How to tell if a child is gifted?

[deardear07]

Read some norms below...'gifted' children tend to reach milestones weeks, months or even years earlier...


Three Months:

•Lifts and turns head from side to side when lying on stomach
•Grasps rattle when placed in hand
•Smiles when smiled at
•Follows moving object or person with eyes
•Turns head toward bright colors and lights and toward the sound of a human voice
•Makes cooing and gurgling sounds
•Reacts to peek-a-boo games

Six Months:

•Holds head steady when sitting (with some help)
•Reaches for and grasps objects
•Helps hold bottle during feeding
•Explores by mouthing and banging objects
•Pulls up to sitting position if hands are grasped
•Opens mouth for spoon
•Babbles and makes sing-song sounds
•Knows familiar faces

Twelve Months:

•Drinks from cup with help
•Grasps small objects with thumb and forefinger
•Puts small blocks in and out of a container
•Sits unsupported
•Crawls on hands and knees
•Pulls self up to stand
•Takes steps while holding on to furniture
•Stands alone momentarily
•Walks with one hand held
•Moves body to music
•Begins to use objects, like a comb, correctly
•Babbles, but with inflection, which sounds like talking
•Says first word
•Responds to another’s distress by showing distress/crying
•Understands simple commands

Eighteen Months:

•Turns pages in a book
•Stacks two blocks
•Walks without help
•Scribbles with crayons
•Identifies object in a picture book
•Begins to sort by shapes and colors
•Follows simple, one-step directions
•Says 8-10 words others can understand
•Repeats words heard in conversation
•Looks at person speaking to him or her
•Uses “hi,” “bye,” and “please” when reminded
•Asks for something by pointing or using one word
•Acts out familiar activity in play (i.e. pretending to eat)
•Recognizes self in mirror or pictures

Two Years:

•Drinks from a straw
•Feeds self with spoon
•Builds tower with 3-4 blocks
•Opens cabinets, drawers, boxes
•Walks upstairs with help
•Likes to take things apart
•Explores surroundings
•Begins to make believe play
•Can and will follow directions
•Enjoys looking at the same books over and over
•Has vocabulary of several hundred words
•Uses 2-3 word sentences
•Comforts a distressed friend of parent
•Refers to self by name and uses “me” and “mine”
•Points to eyes, ears, or nose when asked

Three Years:

•Builds tower of 4-5 blocks
•Walks up steps, alternating feet
•Turns pages in a book one at a time
•Pays attention for about three minutes
•Remembers what happened yesterday
•Knows some numbers, but not always in the right order
•Looks through a book alone
•Likes to be read to
•Counts 2-3 objects
•Follows simple one-step commands
•Uses 3-5 word sentences
•Asks short questions
•Names at least one color correctly
•Knows first and last name
•Recognizes & understands most common objects & pictures

Four Years Old:

•Starts copying letters
•Tries to write name
•Builds tower of 7-9 blocks
•Puts together simple 4-12 piece puzzle
•Walks downstairs using handrail and alternating feet
•Knows some basic colors
•Sorts by shape and color
•Counts up to 5 objects
•Follows three instructions given all at once
•Has large vocabulary
•Wants to know “why” and “how”
•Knows own age and name of hometown
•Asks direct questions
•Speaks well enough for strangers to understand
•Has large vocabulary
•Uses sentences of 5 or more words

Five Years Old:

•Uses knife and fork well
•Walks downstairs without a handrail, alternating feet
•Balances on one foot for five seconds
•Prints some letters
•Copies shapes and patterns
•Knows most basic colors
•Wants to know what words mean
•Recites own address and phone number
•Copies own name
•Identifies some letters of the alphabet
•Counts up to 10 objects
•Interested in cause and effect
•Uses 6 words in a sentence
•Uses “and,” “but,” and “then” to make longer sentences
•Invents make believe games with simple rules


I find this list abit old...?? is this the norm for children decades ago? coz I believe singaporean children already reach some of the milestones at least 1 yr in advance, esp for those 3-5yr milestones...

lol... my son just turned 3yr old and is already in the 5yr milestone and going beyond already... :?

[rosemummy]

kabalevsky:

hi deardear,

i think it depends on the school or circle of friends. or family background.

for a typical neighbourhood school like the one my ds1 goes to, it is true that at P1, the stellar books are fairly simple and the spelling words which are based on the books are also very easy. half of his classmates would be emergent readers, so yes, i think your girl would be considered advanced and very good.

however, at very popular Pr schools where most parents do a lot of PV and ballot to get in, most of them tend to be very pro-active and hands-on and thus would have ensured their kids are very well-prepared for P1 and life beyond by helping and guiding their kids to read well before that. So it could be that many of the kids can read very well at P1, like your girl.

at my ds2's kindy, I am looking at such a scenario because many of his classmates' parents are such, like you and me, which is why we are here on KSP forum too, i guess. so he and his classmates all read very well. hence, i guess that's where sleepy and rosemummy are coming from?

Yes, you're right. Some skills like reading ability really depends on exposure and whether the child had been taught. My girl was able to read quite a lot of words at 2-1/2 years, while my friend's daughter who's 4 years older at that time couldn't because she wasn't taught how to. This is not a reflection of intelligence. When my friend realised that they couldn't rely on the preschool to teach her girl, they started teaching her on their own and within 2 weeks, she was ahead of my girl.

During my time, none of us could read in P1. We weren't taught and definitely not expected to do so at the beginning of P1. Knowing the alphabets, being able to write our name and speak a couple of sentences was all that was expected. I don't think we were any less intelligent. It's just that we weren't similarly exposed when we were that age.

[deardear07]

kabalevsky:

hi deardear,

i think it depends on the school or circle of friends. or family background.

for a typical neighbourhood school like the one my ds1 goes to, it is true that at P1, the stellar books are fairly simple and the spelling words which are based on the books are also very easy. half of his classmates would be emergent readers, so yes, i think your girl would be considered advanced and very good.

however, at very popular Pr schools where most parents do a lot of PV and ballot to get in, most of them tend to be very pro-active and hands-on and thus would have ensured their kids are very well-prepared for P1 and life beyond by helping and guiding their kids to read well before that. So it could be that many of the kids can read very well at P1, like your girl.

at my ds2's kindy, I am looking at such a scenario because many of his classmates' parents are such, like you and me, which is why we are here on KSP forum too, i guess. so he and his classmates all read very well. hence, i guess that's where sleepy and rosemummy are coming from?

yeah! agreed... :rahrah:

good schools and esp those parents who did stuff to get in, their children tend to be the ones who are better prepared for school.

seriously, I m a not-so-disciplined mummy so I didn't expose DD or DS to anything in particular... I loved reading on my own when I was younger so I took for granted that my children would love it too... silly me... that was y I bought books for DD but never really read them to her when she was younger.

Now with DS, i am making the same mistake due to work commitments. But he is one persistent child and will bug me the whole night till I do something about what he wants. He will nag me from the time he sets his eyes on something till he gets a scolding from me for bugging me...and even after the scolding, still ask for it. :?: :slapshead:

[rosemummy]

kabalevsky:

:? oh, just a side note, why is charlotte's web so popular? :scratchhead:


i've seen this being mentioned several times by different mommies. is this used as some kind of benchmark?

cos though this book sits on our bookshelves at home, my boys have never touched it.
not that they are gifted la, of course. :lol:

I think that's because it's the first literature text they do in P4 GEP. But my knowledge is a little outdated. Not sure if they still do it now.

[deardear07]

kabalevsky:

:? oh, just a side note, why is charlotte's web so popular? :scratchhead:


i've seen this being mentioned several times by different mommies. is this used as some kind of benchmark?

cos though this book sits on our bookshelves at home, my boys have never touched it.
not that they are gifted la, of course. :lol:

hehe...u shud get ur kids to watch the show, then decide if the book is good to read.

when i read it, recently...i didn't wana put it down. my DD watched it and when she saw the book at popular, she herself said she wanted the book to read.

[rosemummy]

Hi deardear


I think the milestones you’ve indicated are the minimum ie the child is considered to have some development delay if they do not achieve that by that age. Most children are ahead of that.

[Kabby]

rosemummy:

Yes, you're right. Some skills like reading ability really depends on exposure and whether the child had been taught.

I don't think we were any less intelligent. It's just that we weren't similarly exposed when we were that age.

:goodpost:
fully agree

[deardear07]

rosemummy:

Hi deardear


I think the milestones you've indicated are the minimum ie the child is considered to have some development delay if they do not achieve that by that age. Most children are ahead of that.

yes, as mentioned earlier in the post...that is the norm and gifted children tend to be way advanced than stated.

but still, i find that list a little outdated...some seem a little too slow for norm...

[Kabby]

rosemummy, you from GEP last time? that was your P4 text?


deardear, we all watched the show together on TV before, and I've read the book last time (the book that's on the bookshelf is mine), but they are not interested lei. but it's ok la, that's just them.

i asked cos different mommies have mentioned this in particular in different threads in different contexts, so was curious.

[2ppaamm]

I gave the ‘IQ’ info in my previous posts as-a-matter-of factly to anyone needing such advice. However… here’s my personal take.


My kids are now much older, and I have one who is already graduating from uni, and one starting uni in a few days. Having journeyed this far, I have come to learn that giftedness means very little in real life. Those IQ tests are academic and I had to do some to help my younger son who was misdiagnosed for ASD. Fortunately, my older kids are really nice people and that really warms my heart everyday. And because they are my older kids, I had no clue how to raise them ‘properly’ like many great mothers here.

It was never important whether they were gifted or not, my job was always to help them discover their passions and steer them to the path that will realize their dreams. To some extent, I feel good looking at them, not because some people call them geniuses, but because they are respectful to me, and they volunteer to iron the cloths and cook a dish or two whenever I am tired. I am proud that they will train hard in their sports despite the fatigue and that they volunteer to train the younger kids. They are ordinary and sweet.

I remember how the journey was when they were young. Some told me my kids will be useless, some told me they will be somebody one day. I only knew, just like other kids, they are unique. I did not look for gifted classes to send them to, or even think they are gifted.

Now 17 and 15, I believe they are sensible and matured and most of all, know what they want and what they want to pursue. If you ask me, I believe that’s the difference between my children and many of their peers. Someone once told me the earlier a person finds his calling, the more successful he will be.

I have another three more to go. I know some of my kids are more gifted than their siblings, but I raise them the same way. We have the same fun, they attend the same classes, have the same food, love the same silly jokes. My job is the same, help them find that special passion, and then find that path that will help that passion blossom. Job of a mother, to a gifted kid or not, it is more or less the same.

If the child is gifted and we can find the correct help, use that resource. I did not seek any help for my older kids. For the younger ones, I had a lot of offer for help. Unfortunately, sometimes I wished I had raised them more normally like the older ones. I already had a system in place and all these sophisticated ‘help’ messed up my simple process. I have learnt no one knows my kids better.

The best enrichment for a child, gifted or not, is the same. The opportunities to find his capabilities, love, friends and passion. Time to develop those. Only parents can offer that kind of enrichment. No enrichment centre, no elite IQ club can. The focus groups make our hearts grow stronger by telling us we are not alone in this journey. Ultimately, the journey still has to be traveled by ourselves, most of the time on foot. If we are fortunate, a donkey comes along and we ride on it a little while, knowing we have to be on foot again. I guess our job as mothers is to keep looking out for donkeys (coaches, teachers, friends, opportunities) and never forgetting we are the real riders together with the kids.