I think this author might actually have met James before! I got this from a Babycenter.com article about spotting your grade-schooler's hidden talents:
Your child talks nonstop
Your chatty kid may have an advanced vocabulary, concoct elaborate stories, and make few grammatical or pronunciation errors, says Judy Galbraith, author of You Know Your Child Is Gifted When… She may also talk very fast and often doesn't stop until she's asleep. She wants to have the last word in every argument.
What it may mean: Verbal proficiency can be an early sign of a gifted kid. It's also key to success in school and many other aspects of life. Kids with the gift of persuasion may someday choose professions such as law or journalism.
How to nurture: Ask your talkative kid to dictate stories to you. As she begins to write herself, suggest that she put her tales down on paper. You can turn them into books that she can illustrate. Interview your child and record her thoughts on tape or video. This is a good age to introduce the concept of reflection (asking your child to write or draw what's on her mind can help).
Visit the library often and find books that challenge your child. She may prefer books with more words and fewer pictures than other kids her age.
Encourage her to think about what she's going to say before she speaks. Listen to your child's musings and arguments – but set a time limit if she's a tireless debater.
And build some quiet time into the day, for everyone's sake.
I really need to get better at telling James I need him to stop talking so I can hear my own thoughts in my own head. I am working on it. He just has so much to say. I wonder sometimes if he might be gifted but he never quite has all the signs on any list of giftedness. He has some of them...but I bet most kids do. I bet you could find your child in some of the characteristics on this list: 13 signs your child is gifted.
I found this very interesting article while checking my newsfeed on Facebook. It was an article on Salon.com about boys who aren't really autistic but really "brainy" and introverted. A couple of the stories here made me think of James. In the article, the author talks about boys in toddlerhood and early childhood and behaviors that they may exhibit that is sometimes (or often?) diagnosed as characteristics of autism.
When he was 2, we were at the NC Museum of Art for their kid's program one morning. It was a BUSY program! Wow! Very popular. All the kids sat in a circle on the floor of this large room for an activity. Except for James. No. He stood in the middle of the circle and looked at all the faces of the kids. They sang a song I think. It made him very happy to stand in the middle of that circle and look at everyone's faces. He wasn't standing there for attention. He seemed to not realize that people might be looking at HIM. He would sometimes do this at the little story time at the local library also. He does this still but to a lesser degree. He likes to watch the other kids in the middle of a soccer game. That he's playing in. The coach has to say something to him to get him back on task.
Also, when James started walking right around 13 months old, he had no problems. Later on, my husband and I noticed that he was walking on his toes a lot. When it was time for his 2-year check up with the doctor I told him that I was a little concerned about it and he sent us to physical therapy. James spent an entire year doing PT 2 times a week and he STILL walks on his toes. There was some thought that he had some sensory issues so he did Occupational Therapy for about 2 months. It seemed to help. He wasn't crossing his midline during play and that was something he worked on to improve. We also attempted some oral sensory therapy in the hopes that he would be willing to try new foods. That didn't work so well.
He love adults who show an interest in him but he can be very shy with adults he does not know. For example, he really likes my friend who we call Aunt B. Loves her. All over her when she comes to visit me. He's that way with his grandparents and my neighbors and some of our other friends. But he is very unsure of the man working at the Target check out or anyone that I speak to out of courtesy while we are out. He needs time to observe and decide if the person is OK.
In addition, I have mentioned in previous blogs about his willfulness, defiance and the need to win an argument. I do think he would make a great lawyer or journalist. He pretended to be the "color" guy during the end-of-year- soccer party back in the spring. Some of the kids and a Dad were playing a game of soccer on the playground and James climbed up on the playground equipment and proceeded to "call" the game. You know, "Camden has the ball and he's heading down the field. NO! His Dad took it from him and runs the other way and scores!!!!! GOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!!!". Like that. He definitely needs to add sports commentator to his list of job possibilities/careers.
When he was 2, we were at the NC Museum of Art for their kid's program one morning. It was a BUSY program! Wow! Very popular. All the kids sat in a circle on the floor of this large room for an activity. Except for James. No. He stood in the middle of the circle and looked at all the faces of the kids. They sang a song I think. It made him very happy to stand in the middle of that circle and look at everyone's faces. He wasn't standing there for attention. He seemed to not realize that people might be looking at HIM. He would sometimes do this at the little story time at the local library also. He does this still but to a lesser degree. He likes to watch the other kids in the middle of a soccer game. That he's playing in. The coach has to say something to him to get him back on task.
Also, when James started walking right around 13 months old, he had no problems. Later on, my husband and I noticed that he was walking on his toes a lot. When it was time for his 2-year check up with the doctor I told him that I was a little concerned about it and he sent us to physical therapy. James spent an entire year doing PT 2 times a week and he STILL walks on his toes. There was some thought that he had some sensory issues so he did Occupational Therapy for about 2 months. It seemed to help. He wasn't crossing his midline during play and that was something he worked on to improve. We also attempted some oral sensory therapy in the hopes that he would be willing to try new foods. That didn't work so well.
He love adults who show an interest in him but he can be very shy with adults he does not know. For example, he really likes my friend who we call Aunt B. Loves her. All over her when she comes to visit me. He's that way with his grandparents and my neighbors and some of our other friends. But he is very unsure of the man working at the Target check out or anyone that I speak to out of courtesy while we are out. He needs time to observe and decide if the person is OK.
In addition, I have mentioned in previous blogs about his willfulness, defiance and the need to win an argument. I do think he would make a great lawyer or journalist. He pretended to be the "color" guy during the end-of-year- soccer party back in the spring. Some of the kids and a Dad were playing a game of soccer on the playground and James climbed up on the playground equipment and proceeded to "call" the game. You know, "Camden has the ball and he's heading down the field. NO! His Dad took it from him and runs the other way and scores!!!!! GOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!!!". Like that. He definitely needs to add sports commentator to his list of job possibilities/careers.
And to expand on food issues. I remember my mom telling me the story of "shoving" a piece of American cheese in his mouth when he was still in a highchair/booster chair. After that, he ate cheese. She did the same thing with chicken nuggets. It's the only meat he will eat. Once he was out of the highchair, that was no longer a possibility. In addition, there are little things that he can't tolerate well. He can not abide a pickle on his plate with his grilled cheese sandwich. It MUST be removed. And not by him. He's not touching it. He has gotten smart though. He orders his meal sans pickle. He eats yogurt, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, french fries, cereal, fruit. No vegetables. He used to eat green pepper and cucumbers. He probably overheard his Dad and I say they were vegetables (gasp!) and decided to give them up. Loves candy and juice and soda. He loves any drink with carbonation. Don't ever leave a soda unattended. He will chug it for fear that it will get taken away. He doesn't get it very often.
Last year, I took James for his first eye exam. The optometrist (not ophthalmologist) said that his vision had not fully developed like it should and it could cause some issues in trying to read. He said that James' eyes didn't quite work together 100% of the time but eventually they would. So far, we have been fortunate because he is reading.
With all these idiosyncrasies, I wonder what kindergarten in the public schools would have been like for him. Would I have gotten a call from the teacher telling me that she thinks he might need medication for ADD or ADHD? Or would she have suggested something else? He probably would have gotten in trouble for talking too much. I did. I was sent to a psychologist because I had one bad week in the 3rd grade. I had to get tested.
Little boys seem to get such a bad wrap these days. In the news, I see boys suspended from school for making a gun with their index finger and their thumb. Or a pop-tart. My Dad grew up playing cowboys and indians and cops and robbers. Boys were (are?) loud and boisterous. How much of James' boyish behavior would have been tolerated in the public school? And let's say, just for the sake of argument, he was gifted. Would a teacher have even seen past any of his behavior to realize it? Back to the Salon.com article for a moment. According to the article, the boy that was featured in the article showed less and less of the autistic characteristics as he got older begging the question: Are boys being diagnosed at a young age unnecessarily??? I know it makes lessons hard for me at times. It can be quite challenging and I just want to throw my hands up some days. I do wonder about this because soon I will be required to test James. NC law strongly encourages that homeschooled kids be given a nationally standardized test each year. I have been thinking of having him tested. Not for anything in particular but just to find out if there is anything I should know. Now. I think he is testing me for sure!
Where do all my questions lead? I'm really not sure. But it certainly can't hurt to think out loud about them right??? (This is my attempt to garner advice/opinions).
Last year, I took James for his first eye exam. The optometrist (not ophthalmologist) said that his vision had not fully developed like it should and it could cause some issues in trying to read. He said that James' eyes didn't quite work together 100% of the time but eventually they would. So far, we have been fortunate because he is reading.
With all these idiosyncrasies, I wonder what kindergarten in the public schools would have been like for him. Would I have gotten a call from the teacher telling me that she thinks he might need medication for ADD or ADHD? Or would she have suggested something else? He probably would have gotten in trouble for talking too much. I did. I was sent to a psychologist because I had one bad week in the 3rd grade. I had to get tested.
Little boys seem to get such a bad wrap these days. In the news, I see boys suspended from school for making a gun with their index finger and their thumb. Or a pop-tart. My Dad grew up playing cowboys and indians and cops and robbers. Boys were (are?) loud and boisterous. How much of James' boyish behavior would have been tolerated in the public school? And let's say, just for the sake of argument, he was gifted. Would a teacher have even seen past any of his behavior to realize it? Back to the Salon.com article for a moment. According to the article, the boy that was featured in the article showed less and less of the autistic characteristics as he got older begging the question: Are boys being diagnosed at a young age unnecessarily??? I know it makes lessons hard for me at times. It can be quite challenging and I just want to throw my hands up some days. I do wonder about this because soon I will be required to test James. NC law strongly encourages that homeschooled kids be given a nationally standardized test each year. I have been thinking of having him tested. Not for anything in particular but just to find out if there is anything I should know. Now. I think he is testing me for sure!
Where do all my questions lead? I'm really not sure. But it certainly can't hurt to think out loud about them right??? (This is my attempt to garner advice/opinions).
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