Impressive - On-Air Consults I Parenting I Child Psychologist
Kimberley O’Brien, PhD Child Psychologist/Owner of Quirky Kid Clinics/Child Development Expert
20 episodes
7 months ago
Dr Kimberley O’Brien talks to five-year-old Katara and her mother Stephanie about what life is like when you’re labelled a gifted child. Stephanie says they started noticing their child was switched on when she was just a few months old.
When Katara lost interest in day care when she was three because the older children she had connected with started school, Stephanie brought her in to see Dr Kimberley. While she was hesitant to find out whether Katara was gifted because she thought it might have been her own parental bias, she decided to go ahead with an IQ test.
Dr Kimberley recalls that their main concern was whether Katara would be able to sit through the Stanford Binet (Early SB5) test at the age of three. But she did and the test revealed that Katara was, in fact, gifted.
Although “gifted” is the term commonly used in IQ tests, Dr Kimberley clarifies that it’s rarely used in a clinical context. She explains that she prefers “high achiever” and focuses on finding ways to stimulate these children and extend their learning in the classroom.
Stephanie says this capacity to meet Katara’s learning needs was a major motivator when they were deciding on a school for her. Several schools weren’t open to Katara starting early and others refused because they lived out of catchment, but Stephanie ended up finding a school that was very interested in Katara. They observed her at day care and put a lot of effort into ensuring they could meet her needs. Katara ended up going to that school and Stephanie couldn’t be happier.
When Dr Kimberley asks Stephanie about some of the challenges they’ve faced, Stephanie explains that Katara has had to work on her expectations of being excellent at everything and on her social and emotional resilience because she isn’t as emotionally mature as her peers.
Dr Kimberley ends by asking Stephanie how she thinks being younger than her peers will affect Katara when she graduates high school. Stephanie explains that they've been working with Katara on the notions of patience and perseverance - that good things take time. Both Stephanie and Dr Kimberley agree that starting school early was the best decision for Katara.
What you will learn in this episode:
• What being a gifted child or high achiever means
• Which cognitive assessments (or IQ tests) can be used in young children
• The benefits of finding out whether your child is gifted
• How we can stimulate high achievers and extend their learning
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Dr Kimberley O’Brien talks to five-year-old Katara and her mother Stephanie about what life is like when you’re labelled a gifted child. Stephanie says they started noticing their child was switched on when she was just a few months old.
When Katara lost interest in day care when she was three because the older children she had connected with started school, Stephanie brought her in to see Dr Kimberley. While she was hesitant to find out whether Katara was gifted because she thought it might have been her own parental bias, she decided to go ahead with an IQ test.
Dr Kimberley recalls that their main concern was whether Katara would be able to sit through the Stanford Binet (Early SB5) test at the age of three. But she did and the test revealed that Katara was, in fact, gifted.
Although “gifted” is the term commonly used in IQ tests, Dr Kimberley clarifies that it’s rarely used in a clinical context. She explains that she prefers “high achiever” and focuses on finding ways to stimulate these children and extend their learning in the classroom.
Stephanie says this capacity to meet Katara’s learning needs was a major motivator when they were deciding on a school for her. Several schools weren’t open to Katara starting early and others refused because they lived out of catchment, but Stephanie ended up finding a school that was very interested in Katara. They observed her at day care and put a lot of effort into ensuring they could meet her needs. Katara ended up going to that school and Stephanie couldn’t be happier.
When Dr Kimberley asks Stephanie about some of the challenges they’ve faced, Stephanie explains that Katara has had to work on her expectations of being excellent at everything and on her social and emotional resilience because she isn’t as emotionally mature as her peers.
Dr Kimberley ends by asking Stephanie how she thinks being younger than her peers will affect Katara when she graduates high school. Stephanie explains that they've been working with Katara on the notions of patience and perseverance - that good things take time. Both Stephanie and Dr Kimberley agree that starting school early was the best decision for Katara.
What you will learn in this episode:
• What being a gifted child or high achiever means
• Which cognitive assessments (or IQ tests) can be used in young children
• The benefits of finding out whether your child is gifted
• How we can stimulate high achievers and extend their learning
Impressive - On-Air Consults I Parenting I Child Psychologist
18 minutes 46 seconds
3 years ago
015 - Navigating an ASD Diagnosis
The Impressive podcast is back for a second season! In the first episode, Dr Kimberley O’Brien talks to Jade, whose nine-year-old son Logan is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Jade shares the long and winding road her family embarked on to obtain an ASD diagnosis.
Dr Kimberley discovers that Logan was bothered by things like food textures and grass from a young age. As he grew older, he struggled to speak clearly and started having emotional outbursts, so Jade sent him to a speech therapist followed by an occupational therapist.
Jade reveals to Dr Kimberley that she didn’t get the results she hoped for with these therapies, so she decided to have Logan assessed for ASD. After completing an ADOS-2 assessment, including input from his psychologist and OT, Logan was diagnosed with autism.
While the diagnosis wasn’t easy, Jade tells Dr Kimberley that it was a turning point for Logan because he could obtain NDIS funding and the support he needed in school. Since then, he has been much more well-adjusted and successful. Jade now receives phone calls from Logan’s school to tell her how well he’s doing and even that he recently won a technology award.
Dr Kimberley explains that a holistic approach that involved Logan’s parents, teacher, OT and psychologist from the get-go would have benefited him and helped his family obtain a diagnosis earlier. This holistic method is how Quirky Kid approaches any ASD assessment. In addition to using evidence-based assessment tools, Quirky Kid psychologists interview important people in a child’s life to complete a full picture of their behaviour and challenges. Parents can find out more about the ASD assessment process on our website.
What you will learn in this episode:
• The challenges some families face in obtaining an ASD diagnosis
• How to have a child assessed for ASD holistically and efficiently
• How an ASD diagnosis can improve a child’s wellbeing thanks to NDIS funding and school support
• How Quirky Kid can help
Impressive - On-Air Consults I Parenting I Child Psychologist
Dr Kimberley O’Brien talks to five-year-old Katara and her mother Stephanie about what life is like when you’re labelled a gifted child. Stephanie says they started noticing their child was switched on when she was just a few months old.
When Katara lost interest in day care when she was three because the older children she had connected with started school, Stephanie brought her in to see Dr Kimberley. While she was hesitant to find out whether Katara was gifted because she thought it might have been her own parental bias, she decided to go ahead with an IQ test.
Dr Kimberley recalls that their main concern was whether Katara would be able to sit through the Stanford Binet (Early SB5) test at the age of three. But she did and the test revealed that Katara was, in fact, gifted.
Although “gifted” is the term commonly used in IQ tests, Dr Kimberley clarifies that it’s rarely used in a clinical context. She explains that she prefers “high achiever” and focuses on finding ways to stimulate these children and extend their learning in the classroom.
Stephanie says this capacity to meet Katara’s learning needs was a major motivator when they were deciding on a school for her. Several schools weren’t open to Katara starting early and others refused because they lived out of catchment, but Stephanie ended up finding a school that was very interested in Katara. They observed her at day care and put a lot of effort into ensuring they could meet her needs. Katara ended up going to that school and Stephanie couldn’t be happier.
When Dr Kimberley asks Stephanie about some of the challenges they’ve faced, Stephanie explains that Katara has had to work on her expectations of being excellent at everything and on her social and emotional resilience because she isn’t as emotionally mature as her peers.
Dr Kimberley ends by asking Stephanie how she thinks being younger than her peers will affect Katara when she graduates high school. Stephanie explains that they've been working with Katara on the notions of patience and perseverance - that good things take time. Both Stephanie and Dr Kimberley agree that starting school early was the best decision for Katara.
What you will learn in this episode:
• What being a gifted child or high achiever means
• Which cognitive assessments (or IQ tests) can be used in young children
• The benefits of finding out whether your child is gifted
• How we can stimulate high achievers and extend their learning
