How TV Affects your Children?

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Hi,
A brand New Year is here with us with its numerous promises, hopes, dreams, goals and aspirations. The last year, which just passed us, must have been quite eventful and memorable for you. As soon as another New Year appears, we often hear of brand new resolutions for people to achieve something tangible in their life. The top 5 resolutions that come up EVERY, single year:

Sound familiar to you? How many of them are on your list this year? Are you one of the millions of people who make New Year's Resolutions? Are you also one of the millions who wind up breaking those resolutions? How would you like to keep at least one of those resolutions this year? How would you like to change your life to one of health, wealth, success, and fulfillment -- and do it in just 6 minutes a day? It is taught by Bob Proctor (you might have recognized him from the book and movie, "The Secret"). Bob is a master teacher for building success. Personally, I have been in his "6 minutes to Success" for closed to two years now. You might want to find out how you could be experiencing resolution success and celebrating your way to next year!

For all of us, it was an eventful and unforgettable 2010, because this newsletter brought us together like members of a big undivided family. I hope that every issue of newsletters of the last year offered something useful or beneficial for you. I also believe that the brand New Year will be another significant year for you. Let me wish you a happy and prosperous New Year -2011! May your goals and wishes come true!

Thought for today:
"The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." - Chinese proverb

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How TV affects your children?
TV is an exciting medium! At the same time, it could be very dangerous too, especially for young and growing children. Excessive TV watching could hamper normal brain development and learning process.

Q1: My son is 5.5 yrs old and we have a strong feeling that he is very much more talented. Now the school is starting to do assessment for gifted kids. My son stared talking very early (7 months - clear words), increased vocabulary then after, amazing memory (some instances really shock us - things happened when he was only 3 and have seen only once for a short time - he can recall now - exactly where and when), great interest in music, very creative ideas - keeps on making something always, always, loves to play with 'bigger' kids - like he loves buddy program (yr 5 kids), is very sensitive/empathetic to others and very caring to others and very self aware - he knows his limitations and will try new things after some observation. His reading and writing are good, he is already doing mental Maths - beyond his age. All his school reports have been very rewarding.

I would like to know if these are qualities of a 'bright' child or a 'gifted' child?

A: Parents are in the best position to determine if their child is gifted. I am sure you have seen the various checklists available and are aware of what makes giftedness. From your brief description, I believe that your son may be gifted. You are already doing the right thing by being aware of his gifts and hopefully giving her what she needs to cater for his needs. However, there are no details of his development at the current age, hence; it may be hard to tell for sure. Having said that, as parents we do the best we can to cater to our children's needs regardless of whether they may be gifted or not ...Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Bright or Gifted here.

Q2: We are trying to figure out how best to help our child do well in school. She is having some difficulty with reading at level and writing. While she can tell us very funny and colorful stories, her written work is very simple. She also has some difficulty with organization and settling down to work. We believe, based on her WISC-IV test results that she is a visual spatial learner and are looking to understand how to use this information to help her succeed. The initial information we found on visual spatial learners appears to be accurate in describing our daughter.....

A: From the detailed scores, it indicates that your daughter is rather bright, though not to the level of being gifted. However, her PRI scores are very high. This index measures non-verbal and fluid reasoning. It assesses children's ability to examine a problem, draw upon visual-motor and visual-spatial skills, organize their thoughts, create solutions, and then test them. It can also tap preferences for visual information, comfort with novel and unexpected situations, or a preference to learn by doing. For indication of giftedness, of the four indices, the VCI is the best indicator and the PRI is the second best indicator...Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Interpretation of WISC-IV Scores here.

Q3: My daughter is 11 and was recently tested using WISC IV Australian. She scored Superior in PRI and PSI, average in WMI and VCI. In WIAT-II Australian her Mathematics Composite score & Written Expression Skills were at the 75th percentile. Reading Comprehension 70th, yet Word Reading Accuracy 42nd and Spelling 25th. She also plays the piano at AMEB level 7.

We had her tested because she is in the lowest English and Math classes at school and we felt she was capable of more. We are now confused about what these results demonstrate. Can you explain this to us?

A: It is important to understand what the various indexes indicate. It appears that your daughter scored in the superior range in PRI (for non verbal and fluid reasoning) and PSI (for processing speed). The average scores on VCI and WMI shows average ability in forming verbal concept and holding and manipulating new information. With the limited information given on the scores, what I suspect here is a probable learning disability that may have gone undetected all this time. The WISC can be used to detect a learning disability as it provides a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of a child's educational and cognitive strengths and weaknesses.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Discrepancy in WISC IV Scores here.

Remote Control: A Sensible Approach to Kids, TV, and the New Electronic Media
By Leonard A. Jason, Libby Kennedy Hanaway and Libby Kennedy Hanaway

Jason (Promoting Health and Mental Health in Children, Springer, 1993) presents a well-balanced examination of the role that television and other electronic media play in children's development. In Part 1, "Understanding Television," he helps parents and others grasp the medium's influences on children; in "Managing Television" he focuses on possible strategies for limiting those influences.

He advocates limiting both television and video games, however, and increasing other activities, such as sports, imaginative play, and family gatherings. Several options to assist parents in limiting television are suggested, ranging from discussion and rules to electronic switches and behavior-modification techniques. Appendixes and a list of suggested readings accompany the text.

"Mommy, I'm Scared": How TV and Movies Frighten Children and What We Can Do to Protect Them
By Joanne Cantor

It is midnight, and your sobbing 8-year-old has crawled into bed with you, shaking from a nightmare generated by seeing a werewolf in a music video. A college sophomore lies awake in her apartment, obsessing about stalkers after watching Beverly Hills 90210. Violence, and the threat of it, is pervasive in television and movies, and Joanne Cantor believes that as a result kids are scared, sleepless, and at risk of becoming violent themselves.

Nightmares, anxiety, intense fear, and physical pain are typical reactions that children have to scary TV. This very important book considers such childhood fears and how they affect us as teenagers and adults. Cantor, a student at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Center, comes down hard on TV programs, movie reruns, and TV news as the "uninvited intruders" in our home.

Corn can develop the brains for children
sudesca.org Dec 31, 2010

According to a healing, investigation in America a tiny young kids can get aloft scores if they mostly eat corn prior to 3 years old. The investigation was conducted by International Food Policy Research Institute and University of Pennsylvania.

Pregnant mother's diet impacts infant's sense of smell, alters brain development
Fitness New Dec 30, 2010

Researchers studying mice found that the pups' sense of smell is changed by what their mothers eat, teaching them to like the flavors in her diet. At the same time, they found significant changes in the structure of the brain's olfactory glomeruli, which processes smells, because odors in the amniotic fluid affect how this system develops.

Music and dance program encourages brain development, says organizer
Cape Breton Post Dec 19, 2010

The welcome song alerts the children to the start of their day. Shortly after, the shimmying and shaking begins. The children, from toddlers to age seven, are participants in a music and learning program called Kindermusic.

Parents can aid in the brain development of their children
KY Post Dec 23, 2010

During the holiday season, you have many choices when you are buying your gifts. With children's toys, CDs and/or DVDs, many promise a particular product will help with your child's learning. What really happens with our brain development during childhood?

Preschool cognitive development milestones in children
Healthy Tips Dec 30, 2010

Parents are the first teachers of the child. When the child is about 12 months of age or even earlier, the mother starts knowingly or unknowingly teaching the child. Similarly, the child learns a lot from the baby sitter with whom he spends time in the absence of the mother.

7 Educational Activities for Your Child Over the Holidays
Huffington Post Dec 21, 2010

School is out for a week or more for most kids in America. And the holiday break is a great time to focus on what happens when children aren't in the classroom. It turns out valuable academic skills are lost when the brain is unengaged for an extended period.

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