[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]I feel a mix of emotions when I recall the day I decided I could not send Sunshine Boy to school anymore. Looking into the mirror, I firmly told myself, “If I don’t have a solution, then nobody will.” This moment marked a significant turning point in both our lives, symbolizing a deep sense of responsibility, determination, and the beginning of an unconventional educational journey.

Reading about Nathaniel who graduated from ANU at 13 with a perfect score reminds me of my own journey.

I am reminded of the day when I realized that traditional schooling was no longer an option for him. Despite his intellect, the conventional education system failed to accommodate his unique needs. He had only spent 4 years in primary school, out of which two was fraught with suspensions and he was completely disengaged in P4. These culminated in a meeting with the Ministry of Education in the presence of the Director of GEP, his principal and the Education Psychologist, where it was suggested he be isolated from his peers.

Faced with limited options, I sought alternatives, but encountered roadblocks. They advised that given his learning disabilities, he should be attending therapies instead of class. Suggested schools like Pathlight was not appropriate for him according to our own psychologist. We explored the option of enrolling him in international schools, but the administrators at these schools informed us that while they had successfully obtained Ministry of Education (MOE) approval for gifted girls, their efforts to do the same for gifted boys like my son had never been fruitful. They advised us that pursuing this path might not be worthwhile, both in terms of effort and the associated administrative costs.

Determined to provide him with the education he deserved, I improvised. I crafted a makeshift uniform for him and integrated him into my daily routine at Singapore Management University where I taught. Our days began with a simple breakfast ritual at Koufu, featuring lor mai kai and milo, before diving into academic work. I prepared a syllabus for him, and he had to study on his own for three to four hours while I lectured in the university. In just six months, we covered the entire high school curriculum, enabling Sunshine Boy to apply to university at the age of 11.

His educational journey didn’t stop there. As Sunshine Boy wanted badly to go to school, I had to look for alternatives so that he could play with his age peers. While overseas, he concurrently attended primary school and university. At 15, he expressed a desire to experience high school, which we honoured, so he spent two years attending just high school with his friends and playing tennis for the school. By 17, he celebrated his graduation, marking the end of a challenging yet rewarding path.

Throughout this journey, I’ve shared our experiences on social media and encountered a variety of responses. Some offer support, others express curiosity about our unconventional approach, and many reach out for guidance, facing similar challenges with their atypical children.

To those who empathize with and recognize our struggles, I extend my deepest thanks. For the inquisitive, I wish to clarify that, if possible, I would have chosen a traditional educational route for my child. However, our unique situation required a different approach. There’s a common misconception that radical acceleration in a child’s education necessitates intense, pressured learning, or ‘hothousing.’ I disagree with this notion. If a child must be pushed to the limits to achieve rapid advancement, it contradicts the very principle of tailoring education to the child’s natural pace and abilities.

In my view, radical acceleration is not a first choice but a necessary intervention. It’s a crucial step, particularly vital for bolstering the self-esteem and self-worth of a child who may have been deemed lacking in other areas, such as social skills or physical abilities, by experts. As parents and educators, our role is to create pathways for success, adapting our strategies to meet the unique needs and talents of each child.

This is at the heart of the advice I offer to those in need of guidance: the importance of tailoring education to fit the child, rather than forcing the child to conform to the education system. It’s essential to align each child’s education with their path to success, which requires a profound understanding of their individual needs. For some, this may mean accelerating their education, while for others, a slower pace is more beneficial. Success for one child might be found on the sports field, while for another, it could be in artistic or aesthetic achievements.

Drawing from my experiences with my children, I have established a school dedicated to nurturing children with exceptional capabilities. We have encountered a diverse array of children, each with their unique gifts, challenges, and issues. Like Nathaniel, many have flourished in their own unique ways and on their own terms. So I know that, no matter what you are facing, there are solutions.

Most importantly, no matter the opinions of experts regarding a child’s abilities or limitations, the ultimate responsibility for a child’s education rests with the parents. This duty involves adapting to their distinctive needs and ensuring the preservation of their self-worth and esteem. It’s crucial to remember that every child’s educational path is distinct, and sometimes, opting for a less traditional route can lead to the most gratifying achievements.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Over the last 24 hours, three people had asked me for a reference to psychologists. It is often people whom you least think need help who need help. It is often parents who think their child are doing great who get the biggest shock of the life all of a sudden.

Anthony’s PSLE result was sterling and he got into an elite of elite secondary school, one that promises more than academic rigor, their high school credits can be used as credit transfers into a top university in Singapore.

Needless to say, it is a sought after secondary school, and the kids are studying 3-4 years ahead of their age peers in the areas they specialize in.

The celebration was short-lived. Within six months, the parents reached out to me. The high IQ child has school refusal problems. So I got our counselors involved to see how we can help.

Our advice was to remove him from a toxic environment where kids are often driven to a place where they feel deflated, over challenged and unaccomplished. We feel he should go to where his gifts are appreciated, where he can score well and his self-esteem is high. On the side, we promised to offer enrichment that will challenge and stimulate his intellectual needs. We felt he needed both social and intellectual support, and since he cannot get them both in the same place, we suggest splitting them.

Not unexpectedly, the parents and child felt that it was a ‘waste’ to give up a prestigious school, so they stayed. Yesterday, we received another call. In the six months since we last spoke, the child moved to an international school, and now refuse to go to the new school as well. In fact, he is refusing to get out of the house, so can we send in some psychologist.

To be honest, I don’t think we can ‘rescue’ a child like that, no matter how much they offer to pay us. He is only 14, and just 2 years ago, he was acing his cohort, happy about his situation, full of confidence of his future.

That is how fragile our kids are. People often ask me why I am so drastic whenever I feel my (or other people’s) children are endangered. And the answer is because sometimes, it can be a point of no return.

There are cases we know we cannot help, and I honestly feel sad about it. This family did not pay us anything to help them, so it is not even a customer relationship, yet I feel sad that someone I have never met has a situation I don’t wish upon anyone.

I chanced upon something I wrote when Sunshine Boy was going through some difficulties in school. It still resonates with me today. I hope it is useful to those of us who still think hope or are proud that our kids are child prodigy.

It is not fun to have a child prodigy, it is far more fun to raise an adult who loves himself and the world. To this end, I think I did a decent job, for this Sunshine Boy is now 20, and he is a well adjusted individual who is capable of handling his life, and has compassion. I think it worth being the strong mum.

*If you have a child who needs help, please feel free to reach out to me via message, it costs you nothing but a bit of time, but sometimes, that’s all it takes to rescue a child. I don’t charge or judge.

Here is what I wrote 10 years ago when I decided to wean him from psychologists and, to the horror of educators, gave him an individualized education path instead:

1. I’d rather my child not be child prodigy, for there’re just that handful of prodigies who truly make it as adults. I wish he’ll discover more about himself than quantum theory.

2. I’d rather have him see the world, than having the world recognise him.

3. I’d rather not have him write for publication and peer evaluators but to touch the hearts and minds of common people, to reach out to them and be relevant to them.

4. If he chooses to follow my footsteps and become an academic, I’d rather he not publish at 10, but at 90.

5. I’d not expose him to the press, and I’d not find joy in telling the world how smart he is. I’d wish him a few true friends whom he can share small successes with, run with the guys and enjoy a good laugh at each other’s stupidity and mistakes.

6. I’d not take pain to show case his difference. I’d rather rejoice in him being just the same as the neighbour’s boy.

7. I’d not show the world how bitter I am when the rest of the world disagree with the way I should view my son, but take the opportunity to show him what grace and forgiveness is about. This is not a fair world and we should never demand it to be.

8. If I have my choice, I’d want my son’s IQ be to around 120, and an EQ of 210 (if there’s a measurement of EQ). Add a kind heart and a love for living, joy and not bitterness, the ability to present and have his ideas accepted. A sympathy for the poor and respect for the old. A love for his country, patriotism, filial piety, gratitude, politeness, forgiveness, and most importantly, humility. In other words, VALUES. I want him to value principles more than academic knowledge.

BUT these are just my thoughts. I don’t think I have, don’t wish to have and don’t need to have a kid prodigy. I just wished the world would accept him the way he is and allow him the simplicities of life, a chance to be one of the boys.

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Visual spatial learners won’t show workings on their Maths papers and derive answers in the strangest ways and methods not taught in schools. They choose to be too creative in their ‘creative writing’ classes and irk their teachers. Do you have one at home?

Adult Visual Learners Learn to Compromise

Though a spatial learner myself, I find it hard to cope with my kids sometimes. Perhaps it is because we, as adults have been drilled and grilled by our education system to perfection we’ve forgotten how to solve problems from first principles or from whatever we need to know. We’ve forgotten that many people possess enough intelligence to build upon what they already know to obtain next level of understanding with little guidance.

For example, in our Math paper, we get no marks when we do not show the steps that make sense to the teacher/marker, even if our answers are correct, even in the university.

Since fighting the system is of no use, I asked my oldest son to learn the right steps and forgo HIS own problem solving method. He lost his love for Maths completely in secondary school even though he topped his Primary school in Math. What a fool I was!

Looking back, he (oldest boy) was the genius, I was just a system follower and I probably helped destroy his love for Math. Fortunately, he found his passion in other areas that I cannot help in.

These days, I no longer let those few marks determine how my children should think, I let them explore and solve their own ways, then teach them how to present their weird solutions so that others can understand.

Visual-Spatial Learners See Big Pictures

I was watching my other son do his Maths two years ago. I saw that he was heading for the wrong answer, it was crystal clear to me. So I interrupted him to show him the ‘right steps’ to the answer. Since he is not your regular child, he put up such a big fight I almost lost my lungs shouting at him.

“Why wouldn’t he allow me to show him just one step?” I thought to myself. And, I seldom teach him!!! I wanted some obedience!

The more I wanted him to just pause, the louder he yelled, and eventually, he cried and kicked up a big fuss and went to the room. Then, I talked myself into letting go of the situation, so I told him to do just what he wanted.

TO MY BIG SURPRISE, he gave me the right answer using a completely different and shorter method?! He grinned and walked off.

Since then, I have never meddled with his Math again as I observe him progress from Grade 5 Math to second year university Math in two years. I can no longer guide him, since he chose Math electives that I have never studied.

I recall this was how he did his work in his younger days: he saw the whole picture in his mind first, then solved everything all at once.

Different but not wrong

He had no steps! He’d look at me and ask, “Right? Mummy?” I’d shrug my shoulders, because I wouldn’t know. I needed to pick up my pencil and go through the question one step at a time like I was trained to do.

I could calculate very fast, and go through steps very quickly, but I HAD to go through the steps. If I had not picked up that pencil, I wouldn’t know the answers.

On the other hand, if you ask him to solve the steps one at a time, to communicate what he is doing, he is completely disorientated and he is lost! My job then, was not to force him to comply to the model answer his professors put on the board, but to encourage him to put down his own thoughts so that others can understand.

Understanding Visual Learners

It occurs to me, why he had a hard time functioning in classrooms when he was young: teachers had no time to teach each child to present their thoughts, so instead, they taught the kids a method they know all invigilators know and will mark correct.

Visual students do not see things the way sequential folks do, but they are not wrong either. Often more correct and our task is to help them ‘see’ like others and present what they see in their minds’ eyes so that others can understand.

I also begin to understand why teachers lost patience with him in his younger days, and why he constantly lost patience with his teachers. He could not understand why his teachers could not ‘see’.

With well-meaning teachers, he could end up like me, adopting the world’s wisdom and solving problems step by step, not using my first gift of being able to solve them without those steps.

Now that I have not used them, I have lost those abilities as well.

I’m sure there are many of us who learn differently from the prescribed methods dished out by schools. If you have a child, student, friend or sibling who is like that, what are you to do?

Visual learners are gifted in their own ways, and need to slow down, understand what others see and communicate their thoughts.  Knowing this, would you work with visual learners so that they can learn to communicate their differentiated thoughts, or would you force them to conform and follow the model answers in the hope of helping them achieve A’s?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Just before the race, I instructed my son to do eleven strokes per minute if he wanted to go faster and win the International competition, so he altered his stroke and brought back the medal. Many kinesthetic learners has this “perfect rhythm” in them, and I found out that this ability is common among athletes.

My oldest child can tell you how many beats there are in a minute without a metronome, so when the coach needs him to do a certain number of strokes per minute or the music teacher needs a precise number of crotchets in a bar, using “faster” or “slower” will confuse him.

He needs them to be specific to deliver what they require him to. Kinesthetic intelligence is the giftedness in movements and rhythms.

Kinesthetic Intelligence and ADHD

Kinesthetic learners do not function well in school environments, because they need to move around to think, and are often labeled hyperactive. Therefore, when faced with such students, many teachers will ask their parents to check if the kids have ADHD. Sounds familiar?

I sent my other son to a pretty good kindy when he was four-years-old, and the teachers were a helpful lot. One teacher reported him walking around the classroom when she was teaching the continents and oceans. She thought he learned nothing since he was just walking around the classroom, visiting the reading corners, picking up books, shifting here and there. She was shocked when he could regurgitate all that she taught when they had to do the worksheets.

He even went around coaching his classmates who were one year older. I often wonder if she had chained him to the chair, would he learn or remember as much. I knew he needed to move to think.

But this kind environment is not to be found in a formal school setting, he had much trouble explaining why he had to go to the toilet often because he just could not sit on the chair for that full period without dozing off, he couldn’t think and function without moving his feet and shifting his body.

In the end, like every good educator, the teachers and principals told me to check if he had ADHD.

After a good sum of money spent, one psychologist confirmed he had ADHD after a few questionaires, and another psychologist did a thorough test and said he could focus and had no attention deficit. We were asked to put him on Ritalin, anyway, to ‘test if it works’.

To Drug or Educate?

As a parent, I do not believe that my son is a lab rat, so I refrained from putting him on drugs, to the dismal of his teachers who branded me an irresponsible mother.  But I was determined to empower him to work in classrooms again without drugs.

When he started university studies at twelve, I was given the chance to observe him in lecture theatres.  Unlike primary schools, universities neither limit the number of toilet visits nor forbid walks to refresh. Every 50 minutes, he will move to a new lecture theatre or tutorial room, and he would grab that opportunity to find a Subway or Coke, which energizes him.

It occurs to me that the working world, just like the university, allows freedom to walk and pace about, so putting him on drugs just so he can operate in the classroom seems wrong.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Read the story of Gillian Lynne with Kinesthetic Intelligence, an excerpt from Sir Ken Robinson’s Book: The Element.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Strangely, this need to move can be viewed as an intelligence and gift or a disability depending on the environment and how we want to read things. For me, to be different is a gift and every gift can be a two-edged sword: if we choose to focus on its negatives, the problems become bigger and bigger, but if we focus on the positives and spend time nurturing that gift, it becomes easier to teach the child to assuage the pain of being different and release him to learn how to behave in an acceptable way.

So the next time a child is prescribed Ritalin, we should really think hard if we want the drug to act as the chain that puts him on the seat, killing his gift at the same time, or take the more painful route of teaching him to exploit his own gifts and learn to blend into his environment at the same time.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/2″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]I am not sure if the disease is fictitious, but the over usage of drugs on our children is worrisome. Today, one out of ten ten-year-olds is on Ritalin, and one wonders the coins in whose pockets are jiggling.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”padding-4-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color=”#960000″ background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/2″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Quote:

“ADHD is the prime example of a fictitious disease”

~Psychiatrist Leon Eisenberg, the Father of ADHD[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]

What about his Calling?

My son observed this about Singapore’s attitude to education: It is like the driver is concentrating so hard on driving to get to his destination, he refuses to notice there is a highway or a tunnel to make his journey shorter. Everyone is so focused on what he is asked to do, he misses out how to get to his destination better and quicker even when you point him to a short cut.

A Standard Aspiration

It is amazing that many of us are so engrossed in chasing what we are told to for our children that we forget why we are doing so: we fight mindlessly to get into GEP, for good PSLE T-scores, straight As in ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels, perfect IB and GPA scores. So if everyone is closing in on perfect scores, how do we differentiate one perfect scorer from another?

In our gathering where we saw our 13-year-olds meet after their first semester in their respective secondary schools, I am curious what the boys’ plans and career hopes are. Interestingly, my lawyer friend and fellow parent pointed out to me that every single one wants to be either a doctor or a lawyer, but none of them knows why. The none-of-them-knows-why part surprises and worries me.

I don’t believe two classes of 50 gifted students all have the same calling and share just two gifts, so realistically, some will be spending 40 years of their lives doing something they are not passionate about, and that will be so tragic.

Finding an Individual Passion

As a parent, I believe the one single most important responsibility is to help each child find his passion, his purpose and calling in life. It is already sad that many of us who grew up in third world Singapore in the 1970s fail to find these in our entire lives in the name of survival. Yet many of us are passing the same fate to our children.

We parents ferry our children in and out for all sorts of classes to pursue academic excellence but do not know what our children’s passions are. As a society, we judge a student by his GPA or aggregate score in standardized exams like ‘O’, ‘A’ levels and SAT. So what about the area that he really sparkles in, do we look deep into each child’s talent even if it is not measured in standardized exams? Do we spend time to ensure each child gets to pursue his love, his dreams and his career? Do we find time to listen to each child’s heart so that we know his dreams and then help him achieve them?

Acceleration = Finding a Calling Early

The earlier we help our children find their passions in life, the happier they will be, and the earlier they will be on their career paths. Doesn’t this sound perfectly logical? Isn’t that what we all hope to do?

Instead of focusing on our steering wheel and driving the same road we are told to, we can look harder to find that tunnel or highway and that short cut. That accelerated path has been there all along: in each child, and he has been trying to tell us all the time how to lead him to the life he wants. He has been trying to tell us how to differentiate him from the multitudes out there.

Would we be drivers who find the correct roads and paths to help our children get to where they want to go or would we rather insist on the perfect roads to take so that they reach the predestined aka OUR destinations?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]When Eve asked to feature my children in her article about social prodigies, I asked her for the definition of “prodigy” because different words can mean different things to different people, and I have never thought my kids belong to that category.  Her answer was “to do things ahead of his peers”.

Social Intelligence

Being a bit more cautious, I checked the dictionary, and it says, “to be endowed with exceptional abilities”, and in that case, there are many people who are prodigies, because every child is indeed endowed with a different exceptional ability.  If you were to ask me what is the exceptional ability this daughter who is featured in this article has, I’d tell you she is a social butterfly, very good with people, and super observant.  When those things are in place, she manages to get her things done in effective ways, and her friends will run to her rescue when she needs them.  The university is a mini society and to have friends to look out for you makes things a lot easier, that’s why even when we were apprehensive to send her to university at fourteen, we were at ease after her first semester for whatever she lacked ‘intellectually’, she more than made up for it by working and learning together with her friends.

So here.  This daughter is special (a social prodigy?) because she is very hardworking and tenacious, extremely sociable, sensitive and empathetic.  Those qualities I believe are much more important than being gifted in one or even a few academic areas.  You can read the article and interestingly quite a few of the parents there echo my views. 🙂

Read more about my experience sending my kids off to university early here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]