Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who Is Bright, Bored and Having Problems in School (Formerly Titled 'The Edison Trait')

Does your imaginative, computer-proficient daughter tune out in the classroom? Does your spirited son become headstrong and aggressive when faced with the simplest decisions? Does your bold, energetic child have trouble focusing on basic tasks? Millions of children—one in five—have what psychologist Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D., calls the Edison trait: dazzling intelligence, an active imagination, a free-spirited approach to life, and the ability to drive everyone around them crazy. Named after Thomas Edison—who flunked out of school only to harness his talents and give the world some of its finest inventions—the Edison trait is on the rise in our younger generation. The heart of the issue is that they think divergently—they overflow with many ideas—while schools, organized activities, and routines of daily living reward convergent thinking, which focuses on one idea at a time. Drawing on examples from more than two decades of private practice, Dr. Palladino helps us cope with this challenging aspect of our child's intellect and personality, explaining in clear terms: - The three Edison-trait personality types: dreamers, discoverers, and dynamos - The eight steps to understanding, reaching, and teaching your Edison-trait child - The connection between the Edison trait and A.D.D. Publishers Weekly Palladino, a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD), offers advice for parents struggling to raise kids who are clearly bright but who are also maddeningly unfocused. She calls such children "Edison-trait" kidsafter Thomas Edison, who, Palladino writes, exhibited "divergent thinking" (focusing on many ideas simultaneously) rather than "convergent thinking" (focusing on one idea at a time). While not all Edison-trait kids have ADD, most ADD kids have the Edison trait, she claims. Palladino outlines three Edison-trait personality typesthe Dreamer, the Dynamo and the Discovererand talks parents through ways to deal with them. Although Edison-trait kids are bright and creative (having the tendency to multitask and visualize), they often end up with school problems. Palladino outlines an eight-step process for coping, and includes a thorough chapter on the ins and outs of ADD. Suggesting that divergent thinking is on the rise in society, Palladino argues that educators must stop favoring convergent thinking and conformity. Though one wishes for more nuts-and-bolts data to back up her claims about society's trends, Palladino makes a convincing case as she urges parents to see as strengths what others might consider deficits. Parents and educators alike will find this compelling reading. Clearly, the author is a divergent thinker. Does your imaginative, computer-proficient daughter tune out in the classroom? Does your spirited son become headstrong and aggressive when faced with the simplest decisions? Does your bold, energetic child have trouble focusing on basic tasks? Millions of children--one in five--have what psychologist Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D., calls the Edison dazzling intelligence, an active imagination, a free-spirited approach to life, and the ability to drive everyone around them crazy. Named after Thomas Edison--who flunked out of school only to harness his talents and give the world some of its finest inventions--the Edison trait is on the rise in our younger generation. The heart of the issue is that they think divergently--they overflow with many ideas--while schools, organized activities, and routines of daily living reward convergent thinking, which focuses on one idea at a time. Drawing on examples from more than two decades of private practice, Dr. Palladino helps us cope with this challenging aspect of our child's intellect and personality, explaining in clear - The three Edison-trait personality dreamers, discoverers, and dynamos - The eight steps to understanding, reaching, and teaching your Edison-trait child - The connection between the Edison trait and A.D.D. A clinical psychologist explains that millions of children with dazzling intelligence think divergently--overflowing with many ideas--while schools, organized activities, and daily life reward convergent thinking, which focuses on one idea at a time