74 previous interviews, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , the President of the Senate Education Lamar Alexander , ...
74 previous interviews, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , the President of the Senate Education Lamar Alexander , former Minister of Education Arne Duncan , and the researchers Kirabo Jackson . Full archive here .
Many of the brightest minds and entrepreneurs of our time a "disability", mental, according to psychiatrist and author Gail Saltz.
The increase in diagnoses in children disorders of behavior and how hyperactivity disorder deficit the focus of the depression and the anxiety reflects a growing interest in children with cognitive differences. But stigma and often superficial attitude to children with these "problems" can not recognize the cognitive advantages also be present, Saltz argues in his new book, The Power of different .
the facts show, for example, that Albert Einstein had what I would call the attention deficit disorder today, and Charles Darwin had depression and anxiety. Winston Churchill lived with depression throughout his life. Patrick Kennedy was suffering from anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. Jerry Seinfeld is on the autistic spectrum . Michael Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD at age. 9
In 2013-14, 13 per hundred students received special training. And while the number of children who were covered by people with disabilities for years in decline, the upward trend in 2011 initiated an increase of close to 3 per hundred to serve 5830000-6 students 21 years in autumn, 2014.
The power is insufficient to maintain students with cognitive differences and "problems" not only the children call, but do not deny the company through the potentially brilliant and innovative industry leader, Saltz said. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Presbyterian Hospital / Weill Cornell Medical New York, spoke to 74 his knowledge and his new book, describing how individuals with neural defects in some areas also the capability of the other. The interview has been slightly modified for length.
74: Can - Briefly the science of explaining to be "different"?
Saltz: I use the term "different" to have to we talk as various types of mental illness or learning disabilities marked symptoms. Because it is easier to see in this way, people tend to believe that the difference must be structural and black and white. However, this is probably not the case. There is a wide variation in the brains of people, including "normal" brains. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and not all brains than cookies. Even if you have no diagnosis of any kind, your brain does not seem [that] the person next to you who do not have a diagnosis of any kind.
When we talk about the differences, some of it is structurally, but most have to do with the connection. As information in our brain has to do with the connections between one area and another is treated. And changes are very common.
How does this affect the way we educate?
The current education system is very standardized and mainly uniform. probably plays into the brains from some people much better than others, and because it is a large variation so and people have a big difference in the field, strength and weakness along which what type of student you are affected.
The education systems are uniformly designed - or 40 minutes, 40 minutes, 40 minutes, then go to the next point - degree students are expected to uniformly to be good. What if you many children to take care of, it is very unlikely.
Always pack more structured and without a training period to cultivate creativity that allow a certain amount of reverie music and the opportunity to be innovative in the problem rather than strictly speaking, need to do that, and how. Without the flexibility that you can do a visual or acoustic manner, we limit the play to the strengths of a large part of the population of children, and [that] has the effect of undermining the esteem. they feel have failed children.
Who is responsible for the identification of these differences?
People that are on the front lines are going to be parents and educators obviously. Today there is a big gap of several years between their symptoms and diagnosis, which are made - which lost valuable time for a child to leave their development path, and that makes it more difficult to recover on the right track.
Mainly because these things so stigmatized, not the parents refuse to see what happens; it's just that the refusal is very powerful. And when you see what is bothering you, you can not be able to see it. to understand Part of my hope for this book is that many of these things are not a death sentence for your child's future. They are a heterogeneous group, are something that has a relative weakness, need attention, but that probably comes to feed and good for your child could Omen with relative strength. If we could see things, I think it would be easier for parents to recognize something that creates a struggle for her son.
How can parents and teachers do that?
They are educated on the symptoms and what could be, so they can recognize when symptoms begin operation in the fields disturbing as school work, relationships and family life. Usually there is a change from their peers or siblings, and often accompanies fear everything what needs to happen, because the child is aware that something they derailed.
see teachers in the classroom, if something happens. You can often identify mood, anxiety and learning problems in the classroom, so teachers often can see what has happened and to talk in a position to the parents about it. Obviously, the first step is to learn to judge correctly because early treatment is detected, the better. They should also find to be able to what might be the strengths and as the class position space can be modified in order for children to play with these forces.
You mention in your book that the parents do not even know they have a learning disability until they begin to see in your child. In such cases, it is the responsibility of educators when sometimes adults do not even realize?
You can not claim both. see teachers only from a certain point of a child. Sometimes the symptoms can not show up in the school. Probably, the responsibility especially parents, but of course there are big differences between the children. There are certain things that will be most clearly educators. For example, dyslexia educator longer be visible, but depression, a parent may be visible.
So how - we use differences in children, and how it manifests in the future success as Darwin or Einstein?
I think it's a recipe. If you look at Einstein's brain, there are differences for sure - there is more surface area of the gray matter, so the question is, he was born that way, or does its work, and thought, and the last time are dreaming to such questions your brain to develop more?
The brain is made of plastic. Plastic is maintained to some extent throughout life which is different from other organs. It is more plastic as a child, and is less plastic, as you get older, but the potential of new brain cells and track changes occur. So we do not know whether to have Einstein biologically determined more gray matter, but there were significant differences, and one of the differences is that the things had both Hyperfocus building that interested but this lack of concern about specific issues that it simply was ignored. So, sometimes a very bad student was seen at school.
If you took a snapshot of his early years to complete, no one would have said, "Oh, he'll be a genius." He carved this time, thinking about what they think in the way I wanted to work and worked. We could that, as some kids say today, the Attention Deficit Disorder. And there are many data to support that people with ADD are original and innovative and creative ideas. And the question is whether they can take over these thoughts and put them into practice.
It is a similar situation, but different in the case of Darwin. He fought with enormous clarity afraid even panic, and the obsession of most of his life. Was in many ways symptomatic and made discontent, but the kind of science Darwin, who had to be very obsessive, perfectionist, detail-oriented, and there was a good correlation between the type of features that in the context of their condition, but they were strong on the work he has done.
Resilience to move forward and some intelligence were important features of Einstein and Darwin.
So this is - say that all the children could do with differences - to?
In fact, if the disease is strong and it is not - it has a low IQ would also make it difficult. In the autistic spectrum, there is a separation between the pathology and IQ. And it was a long time it was thought that people with dyslexia should have a low IQ, but we now know that there is a complete separation of CI and the question read processing , There are a lot of very bright dyslexic people who have certain powers.
What is very powerful widely reported as Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the characteristics and "neurosis" were today?
Fear seems to have developed with intelligence, attention and IQ. So there is a lot of very bright people that do not have much of anxiety and great concern apparently. An advantage of this is that often have a lot of foresight, because they are very forward-looking and looking for potential potholes. They are out of reach and explore the opportunities and risks environment. It is a force of anxiety sufferers. That was the goal of evolution, say to a certain extent, fear that would have a warning sign, it is a bear might have before the cave, not to go.
To be people like this, what we consider very intelligent and full idea of creating an advantage in business and a kingdom. But if it becomes too much, it can be a barrier, and that's the point: Can we stop the driven pathology, perfectionists who comes as neurotic enough to stay away in the sweet spot of power?
This is what meant those which society stigmatized as people with cognitive disabilities are really an advantage?
I do not want to minimize the suffering of the population. I say, get treatment, but realize that they imparted not potentially huge benefits, and you should find what they are and work with them.
And it depends on what is your purpose in life. If your goal in life is to be a happy person, there are many things that come to bear on it, and it varies from person to person, but it will be difficult to maintain relationships when it comes to unusual seems. While the general public that these problems simply mean seems to think is impaired, as we have said, in fact, many of the most brilliant and successful people of our time have a problem. Most of them.
By observing iconic genius of our time, it was difficult to find someone who does not have any mental illness or learning difficulties. And when you think about why there are things today so many? Why did not they develop from the population? I would say this is probably the reason. This may somehow confer benefits.
Is - there is a certain point in the life of a child in identifying and adapting to a cognitive difference is the key?
The brain is not fully formed until the early 20s, but clearly there is a huge amount of development, This is 13 to 18 in age, does not mean that you will not be able to learn later something but a window from the beginning at the age of a figure when some development takes place, and if you close the window to miss, and it is very, very difficult. As a senior, as the brain is not made of plastic.
Children follow the example of parents and educators - adults in their lives. The more we are able, not to stigmatize and shame, these questions, the better for these children be able to forward and say to move: "I have this Pro to face, and I have to play it" confers advantage , Unfortunately, we still have to go a long way in this department, and we should try harder to do, and that includes the world of health, where there is still a second class citizen. Supposedly we parity of mental health, but in reality we do, many insurance covers almost nothing for the treatment, which is something important leaves parents in a very difficult boat for help in terms of supporting your child.
