Underachieving Children - Motivating to Achieve the Best

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Hi,
Family is where it all starts. School is where it reaches its best! It should come as no surprise that achievement both at school and home starts at home and with parents. It is also no surprise to see that best performance and maximum achievement for children takes its birth in home that ensures affection-full parental support, healthy habits and disciplined routines.

Achievement, academic or non-academic, is a by-product of sheer hard work and dedicated efforts. Most children, who underachieve, may not focus their full efforts on achieving the best. With so many reasons affecting a child's inability to achieve satisfactory results, parents often get frustrated and disappointed by seeing their children falling behind in academic and classroom studies.

Underachievement is a strange word! At least, it is true for most children who are affected by this syndrome. In fact, such children may never know that they are underachieving! In other words, a paradox called “underachievement” could be crippling for both parents and their children. However, the best part is that parents can reverse this syndrome by using a series of positive techniques, albeit in a gradual and calibrated manner. All the best!

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Q1: We live in the US. Elementary school is until 5th grade, then schools change and the children go to a new school for 6,7,8th grade. I have 2 children. The younger one is in 2nd grade and took a series of IQ tests at the request of the school. He scored a 135 on the Wechsler IV IQ test for children. The older child has not taken an IQ test, she will be in a new school beginning in September. What should I do? Should I request that she take an IQ test in September?

A: For your first question, find out the reason the school had not requested for an intelligence test for her. As these tests are costly, they are usually only administered when there is a need. Also you need to establish why the test should be taken. Is it merely to check her level of general intelligence? Or to identify areas of strength and weakness?..... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Taking an Intelligence Test here.

Q2: I have a 4.3 year old daughter. She is extremely talented. At this age she speaks 4 different languages perfectly without any confusion. Her vocabulary is very good in all these 4 languages. Her analytical skills are also at par. I went through your website, and I can surely say that my child is gifted (as per the points of giftedness). I stay in Pune, India. I would want to get her IQ test done. Kindly let me know what should I be doing to get her IQ test done in India.

A: It is indeed amazing that your child is able to speak four different languages fluently at a very young age, which indicates a highly developed lingual ability. Researchers have found that well-developed lingual ability (in this case multilingual) actually enhances one's cognitive flexibility.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Intelligence Testing here.

Q3: My daughter (2nd grade) just completed the WISC IV. Her FSIQ was 123 and GAI 124. The examiner did not include the working memory (129) and processing speed (97). Our state goes by percentiles for gifted, and she scored at 95 GAI. The state cuts off at 97%. Should she at some time be retested, and when? Should we push for services now or just wait?...

A: Your daughter's score is in the superior range. There difference between her FSIQ and GAI is just one point. Briefly, the GAI is an optional index score for the WISC-IV and is derived from the core Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning subtests. It provides an estimate of general intellectual ability, with reduced emphasis on working memory and processing speed relative to the FSIQ.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Retesting for WISC-IV here.

Bright Minds, Poor Grades: Understanding and Motivating your Underachieving Child
By Michael D. Whitley, Ph.D

For any parent who has ever been told, "Your child isn't performing up to his or her potential," this book has the answer. Renowned clinical psychologist Michael Whitley, Ph.D. offers a proven ten-step program to motivate underachieving children. This easy-to follow book identifies the six types of underachievers from the procrastinator to the hidden perfectionist to the con artist, and it presents the ten steps to help children succeed in school-and ultimately, in life.

This is an excellent book for the parents of G/T students who are not bringing home the great grades they are capable of making. Michael D. Whitley, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in Houston, Texas. His clinic specializes in motivational difficulties and behavior problems of children, adolescents, and adults.

Empowering Underachievers
By Peter Speaks, Ph.D and Maryann Karinch

Kids who are failing at school constantly use excuses. Parents and teachers often try tutoring, force, or logic to try to get these underachievers to perform at a higher level. A noted psychologist whose ideas have received media coverage reveals his dynamic method and tips for parents and teachers which have motivated over 2,000 failing students to perform at or near their full potential.

Empowering Underachievers is just that: empowering them. That is the key to their change. Their internal motivation must be empowered so that they ultimately take charge. However, they need the insight and emotional tools to get the job done. That is where you, as a dedicated parent, educator or concerned other, can help. You can be the spark that ignites the flame. That is what empowerment is all about.

Links Tighten Between IQ, Breast-Feeding
WSJ July 29, 2013

Breast-feeding longer can make children smarter. That's the conclusion of a study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, a journal of the American Medical Association. In many ways, the study won't surprise proponents of breast-feeding, who have long posited a connection between nursing and cognition and now have an additional piece of research to back up their argument.

Study: Iodine Salt Use May Have Increased The American IQ
CBS Atlanta July 23, 2013

Although iodine deficiency remains one of the world's top causes of preventable mental retardation, many Americans don't realize that its use has increased their IQ's.

Is it time for us to build our children's Social Quotient?
DNA India July 29, 2013

Right from childhood, the focus is on developing the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and the Emotional Quotient (EQ) of the person. The most important and the most ignored quotient is the Social Quotient (SQ). Beyond IQ, which we all know, is EQ. Emotional intelligence is awareness of one’s emotions and moods and those of others, especially in managing people.

First three years shape child's development
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune July 19, 2013

At birth, an infant's brain is only 25 percent of the size of an average adult's brain. Incredibly, by age 3, a child's brain has grown to 90 percent of an adult's brain.

Maps for the mind
Bangkok Post July 09, 2013

From the womb to the end of life, the human brain is constantly developing, but never more so than in the early years. Studies suggest the bulk of brain growth and development occurs after birth.

3 Ways to Boost Baby's Development At Home
PJ Star July 09, 2013

Every child grows at a different rate and meets milestones at a different pace because there is a wide range of "normal" when it comes to growing up. But the biggest concern for most parents happens when their babies fall behind in reaching milestones or have issues with physical coordination.

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