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Gifted and talented

Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

Original poster

Is ds G&T or just a normal toddler?

41 replies

geordieminx · 18/08/2009 10:50

Ok so I feel a bit of tw@t posting this, but as I only have ds I dont really know whats normal.

He is 2.2, and at present:

recognises and can name every make of car Ford SAAB Toyota etc.. not from the badge - just from looking at the side/front

Can count and recognise numbers up to 20

Knows all colours including acknowledging colours such as "greeny blue"

Knows all shapes inc heart/diamond/rectangle etc

Knows all letters of the alphabet, and with a lot of them can say "f for fan" or h for hat or whatever.

Now with the exception of the car thing, that we started to pass time on journeys down south the rest he has seemed to pick up himself?

I'm a SAHM, just me and him during the day - not sure if it makes any difference?

OP posts:
roisin · 18/08/2009 11:13

the car thing made me laugh.

ds1 could do this at this age, in an obsessive way that kind-of scared me! Basically he was desperate to learn and we were trying to divert him from 'academic' reading/writing stuff. So he started learning things like this.

I reminded him of this a couple of weeks ago (he's 12 now) and he was stunned and couldn't remember it at all. He would barely recognise any cars now.

Your ds certainly sounds like a bright little button. But don't worry about G&T - it's a load of rubbish anyway - just enjoy him.

KembleTwins · 18/08/2009 11:18

geordie - he sounds lovely! Good for you for spending time with him encourging his natural curiosity. My DTs are 3 and are similarly as curious and enjoy knowing new things. They're not great with cars but they could do the shapes/colours thing at about the same age as your DS and have been into letters for several months (making car trips a real experience - "look Mummy, a "S"!!!"... "Look Mummy, a "H"!!!!" etc etc every couple of of minutes.

Agree with roisin - enjoy him! And don't worry about th G&T thing - it's just a label that schools use, not a diagnosis!

MrsBadger · 18/08/2009 11:24

just normal IMO

they all have their little pet topics - dd (2.0) can distinguish between the call of a wood pigeon and a feral pigeon, and (by sight) between a daddy and a mummy duck, and between crow and a rook... but she is rubbish at identifying colours and can't count worth a damn

One of her friends is a dinosaur expert but can't drink from an open cup without drenching the whole table

just have fun and keep going on outings and to the library

DadAtLarge · 18/08/2009 15:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

KembleTwins · 18/08/2009 16:39

DadatLarge - what a surprise to find you prowling around the G&T threads, and oh, what a surprise to find you slagging me off. Please desist.

DadAtLarge · 18/08/2009 19:19

what a surprise to find you slagging me off
Calling you ignorant would be slagging you off. By pointing out that you've proven you don't know much about G&T was simply stating a fact.

what a surprise to find you prowling around the G&T threads
Who it's surprising to find here is people with no interest in G&T hanging around just so they can "slag" it off.

KembleTwins · 18/08/2009 19:24

But DAL, you totally ignored the comment made by another poster who said that G&T is "a load of rubbish". That's what I object to.

I actually responded to a post made by someone with a toddler. Given that I have toddlers too, I AM interested.

lljkk · 18/08/2009 19:30

I think it's too early to say anything definite, OP. Certainly (imho) he is quite precocious, picking up stuff that most toddlers his age can't do yet, and all that is a strong sign that he will turn out to be quite bright in the long run. But it's still a matter of wait and see how bright he might be later. He might just be an early developer, or he might have deeper intelligence in the long run, too.

kitesarefun · 18/08/2009 20:21

He sounds very bright to me

My DD is 2.2 and can do colours, shapes and numbers but only up to 9. She doesn't know her letters yet.

She knows NOTHING about cars but then again neither do I

But she only needs to hear a song a couple of times and then she can sing it nearly perfectly. She constantly 'performs' tunes and dances from In the Night Garden / Teletubbies / nursery rhymes etc. on the front door step, in fact anywhere there may be an audience.

And she can breakdance fairly well (she saw some breakdancers at a festival and never looked back ).

Original poster
geordieminx · 18/08/2009 21:07

I guess more than asking whether he was G&T, I was meaning, is he bright or is it just normal? It amazes me the stuff he comes out with, especially since he didnt start talking until he was 2....

OP posts:
ilovetochat · 18/08/2009 21:13

it sounds pretty advanced to me, my dd is 2.1 and can count to 12, knows circle, square and rectangle, muddles colours up and knows about half the letters and i consider her to be doing fine.

usernametaken · 18/08/2009 21:48

It sounds like your DS has a great memory and a huge interest in cars! Sounds like a great way to pass car journeys.

I would continue to nurture his interests and follow his leads. He seems like a very bright and very quick learner.

seeker · 18/08/2009 21:54

He sounds very bright to me - what fun!

My niece did the car thing - in a very very broad Yorkshire accent. She could get more syllables into Peugeot than you would think possible!

Carry on with what you're doing - he may still be streets ahead in a few years time or he may level off, it's too early to tell.

And read to him lots and lots - I'm sure you do, but IMHO that's the most important thing in encouraging curious minds.

Anonymumandlikeit · 18/08/2009 22:02

Well that sounds bright to me

i honestly can't remember what ds was doing at this age(he is nearly 6)

I would be in raptures if dd could do other than sign car (she has ld)

Also,I think I would be hard pressed to recognise a saab even if it hit me and I am 37 lol I do know my colours,numbers and letters,though

NancysGarden · 18/08/2009 22:07

Couldn't have said it better myself usernametaken.

herbietea · 18/08/2009 22:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

blueshoes · 18/08/2009 22:50

He sounds very bright. Could he be learning it off the TV eg Dora the Explorer.

KembleTwins · 18/08/2009 22:53

lol blueshoes My DTs can count to 5 in spanish, and often greet me with "hola Mama". I don't speak Spanish, so credit Dora with that. They're like little sponges at this age!

SycamoretreeIsFullOfResolve · 18/08/2009 23:09

I think he does sound bright, and lovely.

Agree not to worry about G&T yet (ever, ha ha!) but yes, what you describe sounds above the norm for his age.

DadAtLarge · 19/08/2009 10:32

Agree not to worry about G&T yet (ever, ha ha!)
And why's that then?

Unfortunately, the people who attempt to sabotage G&T efforts are the ones who are most ignorant about it or have a vested interest.

G&T is pretty much the only program designed to help the more intelligent children in schools.

geordieminx, if you mean he's a genius then, no, it doesn't seem so. But he certainly seem very intelligent. When he does start school you'll be doing the right thing for him by finding out about G&T, about the school's policy on G&T and speaking with the school's G&T coordinator. If you don't your DS may end up suffering the fate of many of our brightest students who are made to plod along for years waiting for the others to catch up.

seeker · 19/08/2009 12:30

Oh, get off the hobby horse, DAL - this thread isn't about you!

coolpersephone · 19/08/2009 12:41

DadAtlarge~you seem to be the one with a vested interest.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,and they don't have to agree with or answer to you as some sort of self appointed G&T know~all.

coolpersephone · 19/08/2009 12:45

And who are you to say geordieminx ds isn't a genius~you've never even met him.

competitivedad would be more appropriate

DadAtLarge · 20/08/2009 21:08

coolpersephone, yes, I've got a vested interest, the DCSF pays me per post

There are some threads where giftedness, G&T etc are discussed quite amicably like this new one here

In other threads, the anti-G&T brigade take no opportunity in peddling false information and passing their personal opinion or prejudice off as fact e.g. "G&T is just a label".

And who are you to say geordieminx ds isn't a genius~you've never even met him.
My "opinion" - that you seem to defend everyone's right to possess - that the OP's DS is G&T but doesn't seem to be a "genius" is based on what she has told us so far and seems to be an opinion shared by several other posters. I've no idea what you've got your knickers in a twist about.

competitivedad would be more appropriate
LOL, that's a change, people here usually chide me for playing DS's ability down because I call him "just a bit on the bright side" and claim I know several children more able that he is.

To get the tread back on track...

geordieminx, my DS was always keen on maths, numbers interested him, he'd ask questions and pick up maths related concepts very quickly. DD1, OTOH, never displayed such interest but loved memory games and could always trounce her older brother even as a baby. Your DS may soon starting displaying preference in what he'd like to learn more of. You could do worse than encouraging him in his area of interest and facilitating him learning at his own speed. As I've said, though, there are risks involved in getting him too far ahead in the academic stuff they're going to be teaching in Reception and Yr1.

NotEvenTheTrees · 20/08/2009 21:15

My dd is 2.3 and can do all the things you list, except cars in which she has no interest. She knows all about tractors and dinosaurs though, where babies come from, can write letters etc. Surprised me today by drawing a line through a square and saying 'a square is just two triangles but no circles'.

She's normal I think. Fairly bright but normal.