2YO Starting to Read?! Too Early? I Heard This Can Cause Problems Later?

I wouldn't worry about it. Let her do what she does. My oldest is almost 9 and has been reading since he was 4, and he's in gifted ed for reading and math and is doing really well in 3rd grade. He has mild Aspergers, but he's excelling.

I think that you are linking things that are not necessarily causal. Some children with special needs do eccel at these kinds of skills early; however, the skill is not the reason they have special needs.

You cannot stop a child who is going to learn to read from learning to if you enrich her enviornement, any more than you can teach a child who would not pick it up this early by themselves...it is how she is hard wired. Provide her with books and read to her, let her see you reading and enjoying books. There is nothing else you need to do.

Emotional issues and early reading are not assoiciated. Having some forms of high functioning ASD are assoicated, and, some kids who have high funcitoning ASD's also read early. Unless you suspect Asperger syndrome, and have many other issues that you are worrying about, let this one go to a connection that is just not there.

M.

I think it's fine (and fun!) as long as YOU'RE following HER lead, not the other way around!
Enjoy her!

:)

When I was a student teacher, one of the children in the class was a very high-level gifted student. Her verbal skills were amazing, as were all of her other skills. She was about 7 years old. One of my tasks was to pull her aside and do her advanced written/reading work with her, while the rest of the class did their standard 2nd grade work. I will never forget what she said one day. While chatting, she mentioned her baby sister, who was almost 2 years old. She sighed, in a sad kind of way. I asked "is your little sister ok?" and she said "yes, but my parents only interact with her when we're all reading or studying, and we're not allowed to go to the playground with the other children. I want to play on the monkey bars but my parents think it's not useful". She explained that there was no activity in her home that did not focus on reading, studying and memorization, even though all the children were under 7 years old. So this family was producing brilliant, sad children.

So my advice would be, if you have a bright reader in your family, is to spend lots of times at zoos, playgrounds, the sandbox -- unstructured, spontaneous, joyful fun that shows her that you enjoy her, and that her reading and verbal skills are only a part of her. I think sometimes when a child shows an ability that is advanced, it's easy to forget the mud puddles, the sand castles and the swing sets.

My daughter was reading independently at the age of three, and it certainly didn't cause her any emotional problems or problems with school. She excelled in school. I think the emotional damage occurs when kids are pushed to do something they aren't really ready for, not when they just pick things up early on their own.
My daughter learned to read by sitting on my lap while I read to her and tracked text with my finger. Sitting on Mommy's lap and being read to is an emotionally positive experience. Having Mommy hold flash cards in front of your little toddler face is not.

Those "Teach Your Baby to Read!" programs are what cause a lot of the problems, because they are teaching the child to recognize a pattern of letters as a word, and this becomes an issue when they start school because they are not learning to read by breaking down the word into letter sounds (these methods involve having your child watch a DVD every day and using flash cards to get them to memorize words). Sounds to me like your DD is just very bright and is learning to read the way kids should learn to read and is just picking up on things naturally because of the environment she's in - good for you! My DD is 3.5 and was doing many of the same things at that age as well - she knows all the letters (upper and lower case) and is starting to be able to tell you what letter starts a certain word based on the sound it makes. Also, her preschool teacher told us that reading can even include recognizing things like signs and logos and food labels (like Burger King, Walmart, and Cheerios) and this can be a precursor to actually being able to read words in regular print. Sounds like you are doing all the right things, especially the reading to her every day, so just keep it up - if she ends up needing to be in a gifted program later, so be it. Certainly I would not be trying to stifle her in any way! Good job Mama! :)

As long as you are not pushing her to read, let her go. I don't think early readers have problems, just because they are early readers. It's that kids who are really intelligent (like early readers) often get bored in school.

I had an early reader as well. He taught himself to read, pouring through entire books by the age of 4. He was always way ahead of his whole class until this year. This year, he's in remedial reading. You can bet I was shocked to get that letter!

He's just utterly bored in school and finally stopped trying. We've had to make some deals with him to get him re-inspired in his classwork. And we've had a lot of contact with his wonderful teacher to get my son back up to speed.

I don't think he's having trouble BECAUSE he was an early reader. He's having trouble because of his own personality. I wouldn't worry unless you start to see signs of apathy.

http://keystosimpleliving.com/kids.php

I have never heard of that, early readers having problems later on. My daughter was reading early as well, by age 3 she could read, sounding out words. Now in Kindergarten she reads fluently, I dont know what grade level but way advanced. Some kids are just naturally so intellectual and curious they love to learn. It's like she figured it out on her own how to read without anyone sitting down and teaching her. If in school lkater on she has issues it could be that she is not being challenged enough or it could be other personality traits or behaviort issues that do not necessarily have anything to do with the fact that she read early or is intelligent for her age. Why worry about an unusual possible negative outcome? You should just be proud and thrilled and encourage her to keep learning and reading!!

Don't worry about it. Obviously, your daughter is ready. I think that the later problems come from parents pushing when the kids aren't ready, not them picking things up when they are.

Early reading is never a problem. It's a good thing.
Sometimes there's a problem when gifted kids get bored in school and then begin to act out, but all it means is they are ready to learn at a faster pace than the rest of their class.
I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep doing what you are doing!

You may be thinking of hyperlexia, which some children who are on the autism spectrum have. It's a percocious ability to read and a preoccupation with reading (usually with little comprehension.) If there are no signs of autism then it is nothing to worry about.

DVMMOM is right on the money. It isn't learning to READ that causes problems at all (unless you include that some kids can get bored with classes that don't accommodate the fact that they already know how when no one else in the class does. But that is remedied easily enough). It is when parents use "programs" like the DVD's she mentioned that do not actually teach kids HOW to read. They teach them to memorize sight words. That is not reading.

I taught my kids to read before they entered K4 using the workbook "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons", and it DOES teach the phonetic skill of sounding out words and actual READING. It is a phenomenal tool for kids who are ready for it. Your daughter sounds like she is almost ready. You can flip through some the workbook on Amazon and see what it is like. It is inexpensive (under $15 on Amazon) and give step by step instructions for the parents on EXACTLY what to say, including explanations of the whole process in the front of the workbook.

Do not ever PUSH your child though. Doesn't sound like you are, which is great. My daughter really wanted to learn and begged me to teach her. We tried it at about 40 months and she wasn't QUITE ready.... but we waited a month and tried again and she was doing 2 lessons per day she loved it so much. There are some rhyming concepts in the first couple of lessons that she didn't "get" the first go round. After giving her another month, she had no issues with it on the 2nd try. The book gives an age range in the front that they believe is optimal for kids to use it. It is a guideline only.

Just keep it fun for her. The only way to love reading is to LOVE it. You can't force it. Keep it fun so that she continues to enjoy it and read read read together. Dr. Suess were some of our favorites!

The problems come when a child is pushed to read at an early age. If she is starting to discover letters, words, and print on her own then it's a good thing! It means she wants to do it and is ready, she's not being forced.

Embrace her gift and let her read! My daughter was the same way and was reading by herself by age 3. She is now in 2nd grade, and she can read on a 5th/6th grade reading level. As you said, as long as she's not being pushed to memorize words or doing that "my baby can read" junk, she'll be fine. My daughter is constantly immersed in books, magazines, etc... and she's smarter because of it. No problems in school or anywhere else!

Mine both read early and are quite successful adult, never had problems in school or with social issues.
Kids that cant read probably have far more problems that the kids that can.
As long as it's a healthy balance of teaching and fun your child will be just fine. If you are tying her to a chair and forcing her to read flash cards agains her will, yeah that would be bad :)
Sounds like you have an eager and ready student, keep reading to her and teaching her the sounds of the letters and she will be reading to you in a year.

Just wanted to let you know, too, that my son is the same way, but he seems to have slowed down a bit now. When he was 2 1/2 I was sure he'd be reading by 3. Now that he's almost 3, he's not as close as I thought he'd be (if that makes sense).

He's still interested in letters and the sounds they make but the actual "reading" of a word is slower in coming.

My neighbors daugther is going to start kindergarten next year reading at a 2-3 grade level! It seems to be like there's a potential for problems, but as long as you foster the love of reading, I think it'd be fine!

I agree. If she is not being pushed and she genuinely loves letters and reading, do not get in her way. Embrace her passion and encourage her, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If she loved dance or art at a young age, you'd encourage that without a second thought. :) As a former middle school teacher, I have a slightly different perspective. I have met kids on occasion who showed academic giftedness at an early age and started to struggle academically in middle school. The curriculum changes, the school is different, the expectations change; middle school can be a hard adjustment. Since they heard all their lives about their brilliance and how smart they are, this can be a little crushing to those egos. They don't know how to handle that disappointment. So along the way, teach her how to handle disappointment, rejection and loss. But do not stop her from pursuing this interest. Reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give to kids!

I think that is great she wants to read. I definitely would not try to stifle her learning. As a matter of fact I would encourage it, w/out pushing her. I also recommend you check out the book "teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". Great book for about $15.
Perhaps what you are refering to regarding school issues are the problems sometimes gifted kids (but really profoundly gifted) kids go through where they have a hard time connecting to classmates on an intellectual level since they are so far advanced?

Nope, not too early, my son could READ, I mean WHOLE books at 3 years old, and he is still light years ahead in reading and language at almost 9.
he has a very obsessive personality, and his obsession at age 2 was letters and the way they sounded, especially on road signs. we couldn't go anywhere without him saying "what does that sign say" So I asked him did he want to learn to read them, and he said yes, so I taught him phonics and how the letters go together like TH and CH and that was about it, he read ever since.
It has benefitted him greatly in ways such as his knowledge base is vast, because he read so many different books, and he aces spelling. It has not been a problem for him at all, quite the opposite. Now if I could just do something about his OCD.... LOL that is where I get the problems!

Sometimes there are problems in school because a child can decode a third or 4th grade level book but cannot discuss the book like a first grader. We teachers start now in Kindergarten teaching them how to retell and talk about stories and compare different stories. Some schools will evaluate retelling skills in Kindergarten, others start in 1st gr. The teacher will then give a child very easy books to read until the child learns to retell the story, make a connection, talk about why he likes the book or doesnt. the students and parents get very frustrated because they think the child should be getting much harder books to read. the parent complains in front of the child which makes it worse. and the child COULD begin to dislike reading. so you can easily prevent early reading from being a problem by helping her develop all skills not just decoding. So just talk about the books you are reading to her. I'm guessing she's very verbal and can start talking about books already. Try to do as much talking about books as you do reading with her so the two things develop in sync.

Foster her reading efforts now. Trying to stifle them will do more harm then reading early will. Just besure that she still plays like a child her age and interacts with kids her own age. She can be an advanced reader AND still be a normal child. The only real problem will be sure that she is challenged in school once she starts if she is still advanced in reading. That is better than the alternative of having her struggle.

I could read really well by age 3 so it must have started about 2. I think I grew up fine without emotional problems! I skipped one grade in school but then the next year my mom put me back bc she thought I was not ready socially to be with older kids. I was only in 1st/2nd when this happened and did not feel upset about it. Anyway, I was considered the "smart" kid in middle school/high school and finally when I went to college felt like I could REALLY relate to my peers bc everyone there was "smart". Anyway, my advice is to just give your daughter lots of good books and give her neat opportunities but don't push her in anything. Hopefully she will enjoy learning and enjoy school like I did. :) Our son who is in 1st grade is way beyond his grade level in reading. Luckily he has a teacher who recognizes this and encourages him to read upper level books. This has really increased his vocabulary and he is a natural at spelling just from the reading he does. She is always introducing him to new books he loves. Next year he will be tested to be in an accelerated program. Who knows if he will get into it - I'm fine either way. We will just always encourage him to read and learn and always keep lots of good books around. I don't think you should worry so much about your daughter. I have not heard of problems later on from children who learn to read early. They don't struggle so much in school. I guess the only thing I can think of is you may need to watch for her getting bored in school and acting out.

ok my oldest was over 2 before he started talking and had speech issues cause of his ears. he was reading by 4 i read to him constantly he would bring me 10+ books a night to read to him. when he started kindergarten the teacher used him to help the other kids cause he could read what was on the computer to help them. he does have some emotional issues due to reading i doubt that i say more from my divorce and his daddy rejecting him afterwards not showing up for visitation and such. and i was a emotional mess after the divorce. can you chalk it up to reading at a young age who knows. is it solely the divorce who knows could I have prevented it probably not. in my opinion this sounds like a bunch of garbage. lets say my son had been 7 before he could read and you put the same thing in there the divorce and such he probably still would have been the same way.

or we could blame it on the fact that i swatted him when growing up. i dont honestly believe that if I hadnt swatted him things would be diffrent and now that he is grown up and an adult he says i didnt swat enough. :) there is no garantee that your kid will have a perfect life. there is no garantee your kid will be einstien. there is no garantee if your kid starts reading at a young age they will be an emotional mess. obviously you read to much or you wouldnt worry about this. i have never heard that. and i dont see any proof of it. i think the divorce is the reason for his emotional problems honestly. but i also think with his daddy being abusive he would have been worse off if i had stayed.. if she likes to be read to read to her. if she starts reading at a young age i say more power to her. and my advice is quit reading the stupid parenting magazines. they will say one thing on year and 3 yrs later something else. they will keep you confused and worried so i quit reading them. and i did try at first to raise my kid by the book by the age of 4 I figured out that didnt work and threw all the books away. and just raised him from my heart.

My eldest began reading at 22 months and was up to full sentences from anything laying around, a newspaper, book, by 30 months. We never encouraged her to learn more because we were worried too, but it was all no problem. She is now 14 1/2 and doing fine. Still very linguistically gifted, she speaks 3 languages, but we have not noticed any problems (other than the regular teenage stuff now).

Knowing how to do something does not cause problems. HOW that child learned to read is the problem, lol. My husband was reading steadily at 4, knew all his alphabet by 2 and was beginning his reading right around 3. (He also could add, subtract, and knew all of his multiplication table by 5). He's just fine! Some people just take to it sooner, and he learned by PLAYING with his mom, not by watching videos or flashcards. I was reading steadily by 5 without help, began picking words out here and there beginning at 3. My son is not as "fast" with the reading (he seems to be doing great now at 4, but was more interested in jumping, running, climbing, gymnastics, colors, and shapes when he was younger....now he knows his alphabet, phonics, and we're learning to sound things out from his favorite book, he likes to watch Between the Lions so he's understanding from there the concept of the sounds coming together to make words, and now he likes to "play" on the computer between afternoon snack and nap for 10 minutes....we go to starfall.com and he plays little games that help him learn to read and sound things out. I'm not rushing him, just letting him take the lead on what he's interested in right now. (Still very active, but branching out now). But as long as it's done with no pressure and having FUN, learning is awesome and I'd "feed" her mind as much as she wanted. As for the trouble in school thing, both my husband and I had that issue. Jeremy would get bored in school, skip school, and read physics books under his bed hiding from his mom (ha). But he went to a really strict all boys school and just didn't want to. I never skipped because I had "the fear" and was very involved in school sports and activities, but I was the class clown because things were too easy and I got bored. That has nothing to do with learning quickly; that's more an issue with the school and not being stimulated. (I did GREAT when I got into a magnet school that was active and challenging). I certainly would not try to hold my child back from learning just so she could be learning at the same time as others.....that could be frustrating for all! We'll just have to learn how to navigate the public school system and figure out how to keep him engaged and learning if it were to become an issue...(different classes? extra projects for extra credit? homeschool or private school instead? I don't know, I'm not there yet).

I'd just keep reading to her and limit tv/computer. Pediatricians are urging less than 2 hours per day for all children. My daughter started reading at age 4yr9months. My other daughter is now reading voraciously at 6yr11months. So, it varies with children. I do notice that my younger daughter has more interests b/c she had to amuse herself and couldn't yet read, whereas my firstborn just loves to read. I require her to go outside to play everyday without a book.

So, simply also do puzzles with her, dance to beautiful music, lay down an listen to Bach or Mussogorsky, get books on CD (LibriVox recordings are free downloads of thousands of excellent books) for her to listen to. Have pens/crayons and paper (without coloring books) available.

Enjoy her interests - don't worry!