
~ B R A I N Y - Z I N E ~
" Learn How to Nurture A Smarter Kid "
Volume #11 Issue #9
ISSN: 0219-7642 Sep 30, 2012
Andrew Loh, Publisher
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Hi,
Parenting is a daunting task that has to match both joys and sorrows of life. Children are
the catalysts that drive the parenting engine throughout day and night, months and years, and
forever until children transform into successful adults. In fact, parenting is a well-oiled
machine that keeps chugging irrespective of whether a day is productive or frustrating. In
other words, parents keep walking on a tight rope to manage and balance rigors of parenting life.
If parenting life is so busy and action-packed, who is going to motivate and cajole parents to
remain cheerful, joyous and motivated? Parenting with a purpose should be the main goal
for all parents. Come what may, all parents should keep rejuvenating their inner spirits and outer
calm to support their children, in times of needs and crises.
Refreshing internal motivation and an urge to face the difficulties of parenting should become
a top priority. In the meanwhile, check these
parenting inspirational videos to keep refreshing your internal drive. All the best.
Thought for today:
"Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in
their desires to reach their potential." - John Maxwell
Best Regards,
Andrew Loh
Andrew Loh
Publisher & Editor, BrainyZine
mailto:andrew@brainy-child.com
Please visit our sponsor ad web site below. Thanks to our sponsor for keeping this a free newsletter.
How to Improve Critical Thinking Skills in Children?
Critical thinking is a special skill that defines a person. Critical thinking is always
acquired early in life. Parents may want to learn to improve critical thinking skills in their children.
How to Improve Critical Thinking Skills in Children - Techniques to Train Your Children for Critical Thinking
Teaching critical thinking is a combination of several processes. Six competences play an
important role in defining critical thinking skills. Children, learn best and become successful,
when they apply all these six competences in their daily life.
Q1: My younger boy is 6 years, 11 month
old. I've brought him for a Wechsler Preschool and Primary scale of
Intelligence [WPPSI-III (UK)] test and
BAS single word reading ability, when he was 5 yrs 7mths old. The reason
being that I suspected he may be having dyslexia (due to bad
handwriting, writing mirror images of Chinese characters when younger).
His score for WPPSI-III was 114 Verbal IQ, 123 Performance IQ, 116
Processing speed and 126 Full Scale IQ. Conclusion by the psychologist -
at-risk group of dyslexic. Recently he took a TONI III test at 6 years
10 months, and he scored 138...
A: Based on his scores, he is in the
above average range. For most gifted programmes, a cut-off at 130 is
usually required for admission. In general, he scored high average
on performance, processing speed, with an FSIQ in the high average range as well. He may be considered for a
gifted education programme as a special case. There is a discrepancy
between his verbal and performance IQ scores VIQ & PIQ). The PIQ is
indeed the best indication of a child's general cognitive ability.....
Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on
WPPSI Score Indication here.
Q2: I was wondering if you could please
give me some guidance. I would like to know if my child is
developing normally, a little bright or advanced. A little
background, her father has ADHD and is a little dyslexic so I'm also
not sure if she has these traits. I have been very involved in
trying to help her enjoy learning in fear that if she has learning
disabilities then hopefully with the right nurturing she will find
it easier than her father.
So I'd just like an experts' opinion on whether she seems on track
or not so that I know how to continue to bring her up in the best
environment. She is very active and I'm not sure if that is because
she needs lots of stimulation or if she is showing signs of ADHD....
A: Your little one does appears to be
developing at a higher pace compared to her peers. From your
description, it is possible that she has shown many signs of advance
development. There is much more to ADHD than what you have mentioned
so although I am not in a position to rule out anything, I am not
really seeing signs of ADHD or dyslexia for now. Furthermore, she is
indeed very young.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on
Very Advanced 15 month old here.
Q3: My 4th-grade son just came home
with his Terra Nova scores for reading. He scored in the 98th
percentile nationally. The test says that he is above the 9th grade
level for reading. He is a good reader but his spelling is horrible.
He gets letters backwards, numbers backwards, transposes letters,
writes "ch" instead of "tr" (example: chruk for the
work truck). He even spells simple words incorrectly (example: gurl for
girl). He hates to write, but he can talk about books and themes and
can rationalize his opinions. Any clues about what might be
happening with his poor spelling?
A: It has been established that good
reading correlates with good spelling as it appears that there are
both meaningless without the other. However, this has not been the
case for some. This is called the unexpected spelling problem that
indicates that a child is able to recognise and read a word very
well on one hand, and on the other, is unable to recall the correct
sequence of letters when trying to write the every same word....
Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on
Great Reader Poor Speller here.
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Building Thinking Skills- Critical Thinking skills for reading, writing, math, science (Level 1(Grades 2-3)
By Sandra Parks and Howard Black
Building Thinking SkillsŪ provides highly effective verbal and nonverbal reasoning
activities to improve students. vocabulary, reading, writing, math, logic, and
figural-spatial skills, as well as their visual and auditory processing. This exceptional
series provides a solid foundation for academic excellence and success on any assessment test.
Sandra Parks received an M.A. in Education, specializing in Curriculum Development, for
the University of South Florida and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana State University.
She also received a certificate of advanced study from Harvard University. She has conducted
National Curriculum Studies Institute workshops annually for the Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development and provides staff development to schools across the country.
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Lollipop Logic: Critical Thinking Activities
By Bonnie Risby and Robert Risby
What a tantalizing treat for young minds! Seven different thinking skills--relationships,
analogies, sequences, deduction, inference, pattern decoding, and critical analysis--are
presented in a format designed to appeal to the pre-reader. Lollipop Logic employs visual
and pictorial clues to introduce and reinforce high-powered thinking. This one-of-kind tool
gives wings to pre-readers and non-readers. This unique book introduces complex thinking
skills without the fetters of lexical meaning.
Lollipop Logic is the perfect instrument for many young learners. It is simple to use and
simpler for youngsters to understand. Best of all, it alleviates the encumbrances of reading
ability for young minds ready to soar into the stratosphere of thinking skills far beyond
their reading levels.
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Vitamin D In Pregnancy & Baby's Brain Development
WFAA Sep 25, 2012
Another study suggests higher levels of vitamin D during pregnancy may play an important role in a baby's
future health. In the latest study, Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been linked to poorer mental
and motor skills in babies.

Caution: Brain under construction from birth to 3
WA USA Daily Herald Sep 24, 2012
At birth, a child's brain is approximately 25 percent of the weight of an adult's brain. By age 3, it reaches
about 90 percent of its full size. How you interact with your child during this important developmental stage
can determine how your child interacts with others, learns and handles stress for life.

Childhood obesity negatively affects brain development, says study
VOXII Sep 11, 2012
Brain development issues may occur in children who are overweight, obese, or at risk for metabolic syndrome,
says research published in the journal Pediatrics.

IQ may go up as well as down
The Guardian Sep 23, 2012
The discoverer of the 'Flynn effect' says environment plays a major role in determining a social group's IQ levels.

How Childhood Neglect Stunts the Brain
Wired Sep 13, 2012
Science is painting a dramatic picture of how childhood neglect damages developing brains, so stunting them that
neglect might be likened to physically violent abuse.
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