We have a 15 month old son. We are committed to home schooling him and are doing so, age appropriate now. We are therefore focused on his development and want to ask a few of you who have been there a few questions. He is obsessed with "reading". He often sits in his crib, reading his books, pulling up the flaps, turning the pages, pointing at the pictures and words. We think this is great. We don't think it is especially "normal" for a 15 month old baby and would appreciate any insight. He has been doing this since he was about 8 months or so. He constantly asks mom to "ree" to him and hands her books. He is also very good at remembering the names of the animals and characters we show him, for example, in the Noah's Ark mural at church. I have "tested" him many times and his ability shocks me. We are obviously proud parents and if this is "normal" then we are comfortable with that. If this is not "normal" (I would be impressed by a 3 year old doing these things) then we are wondering what we should do, except just keep doing these things. Thank you for your responses.

It's very normal for him to imitate your reading to him.

Get him alphabet puzzles, and get him used to naming the letters. Also, there is a "Smart Baby" video that just shows letters with classical background music that is great. You have to watch it with him, and talk about what the letters are, since there is no narrative.

Then, you can move to the game "what does this letter say?" Point out letters to him on signs when you are out, and ask him what each letter says.

Sounds like you have an exceptional child. Learning is a process that starts at birth and ends when you die or when you decide to become a liberal, whichever comes first. My advice is to give him all he wants. His little mind is soaking up tons of stuff all the time. As long as it is not force fed to him, I see little possibility of harm.

Vary his intake, some math, some reading, some music, and pour it on.

I think that this is perfectly normal behavior for children whose parents stay at home with them. I have a two year old daughter that was able to identify all of her letters (upper and lower case) as well as the sounds they make and the numbers from 1-20 by the time she was 18 months old. She has always had a love for reading and at age two is beginning to actually read. Staying home with your children and giving them the attention and love that they need is the best thing for them. You are thinking these are amazing because you see so many children who are developmentally delayed because they are in day care most of the day and no one takes the time to teach them how to love reading and learning. Bravo for being such good parents!

Sounds like you have a normal child who enjoys reading. Our son is 21 months and he has been "reading" with us for the past year...he loves it!!! And our 3 previous children were the same. BUT this only happens when children have good interaction with parents and siblings and see you reading also.....so keep up the GREAT work :)

My own amateur, untrained evaluation is that he is a genius. Whatever you do, DO homeschool him, with assistance from those who are PROFESSIONALLY qualified in the education of geniuses.

Alternatively, send him to the local public school. They have highly-effective, time-tested programs in place to kill any interest in learning, particularly in bright children. Be sure to supply him with ample quantities of drugs to help him cope with the boredom and rage.

"Sounds like you have an exceptional child."

Congratulations on a bright boy. Keep the reading material coming, just make sure he doesn't get a copy of the communist manifesto or the IRS tax code, both supplied by the same firm.

My 2 1/2-year-old daughter knew the alphabet when she was 18 months old, and then she promptly lost all interest. Her attention span was brushed aside by a growing attitude (inherited from her mother), but she's now interested in learning to read again. So, don't be surprised if your kid drops off for a while.

For some starter material, try www.abcteach.com. And the preschool Reader Rabbit with Phonics is an excellent program to keep in mind for later.

This can be normal behaviour. We are currently homeschooling both of our children. Our first one exhibited signs much like yours is doing. He taught himself to read before age two and has always enjoyed reading (at age 7, now, he reads at a high-school level).

But there are some things you should be aware of. I'm not claiming anything about your son (since I've never met him), just giving you our experience. Early reading (like our first son) is also a symptom of Asperger's Syndrome. Nothing fatal or alarming here, just a different view of the world. Our son has some trouble fitting in socially (and we give him lots of opportunities), as well as several other similar problems. There are some problems with spatial orientiation and the ability to "know where his body is in space." Thus he may be a little more clumsy than others, etc.

Again--nothing world-shattering here, but something you may want to be aware of. I had never heard of Asperger's until we began researching our eldest's symptoms and he fits it to a T.

Congratulations on having a child so willing and more than able to learn. My advice would be to challenge him to go as far and as fast as he is capable without "undo" pressure, and make sure you give him quality books to feed what, I'm sure, is going to be a large appetite. The Robinson Curriculum has a great selection on CD-ROM. Also, don't be upset if he is not as advanced when it comes to, say, math or science. Just let him advance at his own pace, with some well drawn guidelines, and he will easily out pace his public schooled counterparts.

TR, because you treat your child as "exceptional," he is exceptional! My wife read stories to our son throughout infancy and toddler years, and he learned to read at age 3. Don't believe anyone who tells you that children can't do this until grammar-school age.

One of the things that she did was to make learning a game. She got these little cut-outs of the letters, made from a sponge-like material, and bathtime became a game of naming them. I wish I could remember the brand name, but she got them at a KMart-type store, so I assume they're easily available. She would hold up a letter, and he would say "B" and then he could take it from her hand and throw it in the tub.

When he was three, he expressed a desire to learn to read. We jumped on that right away. I recommend the book "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." It sounds gimmicky, but it works! It actually gives you a script of what to say so you can't go wrong, and I promise it works.

Be ready to homeschool for some time. Primarily because of early reading (in my non-professional opinion) my son is far, far advanced beyond what is being taught in our local first grade. Even if we were not committed to homeschool in our heart, we would have to do it anyway or sentence him to "B is for Boy" for seven hours a day. Unthinkable cruelty!

Please don't have your child attempt to actually 'read' words at such a young age. Stick with picture books, flap and pop-up books and books with a few large type words per page. Any 'story' books should be read by you with little emphasis on his seeing the words. His eyes are not going to be able to distingush letters at this point and you could possibly harm his eyesight by doing so.

Check out 'Better Late Than Early" by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore for an approach that differs from the established educational norms. Good Luck and Happy Homeschooling.

May I suggest that when your child turns 3 or so you introduce the darlin' to stories/books on tape? My boys thrived on this part of our homeschooling and learned tons of good vocabulary and grammar from the "professional" readers. of course, nothing replaces mom and and dad ... this is just a supplement. lots of choices at the local library!

I am so proud of you for your determination to home school your child! We believe that learning is a lifelong continuous process and begins at the moment of birth. My first lesson I taught my children occured minutes after they were born and it was "I'm Mama, I love you." We've been building on that ever since.

It's true that your child may be gifted in one or more areas and normal in others. My son could read and do any 1st grade problem you gave him when he was 4 years old, but had a normal 4 year old's fine motor skills! He couldn't write or even hold a pencil well! Now, he's six years old, nearly done with second grade and his writing is catching up.

Speaking as the proud father of a 27 month old, what you are describing sounds very much like my experience. While our son is still not really reading, he enjoys pretending to do so, and we read to him and try our best to encourage his interest in books. We are also homeschooling to his level (I dislike the term 'age appropriate', because it almost always seems to be dumbed down).

About a year ago, when he was your son's age, my wife found some US President flashcards. While she thought that he was far too young to use them at the time, she thought they might be useful later on and bought them. When they got home he made it clear that he wanted her to show them to him, and my wife figured "Why not?" Within about 2 weeks, he knew them all, in order, and by sight (though his pronunciation was of course rather off).

We've since bought him a few different 'games' that perform similar funcions. One, that when you push the appropriate button, gives you the name and various characteristics of 10 different dinosaurs, while the dinosaur in question lights up. A map of US states which says the name of the state when it is pushed, and various other details (state capital, population, etc.). A couple of others as well.

As a result, my son is interested in dinosaurs and knows a bit about them. He knows all of the states and generally where they are located (though Hawaii and Alaska are of course waaaay out of place).

Keep in mind that (other than with the single pack of flash cards at his request) neither I nor my wife 'work with him' to get him to use these things. He simply enjoys doing it.

Oh, and how 'bout those "Adventures in Odyssey" audiocassette programs?? My kids LOVE them! I read to them all the time, but right when they go to bed, I put in a cassette and it's like a story they used to have on the radio. My eldest son loves them, my youngest usually is asleep before it's over. They run about 28 minutes.

We homeschool all 8 or our kids and we are constantly amazed at differences in their abilities. One son learned the entire alphabet in about 15 minutes before he was 2, another one, who is very similar physically, has just learned the alphabet at 6. The thing we have learned is that almost everything is 'normal'. If one is slower to learn certain things then that is just the way he is. Thank the Lord for how wonderfully different they all are.

Be careful, you could have a photographic learner. One my kids memorized pages in books on the first pass. He was not reading, he simply knew what to say in association with each turned page. Teach alphabet and phonics. Later use word cards without illustrations.

Oh, and how 'bout those "Adventures in Odyssey" audiocassette programs??

We raised our kids on the Dramatized KJV on tape, narrated by Alexander Scourby. Consequently, they startled adults at an early age with their beautifully crafted sentances.