Many Kinds of ‘Smart’

When it comes to intelligence, math and verbal aren’t the whole story

Different kids, different strengths

Each child has unique natural gifts, as shown here by Ryan, 12, of Macungie.

Your Community, Your Hospital

Davina Eck is a smart student, but last year the 16-year-old “lost her focus” due to personal and family issues. The solution: Communities in Schools (CIS) of the Lehigh Valley. We’re a longtime partner of this program for adolescents at risk for dropping out of school. Davina thrived with CIS’s smaller classes and personal mentoring, and she got to take part in the Health Care Career Exploration Program at Lehigh Valley Hospital. “It changed everything for me,” she says. She’s decided nursing is the career “I’ll enjoy for the rest of my life.” Want details? Click here.

“Kristin’s so smart she gets an A without even studying!” If you’ve heard that from your child, it’s time for a talk—about the Kristins of the world, who happen to be gifted in the types of intelligence that count in school, and about all the non-Kristins (your child included?) and their special gifts.

“Maybe your child is ‘art smart’ or ‘body smart,’ ” says pediatric nurse practitioner Deborah Miller, C.R.N.P., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Miller uses the child-friendly concept “different kinds of smart” (see list below) with her young patients. Scholars like Howard Gardner call it the “theory of multiple intelligences.”

The idea is that, while we use all kinds of abilities to some degree, we’re naturally strongest in certain ones. Of course, your child needs to develop the verbal and math skills his schooling demands. “But knowing where his natural gifts lie helps us see how he will most easily learn,” says Chris Hardin of the Allentown School District’s alternative learning centers. “Say it’s a Civil War history lesson. The spatially gifted child might learn best by drawing a battle map, and the kinesthetic child by acting out a conversation between the generals.”

Your child’s school may not offer such learning options, especially given today’s emphasis on standardized testing. Parenting plays a key role in any case. “Observe what your child loves to do and build on that,” says clinical psychologist Jeffrey Knauss, Ed.D. “For example, if he’s not a natural reader, he may get inspired by a book about sports.”

It’s not just about academics. “Shining the spotlight on a child’s special strengths is important for his self-esteem,” Miller says. And when the time comes, it’s a valuable aid to career planning. “You don’t have to be academically gifted to be happy and successful in life,” Knauss says. Recognizing your child’s unique style of intelligence can help you let go of your own agenda and allow him to shine in his own way.

Want to Know More about how to test multiple intelligences? Click here.

Is Your Child…

Body smart? A child with kinesthetic intelligence likes dancing, sports, doing cartwheels, balancing, acting, using tools.

Music smart? A child with musical intelligence likes rhythm, singing, noticing sounds, making things into instruments.

Nature smart? A child with environmental intelligence likes to be outdoors, recognize plants and animals, tune into her surroundings.

Number smart? A child with logical/mathematical intelligence likes using computers, problem-solving, organizing, seeing cause and effect.

People smart? A child with interpersonal intelligence (or “emotional IQ”) likes making friends, helping others, working in groups.

Picture smart? A child with spatial intelligence likes reading maps, building models, drawing, seeing patterns.

Self smart? A child with intrapersonal intelligence likes exploring her thoughts and feelings, meditating, spending time alone.

Word smart? A child with linguistic intelligence likes reading, writing, storytelling, word games, languages.

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