My daughter could write her own name at the age of two (and it’s a long, hard name), but only started writing lots of other words when she was a ‘rising four’ (in the term before she turned four). She could also read a little at the age of three, but then for a year and a half she stalled. I was starting to get worried that she wouldn’t learn to read. However, the last week or two she’s had one of those cognitive leaps and all of sudden she can read really well.
She uses all the techniques beginning readers are supposed to use: sounding out, memorising common aphonographic words, inferring from context, referring back to repeated words in the book, looking for common patterns, etc. She surprises me by reading even words like ‘bridge’, ‘children,’ and ‘beauty.’ It’s like she’s skipped several learning stages. Such a relief.
Socially she’s very unaware, however. She’s actually on the special needs program at school and may well have ADD. So it’s important to me when she does something well academically - gives me something positive to focus on.
I could read and write well at age 2. By age 5 I was assessed as having the reading age of a 16-year-old. I haven’t fulfilled my potential though.
Oh, I’m in England btw, and my daughter started full-time school (not nursery or preschool) when she was just four years and one month. Quite a few of the kids in her class can read and write well already, because they’ve been taught it early.