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The Gifted Brain

6/3/2012. 2. Presented to Parents and Advocates of Gifted Education (PAGE) of Dona Ana County (New Mexico) By Niki Mott, LCPS AES Facilitator October 2006. 6/3/2012. 3. The gifted brain has more connections. Needs few repetitions to retain material.Makes connections across subjects and classes.D

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The Gifted Brain

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    1. The Gifted Brain How is it different?

    2. 6/4/2012 2 Presented to Parents and Advocates of Gifted Education (PAGE) of Dona Ana County (New Mexico) By Niki Mott, LCPS AES Facilitator October 2006

    3. 6/4/2012 3 The gifted brain has more connections Needs few repetitions to retain material. Makes connections across subjects and classes. Divergent thinking brings new, sometimes “far out,” connections and solutions. These are our future problem solvers.

    4. 6/4/2012 4 Brains of “smart” people are different More efficient More measurable tissue Less measurable activity Learn in different ways, not just faster, but different Intelligence may be measured in the future by brain scans, replacing IQ tests and college entrance exams. ---Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent, CNN

    5. 6/4/2012 5 The gifted brain results in greater: Intensity – anything worth doing is worth doing to excess Sensitivity – physical and emotional Idealism – strong desire to make things right Perfectionism - as they try to impose a sense of order to the world and their lives Activity – verbal and/or physical (busy brains, busy bodies)

    6. 6/4/2012 6 Also greater incidence of: Allergies Asthma Hypoglycemia (gifted brains burn more energy while learning new material). ---See: Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults; Webb, Amend, Webb, Goerss, Beljan, Olenchack

    7. 6/4/2012 7 Social/Emotional implications “In some instances, what makes gifted children special paradoxically can serve to increase their risk for social and emotional difficulties.” -- Steven Pfeiffer, Board of Directors, SENG (Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted)

    8. 6/4/2012 8 Advanced abilities Gifted adolescents “may have a developmentally enhanced state of brain activity, one that more closely resembles that of college-age adults, whom they also resemble in terms of cognitive ability.” From Alexander, J.E., O’Boyle, M. W., & Benbow, C.P. (1996) International Journal of Psychophysiology Quoted by Wenda Sheard.

    9. 6/4/2012 9 Gender differences Structure – male brain is larger. Right and left frontal lobes are thicker in males; about the same for both in females. Basic biochemistry – estrogen receptors are different. Cognitive style – females better at verbal tasks; males better on visual-spatial.

    10. 6/4/2012 10 The adolescent brain Prefrontal cortex not fully developed until about age 20 (decision-maker; controls impulses, emotions). Primitive region (hypothalamus) tends to drive behavior. May have problems sizing up risks and making good long-term decisions. Need strong adult guidance and help with decision making. Time and good role models will help it mature to match the body. ---From Kathie Nunley

    11. 6/4/2012 11 Nature or nurture? Brain waves measured at birth predicted reading abilities at school age. So did activities in the home. Cognitive ability is one of the most heritable traits in neuroscience. Dr. George Betts replies, “Yes”.

    12. 6/4/2012 12 Nature: Detecting intelligence at birth Measures of speech perception “recorded within 36 hours after birth can be used to successfully discriminate, at well above chance levels, the reading performance of children 8 years later.” From Molfese, D. L., & Molfese, V. J. (1997). Developmental Neuropsychology. Quoted from Wenda Sheard.

    13. 6/4/2012 13 Nurture: studies of home life Differences in child-centered activities and parenting practices in the home were measured. “Yes, there is a relationship between environment and brain activity. Plus, the children from stimulating environments used less brain energy to respond to sounds.” From Molfese, D. L., & Molfese, V. J., Key, A.F. (2003). Developmental Neuropsychology. Quoted from Wenda Sheard.

    14. 6/4/2012 14 References: Betts, George, Ph.D., Gifted Education Specialist, Consultant & Motivational Speaker, Greeley, CO. Molfese, Dennis, Ph.D., and Victoria, Ph.D., University of Louisville, KY. Nunley, Kathie, Educational Psychologist, Author, New Hampshire. Pfeiffer, Steven, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., Professor,Psychological Services in Education, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Sheard, Wenda, J.D., Ph.D., attorney and professor, member of Board of Directors of SENG. Webb, James, Ph.D., Founder and Director Emeritus of SENG, Phoenix, AZ.

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