8 y.o. with Precocious Puberty

Elless - posted on 08/19/2012

Hi. My daughter is now 8. At 7, she developed small lumps in the breast area and we checked with the docs and they said nothing to worry. But it started growing and we visited a peadiatric encodrinologist and my kid was diagnosed with CPP. The doc prescribed Lupron injection, but within 15 days of the injection, she got her first period. Can anybody help me to understand if your kid has gone through the same and whether the medicine is effective ?
She is 35 kgs and 4.6" in height.

Knalidi - posted on 05/14/2012

hey laura, i know this post is much past the date since you last posted your story in this forum. but i also have what appears to be a very gifted child also, my daughter who is now 8 years old, has started cutting teeth as early as 6mths, she walked at 7 1/2 mth, and started talking and answering to her name being called around that same time. she started school at the age of 2 1/2 which is rare for her age (in our country Trinidad), she has gone through all of her preschool books at record breaking time, until the teacher has stated that she doesnt know what to teach her anymore because she knew everything that they had already on the syllabus.



FASTFOWARD TO 2012:

my daughter reads also at a college level, she is a whiz at putting together puzzles, and love to play Work search games, and even reads newspspers and magazine when we go out in public. she always maintains an A to A+ every term in her report. It is also quite normal when i heard her using words like "deficated" and "personality" in the correct context. but what striked me as alarming was a few weeks back she came up to me, and asked me to explaing the meaning of HIV positive. sometimes when i read my novels, especially the ones about sex, i have to hide it in between another book, because as im reading the contents of the book, she usually is reading extract on the back ouside cover of the book to determine what the book is about. enough being said about that,



my daughter also has grown underarm hair, and has an underarm ador also. well as im investigating, she appears to be going through Precocious puberty as laura may have described in her case. im not sure if her Precocious puberty is associated with rapid developmental stages. but these signs of her early puberty is also affectig her negatively. at her public school they wear uniforms on a daily basis, but one day a week they have to wear a sleeveless uniform for when they play thier sports, and she constantly gets teased during sports, or at the assemby, when they do their stretching exercises that requires her arms to be up. i want to try her with deodorant, but im afraid that this would speed up the rate of her already developing body.



anyone has any suggestions? please assist.

Knalidi

Serena - posted on 11/29/2011

I was in gifted classes all througth school starting in 1st grade. I also started my period at 8 yrs old and was a C-cup by age 10. My best advise is to keep her stimulated! Find activities at home or away that will stimulate her mind. Make sure you talk to her about having a period. My mom had mentioned it to me when we talked about where babies came from (which we talked about when I was 3 bc I wouldnt stop asking questions). But when the time came I didn't know what it was.I was at a friends house and thought I had hurt myself. My mom came and got me and explained what was happening to my body; at 8-yrs old that was very scary. The only problem in school I had was with gym; my body was very different from the other girls until they caught up around 7th grade. Be open with the discussions about her body. Having hte information before her menstration starts will make it easier to understand when it happens.

Belinda - posted on 11/07/2011

Hi Laura,
I *just* joined this site, for this exact reason... my 7 year old has been diagnosed, formally as of last week. I was assured by the doctor that she is "fine" but that her body has already started the change and that I should expect her period to begin within 1-2 years. He handed me 2 pamphlets and told me that she is fine, but if I think that she's starting "too early" (UM...) or that she won't be mature enough at 8 or 9 to have her period, that I can opt for hormone treatment that will pause her puberty until later in her life. I'm truthfully at a loss for what to do because my instinct is to STOP it, but injections--or an implant, and the long term effects.

Linda - posted on 09/12/2011

I just ran across this googling gifted children; it seems like little has changed in the last 50 years! I was a gifted child, and while I didn't exactly have precocious puberty (I started having periods at age 11), I was early. I stopped growing at 12, and had fully developed femal breats and hips. For one thing, I had a lot of problems because the feminist revolution had not struck yet (I am in my 60s now) and so teachers and other adult didn't take my acheivments very seriously. ("Who cares? She will just get married and disappear".) For another thing, I wanted to experiment with sex and I did. We didn't have to worry about AIDS then, but their were other STDs and always the spectre of pregnancy. I knew about condoms but a couple of times I just got lucky. Of course I only wanted to go with older boys and men; the ones my age were complete children compared to me, and this was still the case when I was 18. My advice is: Accept this side of your daughter. Yes, you may need advice with purely physical problems due to early menarche, but otherwise, teach her about contraception and safe sex, and don't be too surprised if she gets involved with older males or (horrors) married me. ALSO discuss with her what parents NEVER seem to tell their kids: It is an inherited behvaioral characteristic in ALL people that when one is involved in a very hot and heavy and satisfying sexual relationship, one will tend to follow the other partner and do whatever he or she wants. There can also be a very strong desire to have kids. Explain that she must fight these tendencies if she feels them; she must remain her own person, and our economic situation today makes it totally idiotic to have kids until one is about 30. Unless you have inherited wealth or something.

Tracy - posted on 02/15/2010

Wow, I have never heard of precocious puberty! Puberty on its own is hell, with a gifted child I can only imagine. All three of my children have been in gifted and talented programs at school, they are not home schooled. My daughter started her period at age 10 and didn't handle it well at all. I tried to take her to a gyno to stop the cycle, but once they start they can't stop it.
All I can say is that smart kid came from you so you have some smarts too. Be consistent and firm. Usually it is harder on us parents to discipline than it is on the kids, but I have found consistency is the key in all things. Remember she is still just a kid.
I hope this helps you.
Tracy

Chantel - posted on 02/11/2010

I would definitely seek professional guidance on this. Find a good child psychologist who understands the biology going on, as well as the emotional factors and get some advice.

Laura - posted on 02/08/2010

My gifted 8 year old boy is an 8 year old with a 16 year olds mouth. I believe however that he gets it from his ability to observe adults around him. Unfortunately, many adults see a child and do not necessarily watch how they speak and he is smart enough to pick up on it. Then he tries to behave like that. Hubby and I really have to watch what and how we say things around him because of this. It does not seem to affect my younger one. He is also probably gifted, but in no way as intense as the older one. I have been told that children that are gifted shine at different times. some in elementary, some in middle and some in hs. I think my 2nd will in ms or hs. So some of what you are seeing may be related to brain power trying to make sense of adult behaviors.

Marie - posted on 02/06/2010

To Missy and Maura,

Note that the original letter had a medical diagnosis and was asking for social advice.



At the very least, try to find a pediatrician who will listen carefully to your concerns for your child's health! This is not a DIY issue! Most of the information I have read about early puberty is anecdotal, and related to either genetic disorders, very high consumption of soy products, or sensitivities to the growth hormones used in commercial meat products.

Missy - posted on 02/03/2010

Agreed - I'm very interested to know about literature regarding this as well. My son is only five but I see signs of pre-pubescent behavior and it is FREAKING me out!

Maura - posted on 02/02/2010

Hi I also have a son who is gifted. I hate what is happening in the school - they just don't get him but slowly it is getting better. and even though I am a teacher I don't think I could teach him adequately myself (and he would drive me crazy!) I was curious about what you said about your daughter because my mom swears my son has B.O. He is very big for his age and I have read about early puberty. Sometimes I feel emotionally he wavers between age 3 and 15 - in some ways he's very immature. Is there literature out there about early puberty in the gifted?

Nicole - posted on 02/01/2010

I wanted to interject on the publishing thing--where children's books are concerned the publishing house picks the illustrator. They typically have a list of artists they know and trust, and don't usually like it when the author picks out an unknown. So just submit your query to an agent sans illustration.

Marie - posted on 08/01/2009

Role plays and social stories will help with the social skills. Encourage her to keep a private diary, something personal which is not a 'product' the same way her poetry and book are. This will help her with the emotional stuff. While Scouts may not work for her, try to find another community or group activity to help the social skills. Bowling, swimming, soccer may be good choices. Working on a team will help her social skills.





Has she been drinking soy milk? I have heard of young girls who drink soy milk developing early menstruation because of the phyto-estrogens in soy. Another friend of mine says that her mother drinks a carton of soy milk each day to help her get through the hot flashes of menopause without HRT.