Q: I am from Brazil and contacting you about my child. We lived in the USA for more than a year for my husband's job. My child was 1 year old and started speaking English. Then he started writing and reading English when he was 18 months old. At the time, I did not know what to do, so I just encouraged him to play with his toys.

When we returned to Brazil, our son was 28 months old, and he started to read and write in Portuguese, and he also loved math. Now he is 5 and does things that only older children do. He does math addition and subtraction and still speaks very good English. He did not forget the language even though my husband and I don't speak English with him. He likes science very much and keeps saying he wants to be a doctor because he loves learning about the human body. He also loves space. He wants to learn about everything.

I do not know professionals in Rio de Janeiro who work with gifted children. What should I do? In Brazil, they do not give young children IQ tests. Any advice?

A: I assume your bilingual scientist is only a preschooler. It can feel humbling and overwhelming when such a young child learns so quickly and loves learning. I hope you can enjoy these years and give your son the opportunities he seeks. Reading to him, taking him to museums and, yes, also playing with him and encouraging him to explore and follow his curiosity will all help. Though testing your child isn't at all crucial at his age, considering the way you have described his unusual skills, I absolutely understand why you would like to have him tested for his IQ; I expect it is unusually high. Even more, I understand your wish to talk with and gather the support of an expert in the gifted field. I can well recall when I, as a mother, searched for support in my own community. There were very few educators interested in giftedness in the U.S. at that time.

Let me assure you that you aren't alone with a gifted child in Brazil. Although the gifted education area may not be well-organized yet, you can become a leader who helps to champion gifted education in your country. There is an international association you could contact to discover educators in Brazil who are pioneering in the field and can support you. The organization is the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. In the U.S., we have an association known as the National Association for Gifted Children. Both organizations have websites where you can contact other educators or parents who share your interests. There are also many books available for reading about how to help your gifted son. Your schools may be able to help test and place him correctly in a grade that allows him to learn at his level. As I said, you and he are not alone with his giftedness.

Though there are pleasures in parenting gifted children, you will soon find that there are also problems that fit with unusual abilities. You will need to be a positive advocate as you search for opportunities for your son to learn and grow. Always remember, however, that your son is a child first and gifted only second.

Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or [email protected]. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.