Speech - Milestones?

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Thanks hun, we live on a property out of town so can't really encourage walking to the park but we encourage her to go outside and explore, we open the door to the kids area and let them go at it, ask her to go to the slide or the trampoline etc or to go on the bike and she does those things.

She loves dancing, we put on her CD player in her room and she dances around like a maniac

She loves doing craft with her sister, and we do that quite regularly so will see how we go.

She loves being outside and riding the motorbikes with us, knows how to turn the key on and tries to rev it.
Maybe were doing enough as it is, i don't think she's gifted, maybe she just has more opportunity than other kids her age to do different things...
I just find it interesting watching the differences in other kids her age, DD1 also talks quite well for a 2.5yr old, has memorised songs and matching dances and speaks better than some 5yr old i know... maybe i just breed chatter boxes

[meow]

I don't think it's really just about opportunities. Is that why children are delayed? Because their parents didn't give them opportunities?

Anyway, I think she sounds very advanced which is pretty exciting really If you'd like to look more into gifted children just to have an idea at this point of where to go "just in case" then I'd suggest looking up Louise Porter. I'm a HUGE Porter fan and she's written a lot on gifted children. Personally, if she says something then I'd do it I'm not sure if advocates distracting your child away from their strong skills or not- could be worth seeing what she says.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

I don't think it's really just about opportunities. Is that why children are delayed? Because their parents didn't give them opportunities?

Sorry i didn't mean in a bad way, i meant she has an older sister who talks quite well for her age and a mother who could talk under water with a mouthful of cement

Thanks for the information, i might have a chat with the MCHN and see if she's still suitably impressed with her vocab as she was at 12mths, maybe it's all in my head...

Oh i must say thought this morning her new word is WHY ? so i asked her to do something and she said "WHY" and i recounted, then she asked me something i said Why and she said "because"

[Rowellen]

The description for 2-3 yo's fits my DS perfectly. He was 2 in feb.

Your DD does sound quite advanced. Makes it easier to work out what they want

[Yeddi]

It could simply be about motivation and modelling, or, yes, language could be her strength which will make it easier for her to do well in language based education.

To be honest, I personally don't like that word "gifted" (not directed at you ZF, I'm just talking about the common terminology and attitude). It's an idea that came out of the enlightenment and was used to replace rank based on birth - instead it was now based on subjective and/or standardized testing. I find it has an edge of snobbery to it and implies the idea that a person who can score high on a restrictive IQ test is something more, when what they really have is just a particular strength in that area. I've seen people who might not score high on an IQ test but can make the most amazing things with their hands, and that's their particular strength, and I don't see them as any less "gifted" or as being simple. I know that my DH has done the menser test on two occasions. The first time he answered it the way he knew they wanted it answered and got 161. The next time he answered according to his natural inclination and got 75. So depending upon how he approached the test he was either only five points above the line of mental disability or a genius. Also, there have been a couple of times with uni were I've run out of time because of things going on in life and I've had to hand in essays despite not having read the book or any of the source material with simply the intention of "if I hand something in, I should still pass". Each time, I've got HD's, while those who have actually done the course work (and in essence really do know what they are talking about more than me) have scored less. This doesn't give me a lot of confidence in grades as a sign of knowledge. Anyway, getting to the point. You don't need a test to tell you she is gifted or label, you don't need to seek the approval of others (by them being impressed) or anything else that puts undue pressure on your DD to perform. You KNOW she has a strength in this area, and it is good to encourage this and allow her to flex that muscle, but I can guarantee she will have weaknesses too and she needs to learn that those are okay just as much as having strengths.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Thank you Yeddi.

I by no means want to label her, i don't think she is 'gifted' as they put it but it did make me think about her speech and i think it will definitely be one of her strengths.
I'm not planning on testing her and i'm not after recognition or approval from my MCHN i should probably word my responses a little better, i get excited or involved in something and tend to just write whatever pops out and not realise the context of which it could appear.

I will just continue to let her explore and learn as any other 17mth old would and see how she goes, givgin her every opportunity to grow and learn within her means (whatever they may be)

Thanks everyone, i didn't mean to just make this thread about DD, like i said i get kind of excited and go off on a tangent of my own, it was also to highlight the chart and whether or not these would be accurate descriptions of milestones

[[M]umma[M]ia]

Its an interesting subject. According to that DD is at the level of a 5 year old and she is 2yrs 8months. Ive never looked too much into it. I am finding it hard to keep her learning new things as she seems to be teaching ME things! lol.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Its an interesting subject. According to that DD is at the level of a 5 year old and she is 2yrs 8months. Ive never looked too much into it. I am finding it hard to keep her learning new things as she seems to be teaching ME things! lol.

You know i hadn't even thought about looking at DD1 on there, she is a mix of a few, she uses words like THEN, AND and BUT to extend her sentences and things but i'm not sure she'd have that many words in her vocabulary - she would use about 6 words in a sentence.
She does it to mum talking on the phone: nanny we went on the motorbike, then in the mud and .................

MM - it's kind of sad when our children teach us things isn't it

[berrme]

I always thought DS1 was slow to start talking but according to your info he has always been exactly where he should be for his age, possibly ahead now he is 4.

DS2 has been speaking in sentences for ages now. Was saying things like "look mummy, it is a brachiosaurus" or " Come on Byron, lets jump on the trampoline" well before he turned 2. Repeats anything that you ask him to say without a problem, sings whole songs which are clearly recognisable by their tune too. I also put it down to having his older brother talking to him constantly. I guess it will be interesting to see if there is a difference between the 2 of them at school and later in life. Personally I don't think DS2 is brighter than DS1, he just speaks better and because it is such an obvious skill it makes him seem brighter.

[Heaven]

Hmm... no I don't think that's very accurate ZF. Well unless my DD is 'gifted' lol. And I just see her as a normal little girl although I do think she's pretty clever, but I'm her mum

She's 2yrs 3months and according to that she's talking like a 4-5 yr old already. She can have a conversation with someone. She talks in full sentences and uses 'and' 'but' 'because' 'when' etc. She can sing all the nursery rhymes I can think of and some I don't know that she must have got from playschool or something.

But I also know other kids her age doing the same things. So while she appears to be a clever little cookie I wouldn't say she's gifted or anything. I don't agree with that article, for my DD anyway.

[Nai]

My DD2 is the same age as Heaven's DD1 and she speaks in 12 word sentences, can sing entire songs (including ABC, Do-a-deer and Spoonful of Sugar) and can have an entire conversation with people. She also memorises books after 1 or 2 readings. I have put this down to her wanting to be like her sister and really pushing herself to be understood.