Parent Talk / October 2005
Smarter Than The Average Bear
By Deborah L. Ruf, Ph.D
Many parents may have reason to suspect their children are gifted but aren’t sure how to prove their theory. Proof of being gifted can be critical, because it helps parents to provide more opportunities for their child’s growth, enjoyment and success.
Certain childhood behaviors can indicate when children are ahead of or behind others their age. Gifted levels range from simply bright to intellectually astonishing.
Level One children show interest in colors, saying numbers in order and playing simple puzzles, before they are even two years old. Most are good talkers by three, and by four, many print letters and numbers, recognize simple signs and know most of the alphabet. By six, many read beginner books and type at the computer, and most read chapter books by age seven.
About six to eight Level One students are often found in an average elementary classroom of 28 students, always a few steps ahead of what the teacher is teaching.
Level Two children love looking at books and being read to, turning pages without ripping them, by 15 months. Some shout out the name of familiar stores as they go by. Many know a variety of letters by 18 months and colors by 20 months. Between three and four, they count small groups of objects, print some letters and numbers, and drive parents crazy with questions. By age six, most read for pleasure and information on their own. Level Two children can find only one or two others in the average classroom as advanced as they are.
Level Three kids are born alert, looking around, reacting to noises, voices and faces. They know what adults are saying by six months. What Level Two children do by 15 months, these kids do by 10-12 months. And, they can get family members to do what they want before they’re actually talking.
By age two, many Level Three children memorize favorite books and know the entire alphabet. By three, they talk constantly, count backwards and do simple math because they like it, figuring out how to multiply, divide, and do some fractions by age six. They love printing letters and numbers. Most are 2-5 years beyond grade level by age six and find school too slow.
There are one or two Level Three children in every 100 in the average school.
Level Four babies pay attention within a few months of birth, love books and having someone read to them. They are ahead of Level Three children by 2 to 5 months while less than two years old. They have complex speaking skills and good vocabularies by two. Most read for information and pleasure by age five, and comprehend youth and adult level books at about 6 - 6½ years.
There’s usually about one Level Four child in every 200 children at school.
Level Fives have talents in every possible area. Everything is sooner and more intense than other Levels. They pick out letters and numbers by 10-14 months and enjoy shape sorters before 11 months. They print letters, numbers, words, and their names between 16 – 24 months. They show ability with multipiece puzzles at less than 15 months and interest in complex mazes before three.
Musical, dramatic, and artistic aptitudes usually start showing by 18 months. Most speak with adult-level complexity by age two. Two and three-year-old Level Fives want to know how things work, and ask science questions. They understand math concepts and basic math functions before age four. They have high interest in facts, almanacs, and dictionaries by age 3½. Most read any level of book before 5. They read six or more years beyond grade level and usually hit 12th grade level by age 7 or 8. Level Fives occur more slightly more often than once in a million. Regular grade school does not work for them.
Levels Three through Five score similarly on ability tests—very high.
Parents can only recognize and nurture their child’s abilities. To do less deprives children of opportunities to do what they enjoy and are good at. Doing less chips away at their potential. There are more potential geniuses, children who are remarkably intellectually different from their classmates, than people know, and any child may well be one.
Deborah L. Ruf, Ph.D. is the author of Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind For more information, visit http://www.educationaloptions.com/.
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