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
019 - Separation Anxiety on Sleepovers & School Camps
Impressive - On-Air Consults I Parenting I Child Psychologist
14 minutes 2 seconds
3 years ago
019 - Separation Anxiety on Sleepovers & School Camps
In this instalment of Impressive, Dr Kimberley O’Brien speaks to mum Naomi and her daughter Yasi about what it feels like to deal with separation anxiety.
Dr Kimberley kicks off by explaining that children often present with separation anxiety at Quirky Kid around the age of two and that it can reoccur when children start primary school or go to school camp or sleepovers. She says it can even occur again at the start of high school and children need a lot of care and support to get through it.
Naomi reveals to Dr Kimberley that Yasi’s separation anxiety started around age two or three and affected her ability to enjoy daycare, participate in activities and go to birthday parties. She would stick by her mother’s side and be unable to participate even if she deeply wanted to be part of the fun.
When Naomi explains that she ended up sticking around for birthday parties and her daughter would eventually float into the group, Dr Kimberley says that she uses techniques including role-playing and visuals in the clinic to slowly help children get comfortable with situations that cause them anxiety. Naomi and Dr Kimberley agree that the “dump and leave” approach doesn’t work with children who suffer from this level of separation anxiety.
Dr Kimberley asks Naomi what techniques ended up working for her family. Naomi explains that finding the right psychologist, explaining the situation to Yasi’s friends and being persistent were the three things that helped the most. Because she has many years of experience working with children who have separation anxiety, Dr Kimberley shares some of her top techniques, including having a buddy system.
Exploring the parents’ perspective next, Dr Kimberley asks Naomi how she feels when Yasi is experiencing separation anxiety and Naomi admits she sometimes gets very irritated and has to work hard to stay patient. She says she’s the main person who supports Yasi because her husband is less patient and Dr Kimberley points out that different parenting styles can make dealing with separation anxiety difficult.
Naomi then shares that Yasi has found school camps and sleepovers challenging and that she needed to be encouraged to return to group activities after COVID. Dr Kimberley says these are common themes at Quirky Kid and offers advice.
What you will learn in this episode:
• What separation anxiety looks like
• When separation anxiety can occur
• Techniques that can help parents deal with separation anxiety
• How a hardline approach may be unhelpful
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
