by Jane Lloyd
Research by a team at University College London published this week tells us that the IQs of some teenagers can rise or fall by as much as 20 points. Evidence from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirms that this correlates with very real structural changes in the brain.
Until now it has been assumed that IQ is stable over our lifetime from the age of about seven and we make all kinds of decisions about our children’s education and future direction on that basis. This is particularly the case if children have been identified as having ‘problems’ and IQ scores often determine whether a child is labelled as having a ‘specific learning difficulty’ or simply ‘not very bright’.
So how do we ensure that our own children are the ones whose IQ goes up rather than down in their teenage years – or indeed at any other time? The answers are quite simple. We look for what is special about them, not what is wrong with them, and on no account put a label on them, because labels stick and the child will be stuck too.
We investigate fully how their processing is different, where it is exciting, where it is holding them back. We communicate that excitement to them, make sure they value their gifts – and we reassure them that we will sort out the issues that are currently holding them back. Sometimes we cannot immediately see what is special about a child and we have to be a little bit patient, clearing away the blocks one bit at a time.
Interested? I hope so. Children leave this kind of assessment feeling a million dollars – and so they should. Every child has something special to offer the world. We do have to sort out the stress factors that are blocking them of course, but ground-breaking new technology is now making that quite easy.
I have been using this approach for many years now and the non-verbal IQ of my 7 – 16 year olds goes up on average by 15 points in a year or so. Are they more intelligent? Well, that is a point to debate, but they are certainly much more able to demonstrate their intelligence and there are comparable improvements in their schoolwork.
Educational assessments have barely changed in the last twenty years. They still assume that the snapshot they take of the child at that time holds all the answers. They do not investigate underlying processing and rarely celebrate diversity. Often both parents and child leave feeling defeated. There is another way, a better way, a way that opens up space for growth and the development of each individual’s unique ability. This is the way to develop the structure of the brain and be a winner, rather than a loser, in the IQ stakes.
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Read more about Jane’s work and the life-changing potential of True Expressions, including details on free open information meetings and how to book your place on a course, by clicking here.
