What’s gifted at 2?

[Ellie2015]

Many of you mummies have talked about their kids being gifted on this forum. Just curious to know what could your DD’s do (gross/fine motor, speech, social etc) at age 2 to call them gifted..? (Obviously I have a 2 yr old DD and I am under no delusion to call her gifted :))
Thanks xx

The talking thing is interesting. Bit of mine are clever, but not exceptional. However, they both spoke ridiculously early. I have a theory that it is more to do with a particular physical ability than brain-they both spoke clearly and with no mispronounciations or mistakes (so very few charming "family" words for us ) I think that most other babies are saying the same things-we just can't understand them!. Mine both act and sing now as adult and nearly adult-which seems to reinforce my theory...

@Rednaxela
I don't know what are block type puzzles are, but my ds enjoyed second hand Kumon toys from his nephew. I think you can get similar ones from montissori toys

There's clearly absolutely no definition of gifted on this thread, so talking about a two year old who was later considered gifted because once during infants they happened to be one of the strongest few kids in a low performing class, is going to be quite different to other kids with much less common abilities.

The real thing is though, to just stop labelling kids full stop, all kids have needs, all kids have advantages, identifying the needs, identifying the advantages are the right thing to do. Labelling them a single label like gifted or even multiple labels like 2E, are not helpful at all, especially if you then go on to make assertions about what people with such labels might experience.

Even things like "taught themselves to read" is problematical, look at the statement above Ds has just turned two and taught himself to read some months ago. He recognises over 100 words

Someone who can read can read most words (in their orthography and vocabulary) recognising 100 words is something quite different, a useful skill of course, but no help at all if you say "can read at 2", the terms are just not well enough defined.

It's also common that people assume certain things are required to be gifted, you need to have a thirst for facts, you need to have a love of learning, they need to be doing the simple skills of school early, and if they don't have those things they some how don't qualify for being gifted.

But of course you also have it the other way, Warrick's
if they aren't reading Dahl or Lewis to you in that first year of school (and “getting” it) then you aren’t probably into the “blimey - this is a bit unusual” camp just yet

Strikes me as both ways, the technical skill of reading is often attained in the first year of school, and I've always been astonished that so many people find these books a struggle to understand, but clearly it's not a sufficient requirement for being gifted. Equally though it's not a negative if they aren't doing it as others have said, they simply might not be interested.

Sir, I maybe naive, but I do assume most parents won't label their kids in real life. I certainly don't. Use of the term like gifted or 2e is just for the convenience here. I may be wrong though.

I agree, but it's harmful I think even your mind though irvineoneohone, you start to frame problems and opportunities in the context of the label, rather than the needs.

Sir I am a strong believer in play based learning and have no desire to push my child's ability at this stage. I never sit down and go through simple books, pointing out the words. I'm certain that he would have a much larger bank of words he could read if I did this.
The words he reads are mostly ones we see whilst out and about, as we talk a lot. The part that makes it closer to reading and not just recognition is that I see he uses patterns and "rules" (sometimes correct, sometimes invented) to apply to new words he sees.
I'm interested to observe how it develops. I have strong links to a culture where structured schooling comes much later and I intend to follow that method as much as possible. Who knows where he will be at 7.
Thank you for the tip @irvineoneohone I'm glad to hear that your DS still enjoyed phonics. DH is the musical one but I might start going to toddler music classes in September, I've heard they are fun.

Shampooeeee It wasn't meant to be a criticism, your definition is of reading is certainly common, it's just not mine (being able to read the Dahl or Lewis or similar of Warrick would be much closer to mine) it was just an illustration how when someone says "reading at 2" you don't actually know what they are talking about, which makes this discussion even more dangerous.

My ds showed the signs I described above and has had his Iq tested at different time not because we wanted to know but because it was done as part of his sen assessments.

It was clear from an early age was naturally strong in certain areas and this was confirmed later on with an iq that places him in the top 0,5%.

However he was late to be dry at night and is very clumsy. It is quite common for gifted children to be behind in some physical parts of their development.

Sir, I don’t know if you RTFD but I believe the issue of labels was already adequately addressed by Hogfather?

No one runs around the streets yelling, “watch out! Gifted child over here!” but it is a thing and using the word (most parents I know wish there was a less cringeworthy word) allows people to cut to the chase. Any decent teacher should be aware of giftedness - please note that is NOT the same as top 10% of students as already mentioned in this discussion. Therefore if the teacher is aware, the parents can just advise them their kid will learn a bit differently by using the word “gifted” and be on their way. Sadly most parents have to pay a fortune for a 20 page report from a psychologist just so teachers will start to understand.

I think it’s unfair to say parents should never use labels ever. 2e is an important distinction. Are people allowed to say ASD either? I agree labels may affect children in different ways but that’s not always negative, as I’ve heard many parents of kids with ASD say. Many parents of gifted children don’t use the “label” around their children, or around other parents for that matter.

when someone says "reading at 2" you don't actually know what they are talking about, which makes this discussion even more dangerous.

No, dancing on the edge of a cliff is “dangerous”. Talking about a child reading at two on a forum about gifted children on Mumsnet is called “light conversation”. Regardless of your personal definition of reading, a two year old who can see a sentence written down for the first time and tell you what the words say is uncommon. It’s not that specific skill that shows the giftedness, it’s just an insight into their ability to learn, memorise and make connections. A psychologist can’t diagnose giftedness at 2, but that would be a sign to pay attention to what happens next. If they are that good at picking things up so young, they tend to carry on that way.

I have a gifted daughter and one son that has ADHD. At 2 I don't really remember what my daughter was doing other than running rings around me. From personal experience I think there is a lot of overlap between gifted children and children with ADHD and children on the autism spectrum. I do know that I occasionally worried that my daughter was different at 2 and not always in a positive way. She was bright and although her physical development was normal, she talked early, potty trained and crawled/walked at an average age, her co-ordination was delayed, she had been in A&E 5 times by the age of 6. She only started to excel at sports after the age of 10.

there is a lot of overlap between gifted children and children with ADHD and children on the autism spectrum

^This. That’s why a teacher should never be taking it on themselves to diagnose these things. Go see a psychologist with experience in giftedness.

There is an implication on these threads that to be truly gifted a child must show signs of autism. I took gifted as meaning more advanced in academic ability. It is a term I do not use myself as I think that a child's ability can be developed. Ability is a mixture of nature and nurture, so to imply my child has some undefined trait of "giftedness" seems wrong.
There is a whole spectrum of academic ability and a whole variety of reasons why they got there.
I have never used the word gifted to any teacher, mainly because I would feel like such a prat. I have always told them where dd is academically and sought for her to be taught on from there.

Those children are more likely to be bright not gifted. Tbh out the two bright is probably preferable. You can be both.

There is an implication on these threads that to be truly gifted a child must show signs of autism

No, they are often very sensitive. This only seems like a sign of autism to the inexperienced (unless they’re 2e etc).

I took gifted as meaning more advanced in academic ability

Gifted children often don’t do well academically. It’s not the same as being a high achiever.

I have never used the word gifted to any teacher

Nor should you unless your child’s psychologist has done the necessary assessment and found they are indeed gifted. Being advanced or clever is different.

My son has a high IQ (tested by hospital during ADHD assessments). He was bored rigid from a very young age at school, classic academic underachiever. He also has dyspraxia, so school just saw messy/slow handwriting and wrote him off (despite letters from hospital explaining that he needed challenge/technical support as they were concerned for his mental health).

Early indicators? Incredible speech/use of vocabulary from before he was properly walking. Ability to problem solve mechanical faults/take things apart & reassemble them, debating philosophical topics in depth from a very young age, extreme curiosity, talked to adults confidently and fluently, total fascination with sound etc.

He left school at 16, found his own job working with sound, left home and has a very successful career in the industry. Running his own business in his early 20s. Highly driven, and renowned for ability to instantly find/fix very difficult technical issues. It's like a 6th sense for him, he can visualise it but would find it difficult to explain why in simple terms. Gifted does not always mean academically successful, in fact it can be a disability as far as fitting in at school/socially.

My DS is bright, I don't use the term gifted and I don't hold much store in the apparent difference between a bright child whose IQ has been measured at 140 and a "gifted" one with the same IQ. Doesn't hold any salience for me. Anyway.
DS had a wind up jack in the box, you had to wind the little handle anticlockwise and it would play all through "pop goes the weasel" and the lid popped up on the word "pop" (though it was just music). DS knew how to operate that, turn the lever backwards and when the pop was coming, at about 8 months. By 1 he could set out a train track for his trains on the floor, and join the ends to make a full circuit. He was late speaking (low tone orally) but understood everything and would use gesture and supportive sounds (eg mock crying to show a sad character in a book, while pointing at them). He could read at just 3, he taught himself using a programme online called Starfall, while I was tied up with newborn DC. He only started talking properly at around the same age. His brother is autistic but whilst DS is sensitive and his speech tone is a bit unusual (very deep voice) I don't think he is - he has a very good understanding of other people and their thoughts and feelings in a way autistic DS doesn't. For example he was very upset recently about a moral dilemma where he didn't want to do something, but realised that if he didn't, he would be affecting others in his group and letting them down and that would be worse. DS is particularly good at maths and coding. He understood numbers into the thousands easily in nursery, never learned his tables he just "sees" them.

Tbh the people aspiring to have a gifted child at two very rarely have gifted children.

Since when did being 20 months ahead developmental wise mean gifted?! I do find the the term is used loosely on here. My DS since 2 has always emotionally, socially and academically been roughly three years ahead, nobody has batted an eyelid and I've certainly never thought he was gifted. Some children excel greatly in certain areas, some take a bit longer. Let kids be kids and support any extra needs and encourage what they flourish in.

Gifted children often don’t do well academically. It’s not the same as being a high achiever.

It is good to know you don't have to be "gifted" to be a high achiever. I'm now still unsure of what gifted is. Is it just a case of genetically having a high IQ? If it is, I will never know if dd is gifted, as I have no intention of having her IQ tested. I will just have to put up with a dd who is doing very well academically who may well not be gifted. Good enough for me.

Doesn't the word can mean slightly different according to who you are talking? You can say gifted or talented at something if you are good at something in everyday life, which doesn't necessarily mean you are genius level. But on this particular board, gifted doesn't mean slightly above average, but significantly above, yet still doesn't need to be genius level. Or whatever. At least for me, being gifted means that someone who have natural strong aptitude for something.

All these terms are confusing.

They are confusing. I do think it’s helpful for OPs to give a definition of what we’re to discuss at the beginning.

Thing is, a developmental psychologist will assess something as giftedness which has as much to do with personality traits as it does with IQ etc.

Teachers will choose a % of children who are doing well at school to be G&T.

I got the impression the discussion about being “gifted” at 2 meant the former, particularly as people who have children assessed as gifted (rather than G&T) have been commenting a lot.

Maybe the OP can clarify?

I don’t think it’s linear and you can’t always tell at two. My son was crafty at two eg eating yoghurt on the sly and putting it back in the fridge with the lid on....

By four he could read fluently his storybooks and is now five and obsessed with square roots, long multiplication and reads his eight year old brothers books no problem. We know he’s gifted, I personally think he’s mildly autistic
But apparently not .,.

My DS could also recognise the alphabet at 16 months, could sound out simple words and knew every train by it’s number and name. He said his first word “daddy” at six months. By 4 he had the reading age of 6 and a half and the vocabulary of a seven year old. He was dry day and night at 16 months. He was also one month premature. At seven he was the fastest butterfly swimmer in his age group in the country.

We know he’s gifted, I personally think he’s mildly autistic
But apparently not .,.

Have you talked to a professional who deals with giftedness about it? Sensitivities to food, sound, materials etc are common with giftedness. Social issues too as the majority of gifted people tend to be introverts (60% apparently, compared to 30% in general population).

Yeah he’s been under investigation for autism since he was three, they keep saying he’s borderline because he doesn’t stim.... any more... and his food issues have improved but now he doesn’t sleep without prescribed melatonin, big auty red flag there. Also DH is very clever so I thought imitially that it was lucky genes!!