Dr. Tucker asks: Is your teen a right or left brained learner?
July 29th 2007 11:32 am
In spite of average and above average scores on intelligence tests, many students have a history of poor performance in various academic settings. Parents, teachers and students themselves are hard-pressed to explain how or why “smart” students can make poor grades. Granted, there are times when a smart student is lazy, poorly motivated, or simply not interested in the subject matter of the class being offered.
However, there is often another explanation for the poor academic performance and this other explanation can be documented with psychological testing.
It has been known for quite some time that the human brain is divided into two hemispheres, and that each hemisphere is specialized for different functions. That is, for most right-handed people, the left side of the brain is responsible for language, mathematics, and verbal reasoning, while the right hemisphere is responsible for visual-spatial, “mechanical” relationships and reasoning. Simply put, an architect or a car mechanic would probably be more “right-brained” and an English or Mathematics teacher would probably be more “left-brained.”
Tests are administered that allow a psychologist to determine where a student’s abilities lie by producing a Verbal (left-brain) Performance (right-brain), and Combined score that totals the abilities of both sides. Thus, we might have a student who has a combined score that is at the 70th percentile of his/her age group. That is, of 100 students of similar age who take the test, this student’s score would only be equaled or bettered by 30 other students, and this student’s score would be superior to the other 70 peers. We might reasonably expect such a student to be in the top 30% of his or her class.
With all the labels in use today, ADD, ADHD, Hyperactivity, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, the list goes on, it might be wise to test your teen for a disorder that’s not a disorder at all; it may be as simple as the way in which he learns.
For additional information on maximizing your teen’s academic ability, or checking on misdiagnosis, contact Teensavers.
Dr. George Tucker is the Clinical Psychologist for Teensavers. Tim and Dr. Tucker have worked together for over 25 years. His book “Troubled teens, it’s not always the parents fault” is a fresh approach to teenagers with learning difficulties.
