Baby Talk
Development of Intelligence in Children:
The First Three Years
by Linda M. Levine, M.Ed.
Reprinted from the 1996 winter issue of The Circuit, a
publication of the South Dakota Parent Connection.
From the Editor: One way to test the value of information from
professional literature about blind children is to compare it
to the information in literature about basic child
development. If it is consistent, then it can probably be
trusted. If it is inconsistent or even contradictory, then it
should be questioned. This isn't the only measure parents can
use to judge what they read about blindness and the needs of
blind children, but it's a good one.
For this reason I believe general child development
articles, such as the following, do have a place (once in a
while) within the pages of Future Reflections. Once I got past
the title (in my experience, discussions of intelligence tend
to stir up more controversy than they enlighten), I was
impressed with the sound observations and good sense
recommendations. A few of the suggestions are dependent upon
vision, but most are not. Furthermore, the author doesn't make
a big deal about the process. There is no hype about how
difficult it is for children to learn, or parents to teach.
What a refreshing change from what one reads in so much of the
professional literature on blindness and children!
In any event, for its own intrinsic value, and for the
value it may have as a litmus test for blindness literature on
this topic, here is "Baby Talk--Development of Intelligence in
Children: The First Three Years:"
"When do I teach my child about numbers and colors?"
"Will my child learn anything by just playing?" "My child has
Down's Syndrome. Can I help her learn?"
Parents are anxious for their children's intelligence to
develop quickly and well. The good news is that parents have
the unique opportunity to raise the intelligence level of
their children during the first few years of life--and have a
wonderful time doing it. But it can be hard to know what kind
of stimulation and how much stimulation to give.
Experts disagree as to just what intelligence is, but
they guess that between 50 percent and 80 percent is
inherited. That means that your efforts, plus your baby's own
interest in what is happening, will have a lot to do with your
child's intelligence. Motivation plays a key role in the way
a baby learns.
The first two years of life are important ones for the
baby's growing brain. When babies are exposed to sights,
sounds, textures to feel, smells, and tastes, more connections
are made inside the brain.
Children need both the active involvement of parents and
the opportunity to try to explore on their own. Stimulate your
baby but don't overdo it; it's easy to be so eager that you do
all the playing and the baby does all the watching! Children
who are pushed too fast often have problems with certain types
of thinking skills. Excessive spankings or other harsh
punishment can also harm a child's intellectual, physical, and
social development.
--Children learn by playing
Playing is natural, enjoyable--and may be the most
important way children learn to adapt to the new world. For
adults, learning something new means work. But for the child,
learning is usually exciting and fun. Toddlers love to help
wash the car, sweep the floor, or pull the weeds. This "help"
can be fun or infuriating for the adults, but the toddler is
learning about how things work in the world.
Playing with real objects and imitating adults is an
effective way for young children to learn.
Children need lots of time to play with real objects
before they understand the meaning of letters and numbers.
Don't think of teaching your child so much as guiding your
child toward discoveries about how things work, where things
fit, and why things act the way they do.
--Just what is intelligence?
Think of intelligence as a kind of road. Each child
inherits a certain potential for developing intelligence. The
stimulation a child receives during the early years--provided
by adults and through the child's own interests--helps develop
the potential and helps determine where the child's
intelligence winds up along the road.
A child might be at the "developmentally delayed" point
in the road, at the point called "above average," or someplace
in between. Children whose intelligence develops more slowly
are just at different points on the road than are children
whose intelligence develops more quickly.
Children with mild, moderate, or severe intellectual
delays need stimulation to go further along the road. Children
with severely delayed intellectual development may need the
same kind of sensory experiences that infants and toddlers
thrive on.
Sensory experiences are where intellectual development begins.
Children explore and understand the environment through
their senses. Young children learn best from experiences that
involve more than one sense, so provide many objects that can
be tasted, seen, smelled, heard, felt, and played with.
Gentle touches, patting, tickling, and rhythmic movements
are naturally stimulating for baby and for children whose
intelligence is developing at a much slower rate. Stroking
with a soft baby brush, cotton ball, or piece of velvet, or
gently massaging arms, body, and legs are good ways to put
children in touch with their own bodies. You can also
stimulate your baby's senses by giving interesting things to
look at or listen to.
Babies need to look at slowly moving objects, a variety
of patterns, and bright colors. They need to hear adults talk
to them and sing to them from the moment they are born! They
need to hear sounds of things like clocks, rattles, music
boxes, and cars.
Long before they can talk, small children understand what is
being said to them.
The miracle of language development is intertwined with
the development of intelligence.
--What about memory?
Memory gets stronger as babies become toddlers. Being
able to remember what took place in the past allows children
to gather information, to compare it with old information, and
to make new connections. The toddler who says "Nana" as the
car gets to Grandmother's house is showing good long-term
memory. It's a big step when children use memory to relate
what is happening to what has happened in the past.
Parents often think of early intelligence as knowing the
names of things. This skill--concept formation--results after
children have had many experiences and can link those
experiences to a name. At first, all four-legged animals might
be called "doggies." As children get older and focus on
concept formation, the animals become cats, dogs, cows, and
horses. It takes time for the thinking processes to mature,
but how exciting it is to watch it happen, a bit more each
day!
--What can I do to help my child build intelligence?
* Create an atmosphere for learning and be sure your child is
interested. Let the child lead the activity; stop when the
child is bored, tired, or frustrated.
* Repeat those activities that your child wants to do again.
They may be boring for you but enjoyable for the child.
* Encourage your child. Assure your child that making
mistakes is a normal part of learning.
* Encourage active play. Running, jumping, and other active
play is better than sitting in front of the TV or watching
adults play.
* Keep a variety of toys and books on low shelves where your
child can reach them. Introduce new toys one at a time. Too
many toys can overstimulate a child.
* Help your child use the senses--hearing, seeing, touching,
tasting, and smelling--to explore objects. Focus on one sense
at a time.
* Talk a lot as your child explores. Talk about what is
happening and what you are doing.
* Provide toys that allow baby to see cause and effect.
Pushing a button to make a cat appear is not as stimulating as
hitting a pan with a spoon and seeing it move, or hearing the
noise.
* Provide activities at the child's developmental level.
Allow the child to choose which toys to play with.
* Work as a team with your child's teacher or therapists.
Share ideas and solutions. Together, you can help your child
live up to full potential, at school, at home, and in life.
For more information see Dodson, F., and Alexander, A., 1986,
Your Child: Birth to Age Six, New York, Simon and Schuster.
Healty, J. M., 1987, Your Child's Growing Mind, New York,
Doubleday.