is completely normal. My dd is in Y2 of a very high-achieving school in an affluent area. These kids start school at a higher level than average (according to Ofsted). Let me assure you that very few of them could read at the start of reception.

I think my dd is typical: couldn't read at all at the start of reception, was reading a bit by Easter, progressed throughout Y1 and is now, at the start of Y2, reading really fluently (by which I mean: reading Roald Dahl to herself in bed kind of thing).

The thing with 'normal' comments on g&t, is that for a lot of people who frequent the forum, this is normal. And not so far out of whack that it is necessary to flap, but probably enough to wonder what will happen at school. And whether he will be catered for. Dd2 was exactly the same at 3 . It was completely normal. My kids aren't freaks just because they taught themselves to read before school. It was nowt to do with me.

That said, sure, we've had ups and downs with school, but not ever to do with reading (to be honest of they start as free readers then they just access books from higher classes). Maths was a bit of a pita because it's so simplistic in ks1, but largely, infants wasn't too much bother.

You can look for a private school if you will reassure you, but they do vary. Presumably you will be requesting your yr r place next month, so get visiting schools and ask them what they do with kids who can read, and who may be starting at a higher level.

He sounds bright enough, normal to me. and just as normal as a kid that can't read anything at all at this stage.

He sounds great fun anyway. Don't forget to keep up with the social skills and less academic stuff that bright kids sometimes miss out on.

My ds1 who is now in yr1 starte school able to read (novel type books) although was mainly obsessed with factual books. He knows stuff about everything I downloaded a flag quiz recently and he was going oh that's the flag of uraguay, Malaysia etc, I on the other hand didn't have a clue!
When he started school he could do sums, read, tell you about pretty much anything, could memorise a book word for word after reading it once etc. acedemically was on age 10+ accordin to the school
BUT
Was still in nappies (although out of them now but still ongoing toilet issues)
Very limited social skills, still finds it hard to interact in groups although getting better on 1-1

Personally I would rather he had a little less intelligence and a bit more of everything else like my dd who is I would say 'normal' acedemically , she's just turned 4 and started school, can write her name but nothing else, can't read but knows her letters and sounds , can count etc but has been dry day and night since 18 months and very social and bubbly little girl.
I don't think it's good to label kids early on a gifted etc as sometimes it's just that they are early learners but slow down and everyone else catches up with them then they go from being special to being normal
And find it hard to cope. Ds1 has been told south he's clever and brilliant that sometimes he meets people and says hi I'm A and very clever which ces across as precocious!