Is my 1yr old a genius?

[Thatsmoneyhoney]

Hi all.

I was just wondering if my son is gifted or if I am just extremely biased 🤣 of course everyone thinks their child is amazing!
But...
Please can you let me know your opinions if you think my son is very smart for his age.
He has just turned 22 months so almost 2.
He knows most shapes and colours. All the letters in the alphabet. Even ones at random. He won't just sing the alphabet. He is able to say each letter in the words when we read books or out on walks he'll stop and look at road signs and pick out all the letters.
He can also count to 20. For instance if he has some blueberries. He'll move them and count 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 all the way up to 20. And he also recognises numbers. So if a road sign says 30mph.. he'll shout THREE ZERO!!
He also recognises his name in letters and will shout out his name if he sees it on his lunch box or something.
Is my boy a genius??

I have 3 children but my first was a verynkate talker. He didn't talk until 3 and our 2nd child has a disability so I don't know if my 3rd son is just average for his age....

@Thatsmoneyhoney What stands out in your Op is he recognises colours, Everything else can be taught, to most children, if parents choose to, but this indicates a stage of brain development in advance of his age

Mine was like this as well at 18 months, I think it’s because we kept singing songs and telling her what shape and colour everything was. She’s bright but I don’t think she’s a genius. It’s wonderful what little sponges they are at that age, theres a massive jump in language acquisition in the early years and it sounds like he’s benefiting from lots of engagement.

I did secretly think mine was a genius….DH is still convinced 🙄

He seems advanced for his age in recall, recognition, and basic maths. But some kids are. In my experience, children with older siblings are often keen to try to keep up with them. The result is that some children develop certain skills a lot quicker than their peers.

Is your son a genius? Impossible to say. What I will say is that while is clearly a bright little lad nothing you've mentioned is exceptional for his age - he's just more advanced than average in some skills.

Encourage him to enjoy himself and explore the world around him. Keep doing what you're doing, basically. He might keep being quite advanced, he might not. Have fun!

He sounds very quick and sounds like he is enjoying it.

Jigsaws and boardgames are good but maybe he is still too young for board games.

If they are bright like this then it can be easier to get them to concentrate on things which is a great quality to have. Learning to read early makes learning so much easier.

It is amazing how different they can be at that age. Some are struggling to talk and some so much more advanced.

Have fun with him and ignore all the snide posts from sour Mumsnetters who love to try and put people down. They are sad people.

I know a few children like your child I would say they are still in the normal range.

He sounds very bright and ahead of where he should be. Not a guarantee he's going to continue to be this advanced but certainly a good sign!

Obviously threads like this will be full of posters saying 'Ah yes, my child was exactly the same at that age and now they're totally average, it always evens out' 🙄

It DOESN'T always 'even out' ime. My eldest two dc (16 and 14) were both very similar as toddlers and whilst I wouldnt say they count as gifted they're both highly intelligent, both academically and emotionally. They've remained well ahead of their peers throughout school, with everything coming to them extremely easily. Ds1 has sat several GCSE's a year early for instance and in Y11 was studying extended Maths quals because he'd already achieved his two A*'s at GCSE (we're in Wales, we're still letter grades and Maths is two GCSE's in Mathematics and Numeracy).

I was like this as a child.
Hyperlexic - could read full sentences by the time I started school at age 4.

I'm now 38 and very much of average intelligence (though I do have a capacity for remembering random facts - only really handy in a pub quiz)

I think that’s normal for a 2 year old. Both DS and DSD were doing these things. But we’re Indian origin so what I think is ‘normal’ for a toddler might not actually be - eg both kids potty trained by 1-2, were dressing themselves by 2-3, speaking clearly in full sentences by 1-2, and very interested in letters / numbers / writing. DS is 4 now and is interested in coding.

He sounds very bright and adorable @Thatsmoneyhoney .

What is baffling about it? My birthday is next month, someone asked my age today and I said I'm nearly xxx. There is a world of difference between a 1 year old and a 2 year old, and OP's child is almost 2.

He sounds incredible! Yes, he is very bright. I don't know what the criteria for "genius" is but your 1 year old is super bright for sure. Definitely way above average!!

Same here with the random facts and early reading
I still read a lot but use a library as books get expensive when they only take an hour to read!

Theres a massive difference between a 13 mo and a 23 mo.... but also between a 22mo and a 35mo! He is currently a 1yo, just an older one.

His ability would be a lot more common at 35months than 22 months

Obviously he’s closer to his second birthday than his first. Obviously he is almost 2

He’s also still one. The OP isn’t wrong calling her one year old a one year old.

I was thinking hyperlexia. I didn't know it was a thing until I started reading up about it regarding my son. He doesn't have it, I don't think, but does seem quite advanced with speech etc. He has really good communication, which surprised me as my DH was delayed speaking (and then diagnosed ASD at the age of 4). I am wondering if there's a link.
You say one of your children was a late talker and mention disability with your other one - is it autism?

My older DD was ahead as a toddler but not quite at your son's level before 2. She is very bright, top of her class and can easily do work a couple of years ahead in the curriculum. I don't think she's got a genius level IQ and she's not been tested. You would need an expensive private educational phycologist to assess IQ in a young child. Prepare yourself you may struggle with the one-size fits all approach of state education.

Your son seems to be displaying advanced cognitive skills for his age, especially with his proficiency in recognizing letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. While it's natural to be proud of your child, these abilities do suggest he may be ahead of his peers in certain areas. It might be helpful to consult with a child development specialist to gain a more comprehensive understanding of his abilities and to ensure he receives appropriate stimulation and support. Keep fostering his curiosity and learning in a fun and engaging manner.

He does sound very clever but I think it depends what they have an interest in. My son is 2 and a half and wouldn't be able to recognise any letters but then I've not really done that with him. But he can tell me a whole creative story and do a 16 piece puzzle at ease.
They all have different strengths !

One of mine was like this, he was reading fluently at 3 and passed Y6 SATs in Y1 (the teacher put him through the papers without asking me first). He was diagnosed with autism at 6, the very early reading was hyperlexia. He's still very academically able, has just finished his finals at Oxford and has a scholarship to do a masters - but I would caution that he has really suffered with mental health problems, has an eating disorder and was bullied relentlessly at school. He suffered a full autistic burnout in his late teens which was terrifying for him and for us, and it was a constant struggle to get his needs met at school. The fact that he is so clever and articulate really didn't help when it came to needing reasonable adjustments and not being able to do some age appropriate things.

Your boy may not be ND at all, I don't know - but if he is - and it's not uncommon in children who show glaringly advanced academic abilities early on - then the earlier you get to grips with it the better. I don't know how DS1 would have got through school without his diagnosis.

Mine was the same - definitely keep encouraging and doing what you are doing. We labelled loads of stuff in the house (fridge, door etc) and he loved taking the labels down and putting them back up. It really helped his word recognition. He was reading at 3 and still loves reading now (he's 10). I was told he'd be bored at school but actually the teachers give him harder work so he's 2 years ahead of his peers with reading and maths.

I don't accept the idea that you shouldn't teach them at home - if they want to learn then you absolutely should. Mine loved it and used to quiz me on sums when I was driving or cooking - I don't miss that part now he's older!

As another mum has said, it might go over time. My 8 year old DS was way ahead in maths and letters, could read a lot better then the rest of his class, then he could solve a ton of maths problems.

But at about 6 it started to slip, he is average now and gets in trouble for p!ssing around on the iPads in ICT.