Toddler with unusual intuitive behavior

[Rox125]

My 2 yr. old has exhibited unusual intuition for a child her age.  She was a late talker (just now has recently put together short sentences) but is able to tell me things that she could not possibly know.  One example of many like this was her sister crying on the school bus - sure enough when her sister arrived home I learned this was true. I have seen her perform ritualistic movements over and over when she does not know I am watching - these movements are done with ease, finesse and exactly repeated (she is not usually very coordinated - she's 2).  When I question her about this she appears to have no idea what I am talking about, like it is subconcious. Other strange behavior is taking on the emotions of others she comes into contact with.  She is a very happy loving child in a great mood when her grandma can walk into the room upset and immediatley become sad and uncomfortable or if someone has had a bad day at work, the moment she sees them she starts to cry out uncontrollably as if taking on emotions she cannot explain - this is more than just a child being sensitive to those around her, we have other children and it is not the same. She also cannot handle loud sounds - now our other daughter does not like loud sounds but this child gets extremely sad - very upset when something like a coaches blowing whistle is blown at a game.  This has got me worried more because I am not sure how others will perceive her as she grows older and I am not sure how to handle any of this. Is this normal for a certain "type" of child? Are there any resources I can reference for this area of child rearing?  Should I be as worried as I am?

[joyfl]

I would suggest that you have her IQ tested in the next few years as the things you describe most certaintly are associated with gifted IQ's, (not referring to talented). I would point you to a site where you can get very specific info. on gifted IQ's and what characteristics they exhibit.  www.hoagiesgifted.org
There are many articles which talk about the intuitivness, sensitivities, etc. of gifted people.  This is not a paranormal site.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Without even venturing into the arena of so-called paranormal experiences, and to some extent I'm inferring that you imagine something of this ilk might be occurring, it's safe to say that some people, even children, do possess very 'refined' intuition. That is, they perceive or apprehend even in the absence of the sort of thinking we normally ascribe to older people. Relative to this aspect of your daughter, enjoy it as a manifestation of her individuality, and see how it unfolds over time. It will become clearer as time goes on and as she continues to develop.

[justme]

to a certain degree, you may consider she may have advanced social awareness skills.  during various testing, we found (additionally) that my son was way above average for social awareness/body language/etc.  It resulted in an over-sensitivity to unintended-communications. (eg, I might have a fleeting moment of frustration, for instance, and then quickly move away from that feeling after a moment's thought to put it in perspective.  But he was fully aware, and reacted to, that frustration from me. and so on.) As he got older, he gained some insights and it was a matter of teaching him how to assess/interpret all of the information he was processing in this regard.  Kinda the opposite of not being able to read facial expressions and stuff.

[Rox125]

I have never even heard of sensory disorders...thank you, it gives me a good place to start.

Is there any logical explanation or reason for her very high sensory of "knowing" things she couldn't possible know.  These occurences happen uncomfortably often.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

It's impossible to say how this will all unfold and, to be frank, it won't help you to focus too much on the future. The key thing is to pay attention to what is happening now and to respond in a thoughtful manner. In the book Parent Effectiveness Training you will see a discussion of how to distinguish between problems that are solely the child's and problems that may involve a child but become problems for parents. Your daughter's idiosyncracies fall under the category of problems that 'belong' to her. These sorts of issues require a form of communication that differs from the sort of communication we wopuld emply when a child's behavior becomes a problem for parents (or for others, for that matter). If you adhere to the guidelines (essentially they involve refective, supportive, empathic types of verbal communication) you'll find in the book, you'll be responding in a prudent fashion. Due to some of your daughter's sensitivity to sensory stimulation you may want to consider, either now or a little later, an evaluation by an occupational therapist to look at the possibility of sensory integration problems.