Advanced Toddlers & Preschoolers

I definitely see your point. Kids are so different and there's such a wide range of "normal" behavior that it's hard to know if your child is advanced or not.

I feel the same way about Felix. Since he doesn't speak English fluently yet, and I don't speak Amharic, it's hard for me to know exactly how advanced he is (or IF he is).

To me, I can just see that he knows more, plays differently, and can do much more than my older son did at this age.

Felix is very mechanical. He wants to know how everything works. He can put CDs in the stereo, movies in the DVD player, turn the tv off and on, work the microwave, turn the fan and lights on/off using the correct buttons on the remote.

He has amazing dexterity so he can dress himself, button his buttons, put on socks and shoes. He buckles his own seat belt and will do/undo anything that buckles or snaps.

He is interested in routines, processes, and rules (although he doesn't always follow the rules!). He'll observe them with interest, then try to emulate them. I think it took a lot longer for our older son to even notice some of these things we do. Like in the morning he will get the dog's dish and put food in it, whereas I don't think my older son would ever think to feed the dog. Felix helps unload the dishwasher, knows where to put the soap, which buttons run it. If one of the other kids does something wrong he'll tell them "No! No snacks! Get out of there!" and tries to close the pantry door. (Even tries to put them in time out sometimes, lol.)

And another big difference is that my older son would always push back when I tried to teach him something - colors, numbers, etc. Felix really wants to know everything. He brings me things all day long and asks what they are. This morning he brought me his sister's shoe and a marker that were both pink and said "Mom, look, red. This one, this one!"

So....He doesn't know many of the things that some of the kids here know like colors and letters. But he is learning them pretty quickly. And he was in an orphanage until April of this year, so I'm completely amazed that he knows this much! :)

 

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I'm definitely starting to think my DD is in the AT category. My older child (DS - almost 4) is intelligent and has always been a bit ahead verbally/intellectually, but nothing that really makes him stand out to strangers. My DD, now 20 months old, has a vast vocabulary for her age (in the 150-200 word range)- speaking as well as several of the kids nearly a year older than her in her class - and she routinely speaks in 5 an 6 word sentences. She was 'accelerated' out of the early toddler room at 19 months into the 2 year old room and is thriving (I'm just glad she's taller for her age). She catches on to things quickly and always seems to understand adult conversations.

However, I'm fully prepared for her to simply be verbally advanced and not necessarily excel in other areas of development as she ages...so I'm not pushing learning on her overtly. This is my first visit here, so I don't know what's "normal" for the AT/AP crowd either! :) I'm hoping to lurk and see what other parents are dealing with in hopes of keeping up with my smart little Miss.

I was a gifted child, and I know the pressure of an overly proud mother - so while I'm pleased as punch with her abilities, I'm definitely taking a wait and see approach. :)

Rebecca

Munch is mostly advanced in the verbal department.  He used to startle people before he was two by singing out what floor the elevator was stopping on or pushing the correct number button when people wanted a floor.  By age two, he was asking all kinds of fairly sophisticated questions, like "why aren't there lower case numbers, as well as letters?" and "where does the moon go when we can't see it during the day?"  He started reading at a very basic level self-taught by age three.  Lately he's also on a science kick, fascinated with and remembering all kinds of stuff.  He will happily discuss the difference between cumulus clouds and rain clouds with you.  :-)

He is, however, slower than average in fine motor development and behavioral skills, so he's both advanced and delayed, depending which skill set you're looking at.

Gwen

Thanks, Toni!