Developing Academic and Personal Talent

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Hi,
Child psychologist and parental counselors keep suggesting that early experiences, either positive or negative, can influence child brain development in a remarkable way. It can have immense influence on the developing of a tender brain and its billions cells and pathways. A various numbers of high level skills are the result of these neuro-pathways. One of the most important higher level skills is the development of executive functions that help growing children to process and focus on different sets of information at the same time.

Executive functions include learning how to make decisions, make plans, change or review them, control and manage emotions in a positive manner and to manage impulses that occur on the go. One of the most important aspects of child brain development is the fine-tuning the operation of this basic yet important function. Experts also call this function as the brain's “traffic controller.” Convincingly enough, this function works in tandem with other basic functions of the brain.

In younger children, rudimentary management of pathways would help the brain to systemize various executive functions so that the future adult life becomes much more flexible and productive with a sophisticated executive functional set up. When children become adults, they can easily develop the required ability to multitask, exhibit self-control, stay focused on a chosen activity and follow multi-step directions to streamline all other basic functions of the brain. All the best.

Thought for today:
"The human brain has 100 billion neurons, each neuron connected to 10 thousand other neurons. Sitting on your shoulders is the most complicated object in the known universe." - Michio Kaku

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Developing Academic and Personal Talent - Basic Rules
Both academic and personal talents are very critical for the success of children in their classroom and profession. Children should learn various skills of personal talent before trying to succeed in academics.

Developing Academic and Personal Talent - Simple Tips
Developing academic and personal talent in children is a skilled activity for a parent. Parents may need to systemize their parenting regiment to include teaching various skills needed for academic and personal excellence.

Q1: I need clarification on whether my 16 year old son's IQ and subtest scores reveal an emotional disturbance (anxiety, selective mutism, or a mild Non verbal learning disability or all of the above. Is his frustration and anxiety a result of his IQ profile. He has been an honors A student since 1st grade in the same private prep school but this year he had significant school refusal and did not go in to finish his final exams....

A: This appears to be something that has been going on for years, but not detected and finally your son just gave up. His intelligence scores would not indicate any emotional concerns as it is meant for cognitive testing. There could be many reasons for him to feel anxious but the clearest appears to be what we call “burnout”... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Possible Dysgraphia here.

Q2: My son is 26 months. At 17 months, we notice that he recognizes alphabets, numbers, colors, shapes and animals. The next month he was singing the alphabet and the one that symbolizes the letter for examples a is for apple. After that he knows the numbers, shapes everything that he knows even if you just write it on a paper, no picture just words he can tell you what is it. Even the shapes that are not commonly known for a 2year old child he knows it such as pentagon, decagon, nonagon....

A: Based on your description, there is little doubt that your little boy has a number of distinct characteristics of a highly advanced toddler. If he is gifted, which is very likely based on your description (we try not to label them at such a tender age), you would have a very interesting journey with quite a lot of effort that needs to be put in initially to be able to help him meet his mental needs. Gifted children belong to a special group and are considered exceptional...... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Highly Advanced Toddler here.

Q3: I want to ask if my daughter is advanced for her age? She just turned 1 last June. I really didn't focus much on her ability, until she reached her age now. Her pediatrician said before that her emotional intelligence was advance, we didn't believe at first....

A: From your very brief description, it appears that your little one is developing a little quicker than the average child. However, it is not enough to determine how much more advanced. The examples given are quite limited and not sufficient to gauge her cognitively. However, it appears that she is a very bright child with a good memory and ability to absorb information at a rather higher speed compared to her age-mates.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Above-Average Development here.

Every Child's Right: Academic Talent Development by Choice, Not Chance
By Lauren A. Sosniak and Nina Hersch Gabelko

No child should have to be identified as ''gifted'' in order to benefit from a rich, challenging learning experience. In Every Child's Right, the authors tell an important story of possibility...the possibility for significant academic achievement and intellectual engagement of children and youth across race, ethnicity, and social class. They show us students learning together, sharing interests and aspirations, and accomplishing more than might seem possible.

This is not an account of all our children developing academic talent. Instead, it is a blend of theory and very concrete educational practice with compelling visions of greater possibilities, more broadly distributed, for the academic education of American youth.

The Everything Parent's Guide to Raising a Gifted Child: All you need to know to meet your child's emotional, social, and academic needs
By Sarah Robbins

Raising a gifted child is both a joy and a challenge. Gifted and exceptional children can seem self-sufficient, but it takes more than intelligence to lead a happy and fulfilling life. Your child need your support and advocacy in school, in social situations, and even at home. This guide shows you how to encourage and foster your gifted child from birth to adolescence, including information on How to determine if your child is gifted Options for school programs and activities Dealing with perfectionism and stress Setting realistic and healthy goals for your child Ensuring proper socialization and friendship Coping with jealousy and bullying from other children Packed with useful and professional advice, this is a reassuring guide to help your gifted child grow, thrive, and develop his talents.

Sarah Herbert Robbins, Med is a curriculum development specialist with advanced degrees in designing programs for gifted children. She currently provides training workshops as well as counseling services for parents of gifted children and teaching professionals.

Scientists Say Child's Play Helps Build A Better Brain
NPR Aug 06, 2014

When it comes to brain development, time in the classroom may be less important than time on the playground. "The experience of play changes the connections of the neurons at the front end of your brain," says , a researcher at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. "And without play experience, those neurons aren't changed," he says.

3 Insights Into Baby Brains
NY Mag Aug 04, 2014

What's going on inside those little baby brains? You can get a lot closer to understanding the minds of these tiny humans with a new book, The Psychology of Babies, written by Lynne Murray, a psychologist specializing in child development at the University of Reading.

What Do Great Musicians Have in Common? DNA
Scientific American Aug 05, 2014

At age 13, jazz great Thelonious Monk ran into trouble at Harlem's Apollo Theater. The reason: he was too good. The famously precocious pianist was, as they say, a “natural,” and by that point had won the Apollo's amateur competition so many times that he was barred from re-entering.

9 Things Every Parent with an Anxious Child Should Try
Huffington Post Aug 06, 2014

As all the kids line up to go to school, your son, Timmy, turns to you and says, "I don't want to take the bus. My stomach hurts. Please don't make me go." You cringe and think, Here we go again. What should be a simple morning routine explodes into a daunting challenge.

How Sudoku can boost your child's brain power: Puzzles can improve memory and doing crosswords helps verbal fluency
Dail Mail Aug 02, 2014

Children should do Sudoku and crosswords in school to boost their brain power, experts say. Doing Sudoku puzzles improves memory and doing crosswords improves verbal fluency and word games are great for learning vocabulary, University of Cambridge researchers have found

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