Are all gifted children early readers?

True or False: You can tell if a child is gifted by how early he or she starts to read.

Answer: True and False

It's true that many gifted children read at a remarkably early age, amazing family and preschool teachers alike with their almost eerie knowledge of language. Many of these children are also highly verbal, possess a large vocabulary, and seem to grasp humor, subtlety and other nuances of speech well beyond their years. These become the kids who drag home wheelbarrows full of books from the library, walk into walls because they are always reading, and keep a book hidden on their laps during school to cope with boredom.

But not all gifted children read early. Silverman found in her study, and in a review of other research, that approximately half of gifted children start reading on their own before they start school. Those who do not read prior to kindergarten may be visual-spatial learners, have mathematical, artistic, mechanical, or spatial abilities, may have a learning disability, or may have been raised in an impoverished environment. Or they just could be late bloomers.

When children don't read at an early age, parents and teachers may overlook other outstanding abilities and assume they are not gifted. Strong verbal abilities stand out, and when children are shy, less verbal, or have a learning disability that masks giftedness, other signs of high aptitude are often ignored. Parents need to be aware of other gifted traits, request IQ testing, and advocate for gifted services.

Some children may never learn to love reading, though. Competing interests, learning disabilities, a visual-spatial orientation, or the ever-present lure of electronics can make reading a chore. One blog offers guidelines for encouraging reading when it is not your child's greatest interest.

Most gifted children who are not early readers catch up quickly, though, start reading on their own in kindergarten or first grade, and learn to love reading. Rather than decoding phonetically, they frequently surprise their teachers by devouring chapter books that interest them, and skip the "Dick and Jane" books completely. Intrinsically motivated, these children read because they want to, because books captivate their attention. Reading fuels their imagination and can become a safe harbor from the stresses of life. For an excellent article about how gifted students absorb reading material, see Catron and Wingenbach. But simply put: "they read faster and understand more."

As a parent, you can foster this love by offering as many opportunities as possible where your child can read for fun. And advocate when necessary to ensure that your child's reading needs are addressed at school. Even if your gifted child did not read at an early age, chances are he or she will become an avid reader, collect mountains of books and walk into walls, just like all the others.

Final words: A gifted eight-year-old (not an early reader, but voracious by kindergarten) tells his parents, "I know what I want to be when I grow up - a librarian. That way, I can read books all day!" What a disappointment when he learned that librarians don't get to read all day and actually have to work! 

Please let us know about your child's reading experiences in the comments section below.

This blog is part of the Hoagies Gifted Education Page Blog Hop on Summer Reading. To read more blogs in this hop, visit this Blog Hop at www.hoagiesgifted.org/blog_hop_summer_reading.htm.