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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Original poster

Genius child

110 replies

snowolf64 · 26/10/2015 20:55

I have been possibly lucky to have born as my son a HPL child (high potential learning ) at not even 2 and a half he can read and spell many 9 letter words name all the planets in order and just so much more, when you got a child and sits there and spells rectangle and hexagon and stuff like that it;s just weird. so how do i get him a sponsor to get him to private school because sending him anywhere else feels a bit like getting your hands on Einstein and sending him to work in Mc Donalds... help rich people

OP posts:
insan1tyscartching · 27/10/2015 09:08

OP I had a two year old who could read and spell at age two. He could also manipulate three figure numbers in his head at 4 He wasn't and isn't a genius (although I think he is wonderful) he has autism and sometimes a precocious ability with letters and numbers are a red flag for that.
Is he of high ability across the board,does he have a wide vocabulary,good problem solving skills,can he re tell a story without the words he can read? Is he sociable and empathetic?
If his ability to spell and memorise lists is a stand alone skill then I would be speaking to a GP and asking for a referral to a developmental paediatrician?

Lurkedforever1 · 27/10/2015 09:10

Ditto reallytired. If you find during infants at a state primary he isn't being stretched, then is the time to start looking at scholarships and bursaries for private. Before then as far as you go, just follow his interests same as you would for any ability child.

minimalist000001 · 27/10/2015 09:30

Some state schools are extremely academic. You only need to look at the amount of levels 5 and 6 achieved in year 6 sats. These high achieving children will be working two or three years in advance if their age.

OP I really hope you aren't hot housing her at such a tender age. She should be just playing aged 2/3. My DS has a huge capacity to learn too but it seems premature to be doing structured learning when he needs to be exploring things creativity without restriction.

Racundra · 27/10/2015 09:41

PotentialPlusUk (who charge £480 for an assessment, BTW) say you cannot really assess children at that age, more like after four and a half. So I am v interested in who has judged your child in this way.
FWIW, the poster above that said don't look at schools until he's four is wrong. The best schools will have full waiting lists by then, and even if your child qualified for a bursary (done on your income) he wouldn't get a place.
Lots of schools take registrations from before birth.

32ndfloorandabitdizzy · 27/10/2015 10:29

The only child I have met who was exceptional at an early age- counting in 2s to 500 plus at under 2 was later diagnosed as autistic. He has done wonderfully well and is a lovely boy but is unlikely ever to live independently.

Only1scoop · 27/10/2015 10:31

'How do I get a sponser to send him to private school'?

Is this a usual thing to ask then?

TheOnlyColditz · 27/10/2015 10:33

You need to get him assessed by an educational psychologist, because this sounds like hyperlexia, which is a soft marker for autistic spectrum disorder.

saltlakecity · 27/10/2015 17:19

My friend's daughter was an exceptionally bright toddler. I'm a teacher and she astounded me every time I saw her. By 5 she was a perfectly ordinary little girl. She struggles with maths now (age 7) and reading. She did everything early and her understanding of the world was amazing. She's no different to any other kid now. Don't count your chickens...

minimalist000001 · 27/10/2015 17:42

I think some parents really push their bright but normal 2/3 year olds so it can look like they are streets ahead but in fact the gap just LOOKS bigger because lots of bright 2/3 year olds aren't pushed.

user789653241 · 27/10/2015 17:57

I think it's not fair that people say OP's child is pushed.
Do you think it's possible to push 2/3 year old to be able to recognize 9 letter words? Then there would be loads of children reading before reception.
I agree with TheOnlyColditz, dc could be hyperlexic.
OP, before asking for sponsors on MN, it maybe better to talk to GP or somebody. You might be lucky, dc might actually turned out be purely gifted, but if not, can deal with it sooner.

insan1tyscartching · 27/10/2015 17:59

minimalist I didn't teach my ds to read or spell at two, I didn't even know he could do either until he used the magnetic letters on the fridge to spell oracle which was the tv text service at the time. I used to see him looking at books I didn't know he was reading. OP's ds could have done much the same tbh because rectangle and hexagon wouldn't really figure on a list of words a two year old would be interested in knowing. FWIW my autistic daughter's first word was square and so for me a two year old with a preoccupation with letters and geometrical shapes would be prompting me to contact a paediatrician rather than considering his educational provision.

mrz · 27/10/2015 18:22

Yes Irvine it's possible but that's not to say the OP is pushing

user789653241 · 27/10/2015 18:34

MRZ, I'm just worried that OP sounds like a foreigner, from her post.
I am a foreigner, and before I realized my child had problems, I didn't know what to think of my child's ability.
I didn't particularly push him, but I obviously given him lots of resources which he showed interests in, he was kind of child who was able to count backwards from 1000 before 2. I didn't automatically think he had problems. I was just happy that he seemed so clever. And I didn't have many friends or family who could give me some advice.
I just wish that OP can get help either way.

mrz · 27/10/2015 18:44

I agree Irvine. I'm not a foreigner and didn't realise my son's early reading was unusual never mind a problem.

user789653241 · 27/10/2015 18:49

Thank you, MRZ. Smile

minimalist000001 · 27/10/2015 18:50

I understand that some children can be amazing with words/numbers without pushing. I can see there might be underlaying SEN. However I also know quite a few children who are hot housed when little and who arrive at school looking like they are brighter then other children when really they aren't

catkind · 27/10/2015 22:50

Hyperlexia is something that can be associated with learning difficulties in other areas, but isn't always. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperlexia
My friend had a classic type 3 hyperlexic, with some very autistic-looking behaviours as a toddler but subsequently grown out of; as far as I can tell my early reader is otherwise quite normal, she just loves books.
So yes worth keeping an eye out but you don't have to assume there's a problem. If you have any concerns do talk to a GP. They were spot on with my friend's kid and reassured her loads.

As for schooling, YY do look at the individual schools and not assume private=good, state=bad. Where I lived, it was more often state school pupils who got the top scholarships to the private secondaries. As a child I was in both systems at different points, both had their advantages. If you don't have money to burn and do have an excellent local private school, state for primary and looking into scholarships/bursaries for secondary may be the way to go.

Hot-housing? I'm sure we'll get accused of it with DD. I find myself almost apologising for her, which is stupid really. She's just copying her big brother guv. I didn't make her do it.

ouryve · 27/10/2015 23:07

It's HLP, by the way. Not HPL.

DS1 was much like the child 32ndfloor describes. used to run around in endless circles, counting in 2s, 3s or 4s, until he fell over. I could avert a full blown spaghetti legs on the way home from nursery by counting in 7s with him. He taught himself to write (and had to be re-taught!) before he started nursery.

He was also hyperlexic. He's almost 12 now but has hit a bit of a natural language based ceiling, due to his ASD.

BertrandRussell · 28/10/2015 07:01

OP- I don't respond to unpleasant personal messages. If you find my posts the most "offensive" and "disturbing" you received and want to take me up on them then feel free to do so on the thread. I will happily reply.

user789653241 · 28/10/2015 07:14

What! Shock
I think BertrandRussell 's advice was a genuine one, OP.
Sometimes it maybe better to start a new thread with a new name.
I truly believe Bert was only trying to help.

GloriaHotcakes · 28/10/2015 07:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Slugonthewindow · 28/10/2015 07:30

Yes can I also add on here, the public forum, that I've no idea why I've received a private message that I find to be aggressive and unnecessary.

And fwiw - I bear no resentment towards bright children and I have extensive experience in early education. My opinion was completely valid, kindly worded and hardly controversial.

GloriaHotcakes · 28/10/2015 07:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Slugonthewindow · 28/10/2015 07:48

Yes it is.

Shutthatdoor · 28/10/2015 07:58

so how do i get him a sponsor to get him to private school because sending him anywhere else feels a bit like getting your hands on Einstein and sending him to work in Mc Donalds... help rich people

How rude Hmm