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Sherlock would never be called a 'normal' boy, but that was hardly his fault. He was a genius after all, though nobody really knew that. You might call him a genius in hiding, and that is exactly how he wanted it.
His older brother Mycroft was also a genius, and look how that was working out for him. As soon as the family had found out how intelligent Mycroft really was, it had been the end of any dream he might have had for himself. Mycroft would join the ranks of the British government, and that was the end of the discussion. Not that Mycroft minded. He loved power, and what better way to get it then by gaining control of the government, all the while letting them think that he was helping them. But even the horrible and sometimes violent displeasure his father showed at his average mind was not enough to convince Sherlock that a life of rules and regulations was for him. No, no, it was Sherlock who had a problem with the government, and even at the tender age of seven, he wanted nothing to do with it.
So, for as long as he was under his parents' roof he was going to be nothing more than fine. No drawing attention to himself, no showing off, and no letting on that he might be even smarter than his genius brother. This was by no means going to be easy. Sherlock was by nature a know-it-all, a showoff, he always had been, so to rain that in would obviously be a challenge. But living with Sherlock's father for seven years had taught him how contain himself; to tread carefully. What Sherlock really needed was a sure fire way to convince people that, while he may be odd, it was not due to an over-sized intellect.
Being that he was seven years old, Sherlock had started school a few years ago. Every day he had to put up with a classroom full of students who, in his mind at least, were all incredibly stupid. The thought of acting like one of those other children frankly disgusted the young prodigy. He was, after all, far above their level. With that realization, Sherlock began to form a plan.
Though it was simple, the plan was brilliant, especial when one thought about it being formed by a seven year old boy. Sherlock had observed the other children for hours, and had come to the conclusion that they tended to mimic each other, as well as the adults. Sherlock figured that if he picked a phrase that was said by the other children, and said nothing else, then the teachers would inevitably come to the conclusion that Sherlock was not only of less than genius intelligence, but that he was perhaps disabled in some way or another.
Sherlock almost never spoke as it was, so it would probably not be all that odd for him to stop speaking entirely. And that was exactly what he did. For months he refused to say a word. Finally, on the day of his eighth birthday, Sherlock Holmes said one little sentence that would stick with him until far after primary school. In fact he said nothing else until he left home at the age of 16.
For eight years the only words that left Sherlock Holmes' mouth were "round and round the garden, like a teddy bear"