ADVANCED CHILD

Press, Volume C, Issue 29525, 29 May 1961, Page 2

ADVANCED CHILD

Interest In Books (NZ Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 28. Eighteen-months-old Douglas Parlane, of Mount Roskill, is fascinated by newspapers and books because he already knows all the letters of the alphabet, has learned to spell a number of words, can identify animals, and count to 10 effortlessly. His general behaviour is that of a four-year-old, a psychological test made by the Education Department psychological service shows. He began showing his remarkable aptitude for spelling and counting about a month ago.

“You only have to tell him something once. After that he just seems to remember things and knows how and when to say them.” his mother, Mrs Sonia Parlane, said today. Douglas finds no difficulty in spelling out accurately even with the newspaper or book held upside down. He can also pick out four Or five different colours. Douglas is a remarkable boy in other respects. He crawled at 5 months, walked at 8 months, began talking well at 13 months, and has not worn a napkin since then. “We haven’t been forcing him at all," his mother said. "He began the spelling work himself by pointing to a letter in one of his books and asking: “What’s that?’ ” Douglas is more interested in his books than toys.