Rapid drop in IQ of Thai children.

There is this idea that the world is getting smarter, due to the Flynn Effect. This was so, superficially, for several decades, as children simply got better at taking IQ tests. Yet, at the same time, there was evidence of dysgenic change - that is the increasing frequency of poorer genetic endowments, in comparison to better ones. Quite simply, average performance on tests was improving (perhaps due to more exposure to such tasks), but the underlying genetic quality was in decline. This has been so for a very long time...in the West since the 19th century, at the least.

The problem is that smarter people tend to have fewer kids, since they tend to be the ones focussed on careers and personal ambitions, delaying families and ultimately having smaller ones. This has long been so.

Recent studies are showing a very different trend in the intellectual function of today's children, than the legend of the Flynn Effect suggests. A King's College London study that I referred to in another post, proved a 25% drop in cognitive function (it wasn't an IQ test, as such), in children of the same age compared across 15 years. That was a very disturbing result. Is this a British problem, or a global problem?

Well, a 2002 study performed in Thailand indicates that the problem is not localized.

In 1997 the average IQ of Thai children was 96.5 in Bangkok, 92.3 in the central region, 87.9 in the North. Five years later, in 2002, the figures were 94.6 in Bangkok, 88.8 in the central region and 84.2 in the North.

The children in both groups were 6 to 12 years old. Clearly, this is a very marked change in so short a time.

Should this trend continue for long, it would deletriously affect the whole future of the Thai nation. It would only be a matter of decades before the country would completely lack the mental wherewithal to perform many important functions at all. Where will the doctors come from? The scientists? The engineers? A small shift in mean iq greatly reduces the numbers of the gifted and talented - much more so than is widely realized.

It is likely that other countries face the same problem: the decline in intelligence of their children. I will try to gather relevant figures.

From this data, and the King's College data, the futures of Britain and Thailand promise to be very different from their presents. It is a difference no-one would welcome.

The question is: is this a completely global decline?

I really hope not.

However, I worry that it is - because the social forces that lead to just such a decline are common to all countries.

The future may not be as bright (in every sense of the word) as many people think...

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Google search and successful blogs

If you have a successful blog, it is quite possible that no-one will be able to see it.

I should explain. Today, I have been unable to get to my own blog, using Google as a search engine. It just says: "We are sorry but your query looks like an automated request from a virus or spyware application".

How bizarre. I can't access my own blog. I tried using the search engine to find it, by typing in "scientific child prodigy". Sure enough, my listing came up No.1 - but when I clicked on it, I wasn't allowed to go to the page: I got the "We're sorry but..." page, again.

Every way I tried to get to my blog, I got the same result. Even from my blogger interface, I can't view my own blog.

Now, I don't know if it is just my computer, or if this is a global problem - and everyone who tries to read my blog is being blocked by Google. If so, it is very ironic indeed, since my blog is hosted on Blogspot which is OWNED by Google.

I am at a loss. So, if you have had trouble getting to my blog I apologize. Somewhere, there is a machine that equates popularity of search, with viral infection. There is no virus. There is just a simple case of a lot of people searching for the blog at the same time.

Thank you for your patience. I hope this is resolved soon because otherwise I may as well stop writing - for what would be the point if no-one can get to my site?

Signs of growing poverty in Singapore.

It is the odd little things that speak most loudly about a situation. Today, I saw one of those and was saddened by what it implied.

I was walking through an HDB area in the west of Singapore when I saw a middle-aged Malay woman, of perhaps 50 years old, clambering through an uncultivated green area that banked onto the road. It lay between an HDB estate and a shopping mall and MRT.

It was strange enough to see her clambering up this bank. It was stranger still to realize what she was doing. She was picking leaves, one by one, or in bunches, further down a branch, of plants. She had a plastic bag in one hand, which was already bulging with picked leaves. She seemed to be careful of which ones she chose. It was very clear what she was doing. This woman was picking her family's dinner from the side of a road. There were too many leaves for one person, in her bag. This was her way of "shopping" for vegetables.

I didn't wish to stare, but I looked long enough to understand the situation. She didn't look up the whole time I observed her. Her eyes were on the leaves, which she picked slowly, choosing only the best.

More saddening was that there were shops within 2 minutes walk of where she worked away. Clearly, she couldn't afford to buy vegetables, anymore, for her family - so she made do with these publicly available "vegetables". I only hope that she knows which leaves are edible. I am heartened that she was taking her time, so perhaps she did know which ones she was looking for.

Singapore shouldn't be like this. Prices shouldn't be rising faster than people can keep up with them. This is the reality of recent all round price rises. Singapore is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many people who are not earning million dollar salaries (which basically is the majority of Singaporeans). Yet, this truism is unseen and unheard. We are even told by the newspapers (see the Today paper of today) that the rich are taking the greatest hit from inflation. That may be so, in percentage terms, but the question is: who can afford to take a hit at all? The rich or the poor? Clearly, lower income Singaporeans cannot afford to take too much of a price increase. Those that can't may end up like this unfortunate Singaporean I saw today - foraging for her dinner in any uncultivated piece of land she could find.

The Singaporean economy needs to be more carefully managed, lest thousands of Singaporeans end up foraging alongside the Malay woman I saw today.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

On understanding children.

Many people don't really listen to their children or watch what they do - and so they never give themselves the chance to truly understand them.

There is a lot more happening in a child's life than random, meaningless play. Some people seem to think that there is no meaning to children's play. On the contrary, there is much. Their actions are usually guided by some innate intention. You just have to watch your children to come to understand why they do what they do and what it means.

I do this. I watch them play and I relate what they do to the context of their situation and what I know of them, and so I come to understand what it is that they are really doing. Many people don't make this effort - and so they don't see what their kids are really up to.

So, the next time your kid is at play, have a good look at what they do and when. You might see a lot more going on than is at first apparent.

Good luck.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

How to move an immovable object.

After the St. Patrick's Day Parade, on March 16th, Tiarnan, twenty-five months and Ainan were playing a little game at Raffles Place, beneath the UOB tower.

The game was a simple one: they ran from one lampstand to another, and stood within them. I should explain. These lampstands consisted of a metal cage of four vertical bars at the corners of a square base. On top of this framework, there was a covered lamp.

There was some competition between them about who would get to stand within the cage, beneath the lamps, that dot the plaza beneath the UOB tower. Ainan, of course, was naturally faster, so he tended to win this one.

At one point, Ainan managed to get to a lamp cage first and stood within it. Then Tiarnan arrived, having run as fast as he could from their last encounter, but to no avail. He ran over to Ainan and tried to push him from the cage. He didn't budge. He tried running and pushing him. He didn't budge. He leant into him, and pushed with all his might, his face getting red with anger and strain. He didn't budge.

He looked up at Ainan in frustration, determined to get Ainan out of the cage, so that he could step in. Then, suddenly, he ran off to where our bags had been left. He took a bottle of water from one. He ran back to the cage where Ainan stood, opened the bottle, and threw its contents over Ainan, again and again, deluging him.

Ainan shouted and ran out of the cage to escape the watery onslaught. Laughing to himself victoriously, Tiarnan stepped into the cage, revelling in his moment of triumph. As in the biblical tale, David had, once again, defeated Goliath.

Thus, Tiarnan showed us how a two year old can defeat his older brother and move an immovable object.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Happy Easter, 2008.

Happy Easter everyone, celebrating wherever you are.

It was good to note the Pope urging a solution to Tibet and Iraq, among other of the world's troubles. It would be better still to see people actually uniting in efforts to achieve these goals.

It is a quiet day, here, in Singapore. Easter is celebrated, but it is not a dominant festival as it might be in a more predominantly Christian country in Europe.

Have a good day, all. Especially those in troubled areas.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Double standards in Singaporean Education.

Singapore has many surprises for an attentive observer: one area that is rich in such surprises is Singaporean education.

Singapore is a country that prides itself on its uniformity and conformity. Thus one would expect that all within its borders would be treated in the same way, with regards to educational opportunity. In an ideal world, everyone would have access to the opportunities they need. Yet, this is not so.

There is an educational scholarship scheme which many people may not be aware of. Its express purpose is to recruit scientifically and mathematically competent students from other Asian countries and bring them to Singapore. The ones that I have taught are about 95% PRC (People's Republic of China) mainland Chinese students and the rest have happened to be Vietnamese. I haven't met one from anywhere else.

These almost entirely mainland Chinese students are given free education in Singapore. They are given free accommodation. They are even given a monthly stipend on which to live. One particular group even had a paid holiday in Malaysia (probably to show them what a wonderful place Singapore was by giving them the contrast of poverty - since it was a poor area they went to), recently. They basically have a free ride of it, for their time in Singapore. They are even given a choice of where they might like to get a degree out of a selection of overseas countries. Singapore pays for it all.

I can see why they do this. It is so as to recruit scientific talent for Singapore's tech and science industries. The idea is that many of these students will come to settle in Singapore and work here. So, in that sense it is a smart move for Singapore. Yet, I am not particularly happy at this particular programme. Why? Well, because Singaporeans are not treated so well.

We have sought special provision for Ainan's scientific educational needs for over a year and a half, now. Long term readers will know that we have encountered a less than generous attitude in this area. At various times, we have been told: "It is resource intensive to give him practical chemistry classes" and "There is no funding available" and "Why don't you go to a private school and pay for it yourself?" (This last was said by a member of the Gifted Education Programme...a very unhelpful organization, in truth.)

In that entire time, we have managed to secure six practical sessions for Ainan out of the education system (at Raffles Insitution and Raffles College). We were also offered one hour a week at NUS High School of Maths and Science, last year, which we ultimately rejected, because it was of material (at early A level) which he had already covered - and they refused to let him take practical classes. It simply wasn't worth going there, since nothing new would be learnt. All in all, it is not much of a response to Ainan's particular needs.

Now, Ainan was born in Singapore. His mother is a Malay Singaporean - so Ainan has Singaporean nationality. Yet, the contrast between the way PRC science students are welcomed to Singapore and enticed by large bundles of money and educational freebies, and the way we have met obstacles and refusals of support, in Ainan's scientific education, could not be more marked.

I find myself puzzled. Ainan is Singaporean. These PRC imports are not. Ainan gets little support. The PRCs get everything. Surely, this is strong evidence of double standards in Singaporean education? To get what you need, here, you have to be a foreign student on a scholarship. If you are a locally born Singaporean, you need not apply, seems to be the message.

Perhaps they take Ainan for granted. They think that, because he is local, that he is theirs already. The PRCs, however, have to be won over to Singapore's side. The funny thing about this is that Ainan is much brighter than any of the PRC imports I have met and taught over the years. He has much MORE to offer Singapore in terms of scientific talent, than any of these PRCs (or Vietnamese) students. Yet, except for a few token exceptions, Ainan's needs have not yet been met by the Singaporean education system.

Double standards are never fair - nor are they wise. In pursuing this course of action, Singapore will recruit some scientifically talented PRC students - yes. However, they will also alienate LOCALLY DERIVED scientific talent - unless they SUPPORT THEM EQUALLY WELL. The fact is, however, they don't. If you are locally born talent, you can expect no special support of your gifts - or very little indeed, certainly not enough to optimize your intellectual growth. If, however, you were born in Beijing - expect every cheque book to be open. That is the clear message of this programme.

Ainan's education proceeds at home, with us. Were it not for our support, he would be receiving NO scientific education, at this time, from the Singaporean education system. Is that the way to nurture future scientists?

I am sure the story would be very different if Ainan was a PRC child showing the same gift. He would be flown in, with his mother (probably), given a house, a scholarship at a good school, and money every month to pay his way. Unfortunately, for Ainan he is locally born. What he gets instead, is a lot of bureaucratic delays and time-wasting from the educational establishment. Far from receiving a scholarship, we are repeatedly told that "there are no funds available" and no resources, either.

So, the lesson is this. If you have a special child and they were born in Singapore, you should emigrate to China, at once. There you should revoke your Singaporean citizenship and become Chinese - and then apply for the Singaporean scholarship programme. You will be welcomed with open arms and suddenly everything you need for your special education would be made available. For true authenticity, you should speak English exceptionally badly for the first couple of years back in Singapore, just to make sure that you don't look out of place (just like all the other PRC recruits).

We have had to make our own arrangements for Ainan, since the educational system has proven unwilling to do so. Every other special child we have heard of, has run into difficulties too. They share one thing in common: they were born in Singapore.

It would be good to see a Singaporean education system that allowed all children to flourish - and aided all along the way, to reach their potential. It is not enough to focus on grooming PRC children to become Singaporean: they need to give equally good opportunities and support to locally born talent too.

Otherwise a strange thing will begin to happen: just as the PRC "talent" arrives, the local talent will leave. That is precisely what has happened to some of the Singaporean gifted children that we are aware of. They haven't received what they needed in Singapore - so they left for America etc.

Now, is that a smart education policy?

If Singapore did more to nurture its locally born talent, they wouldn't have to recruit PRC students to make up for the shortfall in talent. They would have created it in their own backyard, instead.

The next step for Ainan has been arranged, and will be announced at an appropriate time - but you know what: we arranged it ourselves. Those in the education system whose responsibility is to attend to these matters did nothing to help us, at all. Were we less persistent, nothing would have happened.

The others that we are aware of did not battle on, to secure what they needed here: they just emigrated.

The priority should be: first look after locally born talent, then look to recruit overseas talent. They should not begin to do the latter until the former has been addressed. Otherwise, the result will be that one's own people leave, never more to return. The foreigners who replace them, have no real ties to Singapore. There seems little wisdom in that.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)