Abbott Global

Growing your kid’s intelligence

Reprinted from The Sunday Times Jan 30, 2011

Photos: Chong Jun Liang

Parents today know that their kids are smarter in more ways than one.

Finance manager Chris Ng, 36, sees this in her two little sons. Four-year-old Ethan enjoys singing and dancing in front of an audience, while his two-year-old brother, Emet, shows a flair for numbers.

Recognising that her sons are showing strengths in different areas, Ms Ng decides to help them develop their potential.

“We have signed Ethan up for speech and drama and other enrichment classes as we want to encourage him to express himself freely. He was chosen for the lead role in his class skit. As the teachers put it, ‘Ethan does not have any stage fright’,” says Ms Ng.

As for Emet, who Ms Ng says could count up to 100, recognise numbers like 4,003 and remember the ages and mobile numbers of family members, she and her husband are planning to “send him for an assessment of his gift for numbers so that we can fully stretch this potential”.

The multiple intelligences theory developed by Harvard professor Howard Gardner, which has found its way into preschools’ curricula around the world, posits that traditional psychometrics or IQ tests do not sufficiently capture the wide range of human cognition.

Instead, Prof Gardner identified several intelligence types: logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential.

For another mother, accountant June Tan (above), 31, recalls how her daughter, Rui-En, now four years old, was able to hold crayon in the “right way” in a pincer grip to doodle at 14 months.

Recognising that Rui-En, who has been doodling since then, is good at drawing and colouring, Ms Tan supports her interest by providing opportunities for her to practise her skill.

“When she was younger I made a big ‘doodling cube’ with a box covered with paper for her to doodle with crayons. When she grew older, we would give her mahjong paper and prepare stapled stacks of paper in her outing bag,” says Ms Tan. Rui-En is now attending weekly art enrichment classes. Ms Tan says she also tries to bring to Rui-En’s attention the beauty of the natural surroundings.

“For example, how the sky is not just blue but can also have pretty hues of pink and purple at dusk,” she explains. “We’ll see how she progresses from here to see if there’s any need to take it further.”

Both Ms Ng and Ms Tan believe in setting aside time for their kids to play outdoors. “Outdoor play builds confidence and encourages creativity and exploration,” says Ms Ng, who takes her sons to the park or playground on weekends.

Ms Chris Ng (above) believes in letting her sons out to play as it "builds confidence, encourages creativity and exploration."

“Children become aware of their natural surroundings; they learn to understand how plants grow, what a snail looks like and how colourful birds are. They get to learn through touch and feel and this makes them remember the experience.”

Ms Tan, who takes Rui-En out for a swim, picnic or to visit the zoo, goat farm and botanical garden, hopes that her daughter will appreciate nature. “I teach her the names of the plants and animals we see to the best of my abilities,” adds Ms Tan, who has taken a Diploma in Montessori Method of Education to further her parenting knowledge.

There is another reason for them to take their kids outdoors and it has to do with myopia, which affects about half of the children in Singapore under the age of 12 years.

Ms Ng believes that spending more time outdoors is good for the children’s eyesight. “Children nowadays spend too much time watching television or playing computer games at home,” she says.

Ms Tan adds: “I remember reading somewhere that being out in the sun does prevent eye problems.”

According to the booklet “Myopia- Is your Child at Risk" published by the Health Promotion Board, “children who spend more time participating in outdoor activities were found less likely to develop myopia” although the reason for this is not fully understood.

The booklet also advises parents to encourage their children to take breaks after 30 to 40 minutes of “near work” such as reading, writing, drawing or painting and using a computer, and go outdoors or look at distant objects out of a window.

Besides nurturing their children’s interests in different areas, both mums know about the need to provide proper nutrition to support their development. Studies have shown that a deficiency in various micro-nutrients such as Vitamin A, Iron and Zinc, in developing countries has been found to have long-term implication for cognitive development.

“I am a strong advocate for breast feeding and only introduced formula milk after my children turned one,” says Ms Ng. “At that time, my biggest concern was whether I could find a milk formula that is easily digested by children.”

She spoke to friends, gathered information on various milk brands and requested for samples from her pediatrician to read the labels. Now that her kids are older, Ms Ng gives them other types of food.

“We make sure there is always protein and vegetables in their home-cooked meals and we emphasise on having fruits every day,” she says.

Ms Tan says “we are quite spoilt for choice” for formula milk.

“Celebrity endorsement does influence my decision to some extent,” she adds. “But seriously, I look for formula with a variety of nutrients for my child’s all-round well being, including for eye and brain development.”

She supplements it with cod liver oil and multivitamins daily.

Eyecare for your child

There are several nutrients that have been associated with a child’s eye development. They include:

AA and DHA

A study involving two groups of full-term infants receiving either a standard infant formula or the same formula enriched with DHA or DHA and AA over 17 weeks concluded that “early intake of DHA and AA appears necessary for optimal development of the human brain and eye”. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are the precursors of DHA and AA.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays a critical role in visual perception and a deficiency is the leading cause of childhood blindness in developing countries, according to Professor David Benton at Swansea University in the United Kingdom. He notes that 4.4 million preschool children globally have xeropthalmia (dry eye) that is caused specifically by Vitamin A deficiency.

Lutein

Studies have shown that lutein, which cannot be synthesised by the human body, performs many functions including protecting the eye tissue from oxidation, acting as a blue light filter and influencing the development of the eye early in life.

Find out more about eye conditions, care and treatment at hpb.gov.sg/eye

By: DOUGLAS CHEW

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For expert advice on paediatric nutrition, please contact Abbott Nutrition Careline at 62786220.