Is my 2yo gifted?

[MumofToddle]

I’ll be upfront, I‘ve only created this thread because I suspect I’m right and I’m looking for validation 😂I also know how insufferable that is and that I deserve to be taken down a peg, so please do feel free to disabuse me of my notions if I deserve it.

I think my 2.5yo son might be verging on ‘gifted’ (as opposed to merely clever, which I know he is without needed confirmation from anyone else). Here are some of the things he can do:

• complete verbal fluency - speaks in lengthy, complex sentences, for example ‘mummy, daddy said after we go swimming we are going to granny’s house because we need to borrow her car so you can go to London’. Has a good vocabulary - regularly and correctly uses words like ‘marvellous’, ‘surprising’, ‘mischievous’, ‘famished’.
• very good recall - for example he has a reference book of animals and can tell you the scientific names for about 60 animals, having been told them once or twice on previous readings
• can read simple words and some sentences. We didn’t teach him this so don’t know where it came from. For example today we drove past next and he said ‘N E X T, that says next’. He can read simple sentences in books he hasn’t seen before, such as ‘where is spot?’ (By sounding out the letters to work out the word)
• Can write his own name unassisted and copy letters if I write them first (imperfectly but recognisably)
• can name / discuss his feelings. Has basically never had a tantrum but will say ‘I’m disappointed because I don’t want to leave the park’.

What do you think - gifted, or just bright? It wouldn’t change anything either way as we don’t have any desire or intention to try and hot house him or interfere at all in his very relaxed, low pressure childhood, but I’m curious!

How did he learn to read without being told what sounds the letters make? Would anytime else have told him? Nursery or Grandparents? Has he watched it in a show? If a child can read without being taught, I would say that is beyond gifted! However, a lot of early readers are neurodivergent.

I always felt feisty tantrums were signs of bright children knowing what they want-that’s what I told myself in the midst of them!

Enjoy your clever little ds. Who knows what he’ll become one day!

In the case of my child, I just answered their questions about words, they picked up some from educational shows, and somehow just put it all together to start reading and writing at 2. It's been a while now but they were reading chapter books by 5 and writing full pages of stuff that made perfect sense at 4. All with minimal input from me. They also had good comprehension, so it wasn't reading without understanding.

It's a balance isn't it. The thing is, learning can be a real pleasure if you are bright. All I wanted to do as a toddler /preschooler was read books, my parents didn't push me (in fact the constant library trips drove my parents up the wall!) . Equally I am glad they got me doing sports and other activities so I did mix and socialise.

So yes, I don't approve of hot housing, but equally my mum used to say I needed books the way other children needed meals. Similarly my son was really down when schools stopped in the pandemic until we signed him up for lots of tutoring. Once he was feeling properly stretched academically he was ready to go out tree climbing /playing football in the afternoon. We can't force these children not to be academic, but we can encourage a more rounded experience

My som was exactly like this from 1.5. I took him to a child psychologist as I was terrified it was ASD (early ‘genius’ and verbal fluency is a sign of it in my family). He’s 3 now and they suspect a mix of ADHD, high IQ, and a photographic memory. The bugger basically memorises written words / sentences and figures out how to pronounce them later. He only needs to hear / read a word once and it’s in his brain.

Learning how to read early is a solid sign of Autism as is early verbal fluency. All of my nephews had ASD and the first signs that were picked up on were them reading / recognising small words and letters.

My daugtef was speaking in simple sentences at 18 m and as you describe by 2.5. She has adhd. Very bright but often distracted. Was reading and comprehending harry potter before her 6th birthday.

This really isn’t right. Early reading is a sign of high IQ but not unique to the autistic population. In fact the majority of autistic people have low IQ. LD and ASD are often seen together, but intelligence is separate from asd.

Agreed.

I know plenty of bright early talkers who don't have autism and plenty of children with autism who were very late to read or talk

My eldest is very very clever. Just got all A*As in his GCSEs (we are in wales so still old style grading!)

he didn’t utter a single word until he was 2 and 3 months. A few weeks later he was talking in fully formed complicated sentences and conversations. It also became apparent when he started talking that he could also read. When he started school his reading age was 14+, they couldn’t accurately assess his spelling as the test only went up to 8 years. He was assessed by an Ed Pysch with hyperlexia and then with ASD but as he is so high functioning he copes really well with life.

DD was taking in fully formed sentences by 18 months an and astounded the health visitor with her vocabulary at her 2 year check. She is NT and is clever but just normal clever but also really creative.

all kids are different and somethings could be a sign of extreme giftedness but equally they could just be an early starter and will soon level out and peers will catch up.

being able to read does give an advantage as it opens up lots of information. DS reads factual books and just absorbs the knowledge. The best thing to do is just encourage his interests and facilitate learning at his pace.

But all As/A*s isn't very unusual, is it?

Based on old statistics, yes autism can be linked to a low IQ.

There are still more autistic people with learning disabilities than with high IQs what has lead you to believe otherwise?

There are more people diagnosed with autism who have Co-morbid learning disabilities because people have not historically thought that their child being very advanced for their age in speech/reading/writing could be anything other than positive.

People don’t seek medical advice for something they think is a positive.

Until very recently autism was considered a “male” condition, so low were the diagnosis in women. Even now there is talk of how it is a “paternally inherited” condition, so different is the presentation in women.

Maybe not. I can’t find the equivalent stats for wales but in England only 0.1% of students sat 12+ GCSEs and not all of them will have got all A*As so it is pretty good to get that in 13 GCSEs.

You won't know until they are placed in GAT at primary and secondary and listed in the the top 5%. Too early to say now by far.

Hmm, I must have missed the post where you had said that before!

The majority of autistic people do not have low IQ. In fact, IQ testing is pretty irrelevant for autistic people due to their uneven results. The uneven results are one evidence of autism. They will typically score higher in some areas and lower in others. Most NT people score more evenly across the areas, which gives their overall averaged score more meaning.

@MumofToddle

You answered so politely to such a strange, rude question!

@Mischance Learn some manners before you post on these threads

My son was the same. He could read by 3. Teacher said he had the best writing in the class in reception. He sailed through 11+ and went to grammar school, getting great GCSEs and A Levels. He's now 18, decided not to go to university and is doing a carpentry/joinery advanced apprenticeship, so will be a tradesman. I'm pleased that he won't have a huge student debt and will probably earn a decent wage.

I think you’re wrong on that one, but I don’t think I suggested IQ was a driver for autism in any way. The fact remains that there ARE a large percentage of autistic people who also have learning disability. Nobody is suggesting that having autism means you have a low IQ just that you are more likely to. Do you understand the difference?

He sounds very much like my child at that age, he was diagnosed with asd at age 6

To be diagnosed with autism it has to be disabling. So if you aren’t negatively impacted by it you simply don’t fit the criteria. I think actually the rationale is that the more severe the learning disability the more you will be impacted by autism because you cannot work around it in the same way as a more able person.
it’s is a reach to say that something is considered to pass down through men only because it’s noticeable in men. Facts are quite important and while your idea is possible I don’t know that there’s any truth to it.
It isn’t a slur on HFA (IQs over 80) to say that most autistics have IQs under 100. It’s just a fact.

My son was immensely advanced in literacy and numeracy and more so in communication, he was creative and could do Lego Technics on his own aged two/three. He had a good imagination and interpersonal skills.

I don’t think he’s gifted though, just early, and all kids tend to level out by the time they get established in school. And it is pretty exhausting fielding his enquiries.

And we’re generally all proud and smitten by our children. It is the way…

LOL Yes, I am actually expert here. A learning disability can also mean you aren't good at a test and don't perform well, which has nothing to do with actual intelligence. Someone did say that a lot of autistic people have low intelligence and that is actually very untrue. IQ is controversial enough and the application to ND people even more contentious.

Indeed - this was what I was trying to convey. I agree absolutely.