Hi
I have a 2 1/2 year old very active toddler boy,his overall
development seems to be on track which is as follows.He doesn't speak
full sentences but can convey to us what  he wants  in two three word
sentences in mother tongue and English.He knows all his letters and nos
till twenty and can also write them(as good or better than a five year
old),identifies more than 8 colours,shapes and can draw
circles,straight lines and triangles very well.He has got a very good
memory and can grasp things well.We never had to tell him to do any of
these things,he is self motivated and enjoys writing and drawing.He
also uses the computer mouse very well can open the word document and
give color and size preference with ease.(He saw me doing it a couple
of time and has picked it up !!)

The question I wanted to ask was wether being very good in fine motor
skills early on  any indication of intelligence in later years. Since
he is not that advanced in his language was wondering wether he still
is above average.He is my first born so I can't compare and know how
he is faring as compared to other kids.

Thanx

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Clarification of Question by samsung123-ga on 21 May 2004 15:38 PDT

Needed to clarify certain points. Wether inspite of  being advanced in
one skill and lagging in another,still be signs of intelligence.And
what is the age at which children start writing.

Your child sounds like a wonderfully bright little fellow. He may be
one of those individuals in whom the right hemisphere of the brain is
dominant. This sometimes results in a highly creative and artistic
form of intelligence that is not particularly expressive verbally.

I very much doubt that fine motor skills have a connection with
intelligence. Many highly intelligent people are quite clumsy.

Well my five year old daughter is not as intelligent(relative to
age)as yours it would seem, but being overactive is something I can
relate to. I would think my five year old has excellent motor skills
above that of most kids her age but I dont relate it to higher
intelligence and dont observe it within her either. She dances with
moves an adult might make and runs faster than any child of her age,
boy or girl, that she has challenged in school, and handles the
keyboard very well also. Although she is able to swap from one
language to another with ease as your child can, and write( very
basically) in both as well I dont see her as  being especially bright
relative to her classmates that I have met. She speaks to me in my
language and her mother in her mothers language.

 As the pink one says you seem lucky to have had a very accomplished
child first up. At least you dont have to worry about his development.
I, on the other hand have some minor problems in that area. 
Nothwithstanding above my daughter is ridiculously independant and
unafraid of the world at large, comfortable roaming well away from
mother and home alone and seemingly not requiring other kids her own
age to play with, preferring to study things on computer , make her
own games etc. This is becoming a real concern of late.

 Happy mothering,

  John From Melbourne ( in Indonesia)

Hi samsung123,

Your toddler seems to be doing very well indeed. I wouldn't worry the
slightest that he is not speaking in full sentences at that age.

If you spend lots of time enjoying being in conversation with him (as
opposed to, say, propping him in front of a television), he will
develop superb language skills.

Regards,
eiffel-ga

It sounds like your child is doing well. Quite a few smart kids take
longer than average to develop their language skills. Some don't even
talk at all under they're older than your son:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0465038352/qid=1084557883/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-6448452-8748161?v=glance&s=books

Also, you mention that your son is learning two languages. If a child
is bilingual, it makes sense that he's taking longer to develop
language skills, since he has twice as much information to process.

Carl

Hi

Thanx everyone for your quick replies.I realised that should not be
worrying too much about him not speaking fluently,he is good in some
skills while in speaking he is behind.

As pink -ga said he could not be very expressive verbally but could be creative

eiffel -ga  - yes TV can be one big unnecessary  attraction,although I
don't really on it for long now a days.

carlhollywood-ga - I will definately read the book you suggested,what
you said about being bilingual makes sense ,thanx

John from melbourne - Your child is going to grow up into a wonderful
smart and independant girl,who will make you very proud. enjoy.

One keeps reading that early language skills  and advanced vocabulary
is one of the main yardstick of intelligence,therfore the doubt in my
mind.

thanx

Regarding the matter of when children start writing, this varies
widely. I was reading and writing at the age of three; my younger
brother did not learn to read or write until he was seven. I believe
he was every bit as intelligent as I am, but his intelligence was
expressed in a different way. My brother went on to obtain a degree in
physics at the age of eighteen. He was offered several graduate
assistanceships, which he turned down in favor of a lucrative job with
an international corporation.