whenever he see's a sentence of words like on a sign or poster,label,books ect...he can naturally add up the amount of letters in that sentence in 2 seconds...i mean a sentence which has alot of words....like yesterday he added the words "THE AUSTRALIAN WOMENS WEEKLY COOKBOOK" in less than 2 seconds...he adds it in a flash...he feels its a problem,we tested him yesterday and the little bugger gets it right all the time...he added "swimming pool and spa association of victoria" in 2 seconds too...what does this mean when someone has this habit and can add it all up so quick?
2007-02-04 11:53:33 · 7 answers · asked by sandra k 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Gifts come in various forms and it doesn't sound like a habit as much as a unique gift. What matters most is balancing all such gifts so that the child enjoys a balanced life without feeling they're odd, wierd or under pressure to perform. The most gifted child is still a child - their emotions reflect their chronological age even if they're unusually wise or were born with genius intelligence. The thing parents need to be most aware of is such children can get bored when not allowed to learn according to their true capacity.
Depending on your child's age you may want to have him tested for intelligence quotient [IQ] so he's appropriately educated with others more like him than different. Keeping him interested with his studies can be a monumental challenge. However, he'll need social interaction with others his age, including those with similar intelligence. Montessori schools have served those in my family quite well for children learn to be as they are, where they are intellectually, while learning to socialize well with peers.
What you're observing with your child is a unique way his brain is wired - somewhat different from how others' brains may function. If he really thinks it's a problem that could affect his self esteem in a negative way. Others may think he's odd, wierd or strange when he isn't [in my experience]. He simply has a gift not all may understand. Those exist who'd understand perfectly, having a similar gift even if using it differently. He needs to know he's not alone - which can happen when isolated from others like him. Sharing with similar children and good educators is important to his well-being.
Children are remarkably resilient yet the highly gifted often shut down and stifle their abilities - they'll stifle simply to belong. It's their emotional need to fit in. They don't want to feel different and it can be a chore to find others more like them than different. That's why knowing what your challenge is can be so important. Gifted children often learn differently. Some are "wired" differently. To find suitable educators is best done early on. I've found advanced learning summer camps especially helpful with my own.
2007-02-08 18:51:32 · answer #1 · answered by innerGist 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Clever little guy! He seems to have good "spatial math" perception (my own terminology). Based on common sense, I'd have to say that as long as he isn't distracted from reading and comprehension, and only performs his mental exercise when on down time, it should pose no problem.
As a child, I would see if a number that caught my eye (eg, a phone, social security, or license plate number) was divisible by any of the single-digit numbers. 1 & 2 were no fun (super easy), and 7 was the most difficult, of course. After a time, I could do this in a blink. It was more a case of keeping my mind busy and exercised -- during daydream time, if you would. It didn't in any way impact my concentration when dealing with actual mathematical problems as I became a math prodigy.
If your son finds that he is being distracted from the reading and comprehension of a text by his little mental exercise, you will want to address this with a professional. Anything (however beneficial) can become obsessive and distracting if taken to extremes and can impact his learning. Otherwise, he should enjoy his skill.
I've always believed that mental exercise is as important as the physical variety, with benefits that we only begin to appreciate later in life. The latest scientific thinking bears me out: they've found that exercising the brain slows down (sometimes significantly) a great deal of age-related mental deterioration.
2007-02-04 17:05:23 · answer #2 · answered by Lady Yaz 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My brother used to (and actually still does) add up the value of each word, according to its placement in the alphabet. In other words, APPLE = 40, and so on. He would be really happy if he could find words or phrases that equal 100. His first kid's name is not only a "dollar word," but also a palindrome. So when your kid gets tired of adding the number of letters, feel free to raise the bar!
2007-02-09 12:02:45 · answer #3 · answered by artemisaodc1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is he autistic? That's not a slam, but this is something an autistic person would be able to do. They are also know as Phenoms.
2007-02-09 08:02:18 · answer #4 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my book that means Wow that is so cool! You need to get him tested.
2007-02-10 08:15:01 · answer #5 · answered by doe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
thats actually a sign of genius
2007-02-08 13:15:48 · answer #6 · answered by ariel a 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
neat, the kid can add letters in sentences fast.
2007-02-04 15:58:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋