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• They ask you to start Easy Readers before 5 years, and many figure out how to multiply, divide, and do some fractions by 6 years.
• Most of these children are a full 2-5 years beyond grade level by age 6 and find school too slow.
• There are one or two LEVEL THREE children in every 100 in the average school. They are rarely in the same elementary class and can feel very lonely.
LEVEL FOUR • LEVEL FOUR babies love books and pay attention when someone reads them aloud within a few months of their birth.
• They are ahead of LEVEL THREE children by another 2-5 months while less than 2 years old.
•They have extensive, complex speaking abilities by 2 years, and their vocabularies are huge!
•Most of them read Easy Readers by 31/2-41/2 years, and then read for information and pleasure by age 5, with comprehension for youth- and adult-level books at 6-61/2 years.
• There is about 1 per 200 children in the average school. Without special arrangements, they can feel very different from their classmates.
LEVEL FIVE • LEVEL FIVEs have talents in every possible area. Everything develops sooner and more intensely than others levels.
• They have favorite TV shows before 6-8 months, 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, and often use anything that is available to form these shapes and figures.
• They show ability with 35+ piece puzzles by less than 15 months and interest in complex mazes before they are 3 years old.
• Musical, dramatic, and artistic aptitudes usually start showing by 18 months.
• Most speak with adult-level complexity by age 2.
• At 2 and 3 years old, they ask questions about how things work, and science — particularly biological and life and death questions.
• They understand math concepts and basic math functions before age 4.
• They can play card and board games for ages 12 and up by age 31/2-4.
• They have high interest in pure facts, almanacs, and dictionaries by age 31/2.
• Most can read any level of book by 41/4-5 years.
• They read 6 or more years beyond grade level with comprehension by 6 years and usually hit 12th grade level by age 7 or 8.
• We know they occur more often than once in a million, and that regular grade school does not work for them. LEVELS THREE through FIVE score similarly on ability tests — very high.
Parents who have more than one child may notice that each child has different interests and talents even when encouraged equally. This is because we don’t cause our children’s abilities; we can only recognize and nurture them. Once you have a sense of your children’s abilities, you can provide them with more activities and experiences that build on these strengths and take advantage of their talents.
DEBORAH L. RUF, PH.D., is a specialist in gifted assessment and individualized guidance for gifted children and adults. She is the author of the new book, ‘Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind’.
