{"id":40019,"date":"2025-05-02T12:38:46","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T11:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/?p=40019"},"modified":"2025-06-02T11:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T10:26:52","slug":"charlies-story-an-outsider-at-2-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/charlies-story-an-outsider-at-2-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlie’s Story – An Outsider at 2 Years Old"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At 2 years old, Charlie* already appears to be an outsider. His father contacted us to find out how he could support his bright child.
\n<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cI am worried about my 2 year old, Charlie. I’ve recently noticed that he seems different to other children his age we meet at playgroup – whilst most of them are happy to run around and play with the toys, Charlie seems more preoccupied with the adults! He is very chatty and everyone is amazed at his level of understanding, but I think that could be because he is an only child. He does play with the toys, but he seems to want to do different things with them, for instance taking them apart to see how they work! <\/em><\/p>\n

At home he is already fascinated with books and can read simple sentences. Whilst I love him and enjoy his curiosity about the world, I’m worried he will be seen as weird and not fit in as he gets older. Already the other children seem to not want to play with him. What is wrong with him, and what can I do to help him not grow up to be bullied and ostracised?\u201d<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Potential Plus UK’s Advice” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28|text_align:left|color:%23af1c63″ use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Charlie\u2019s parent is worried that there is something wrong with him, that he will be seen as weird and not fit in as he grows older. This is a common fear for many parents, whether their child has high ability or not, but for parents of very young children with high learning potential, who see the difference without understanding exactly why he is already being treated as an outsider, learning how to support their child early is especially important.<\/p>\n

From what his parent says, it is likely that Charlie has high learning potential (also known as being gifted \/ having high ability \/ being more or most able). He is already demonstrating signs of this through his ability to learn more quickly than other children his age, through his speech, his understanding and his reading and it may be noticeable in other ways too. He is demonstrating an inbuilt ability to learn quickly and a natural curiosity which is often noticed in bright children. The fact that he is an only child may mean he has more individual attention than many other children, but it doesn\u2019t account for him being able to learn to read at such a young age or for him taking toys apart to find out how they work. He is displaying several of the common characteristics of high learning potential<\/a><\/p>\n

While having high learning potential may lead to other challenges in the future, at present his parent is worried most that other children don\u2019t want to play with Charlie, and that he is preoccupied with adults. To understand why he isn\u2019t fitting in we need to look at things from Charlie\u2019s point of view. At the age of 2, he is already talking and understanding very well, he wants to find out how things work and can read simple sentences. It is also likely that he will want to play complex or imaginative games. How many children of a similar age around him are able to comprehend his level of thought and play and how many children of his own age is Charlie going to be interested in playing with? It isn\u2019t likely to be many. At the age of 2, most children are still playing alongside<\/strong> each other, rather than playing with<\/strong> one another. They are just learning how to play together on the same task at the same time. Children of a similar age may find it difficult to join in with his more complex games and so don\u2019t want to play with him or understand his advanced vocabulary. As they get older, his age peers may or may not consider Charlie as an outsider because he is more advanced than most of them. Their attitude will very much depend on the adults around them and the ethos of the environment they are in. This is where parent advocacy comes in.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Parent Advocacy<\/span><\/h3>\n

Without early support in making friends with whom he has things in common and lacking friends in his age-peer group, Charlie could start to feel isolated; this is common in children with high learning potential and can ultimately lead to feeling that they don\u2019t belong anywhere and affect their social and emotional development. It is important that Charlie\u2019s parent helps him to be accepted as he is, wherever he goes. His father needs to be prepared to talk about Charlie, his abilities and his needs to everyone, including close family members or friends. Discussing a child with high ability and why you feel that he is different makes may parents feel uncomfortable – as though you are boasting or a \u2018pushy parent\u2019. Charlie’s father also needs to be his advocate in learning environments and clubs that he attends as he gets older, making sure that he is accepted and valued for who he is. Acceptance in early life will enable Charlie to value himself and to have the confidence to deal with potential bullies later on \u2013 one of the worries that his parent expressed. Find out more in:<\/p>\n