hi there, newbie here..

[shades_of_nadia]

hi everyone, im nadia, new here, and had this peculiar thought in my head that i was an okay parent.. that was until i met my daughter,lol!

we call her miss diva..
i was doing some research to find out how common it is for a two year old to draw exceptionally well, and even write letters..and came upon some information about gifted kids, and suddenly ALL her quirky behaviour was explained..even the info on dabrowski's sensitivities, everything made perfect sense, finally..

she reached all her milestones early so far, and gets along well with her peers, but even better with children two to three years older than herself.
she is nearly three now, and draws (according to loads of internet research) at the level of a 4/5 year old. she writes more than half the alphabet,she's starting to read, and her vocabulary+pronunciation etc, at level of five year old.
she is very intelligent and has a creative mind.

problem is this:
from things ive read here, it definitely seems that she has a load of ODD traits going too. its hard to tell, because she is only three.
so it might be 'normal' behaviour, but i am exhausted in dealing with her each day. i am a calm consistent type of parent, but the whining, oh my word, the whining..
she is super headstrong, and very specific about what she wants, how she wants it done, by who, and when.
her tantrums are very rare, because i do not tolerate them, but the whining and crying constantly is getting me down.

any advice?

 

[SRL]

Welcome to our forum, shades of nadia! I'm sorry that you're struggling with your little girl but you've come to the right place.

It's true that the drawing and writing can be traits of a gifted child but if it's packaged along with difficult behaviors you will want to check out something called Hyperlexia. Children who are Hyperlexic have the natural ability to decode language and will learn to read prior to age 5. Many will learn to read while still toddlers. They also often have at least some Autistic traits, although not all wind up with a diagnosis on the Autistic Spectrum. If the child is verbal the doctors usually miss it early on until parents or teachers start bringing in behavioral and/or social concerns

You'll also want to check out Asperger's Syndrome.
http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/

We're just parents here and obviously can't diagnose but that's the direction I would suggest you research. Not all kids with Hyperlexia/giftedness are on the Autistic Spectrum but it's important to do the homework because early intervention is important.

Is she lining up letters, toys, or other household objects into straight lines or formations?
Is she echoing back questions to you or memorizing chunks of TV programs, films, or books?

Order yourself a copy of the book The Explosive Child and check out the thread at the top of this board, even if she isn't tantruming. It should help you deal with the ODD behaviors.

 

[BusynMember]

She sounds like she could have Aspergers Syndrome. Do you diagnose that in S. Africa? I know all countries are different.