It’s one month into the school year and as I look out at my kindergarten class I can tell you the ones that have trouble sitting in their desks and whose attention is sixty percent of the time on anything but me. These are the kids that are in need of some extra attention in the form of direction, discipline, or medication. According to researchers from the Université de Montréal and the Saint-Justine University Research Center these are also the kids that we should be monitoring for a possible gambling addiction. Wait! Did I hear that right? We are monitoring kids for gambling addictions in Kindergarten!
This study presented links between children who showed impulsive behavior in Kindergarten, and then were later checked on in six years later to be found spending time playing cards for money, placing bets on sports, among other things. The study however did not say if the children where participating in any other negative behaviors such as drinking, drugs, sex, or vandalism. The main stressed point was that the five year olds with impulsivity problems had a twenty five percent increased risk of a gambling addiction later in life.
Don’t break down and start panic just yet if your child is making impulsive decisions. You can still save them. The intervention needs to take place before they turn seven when their frontal lobe is growing. The frontal lobe is responsible for cognitive behavior so their future problems need to be fixed now. Researchers suggest teaching your impulsive child the, “Stop, Look, and Listen” routine. This can help your child stop what they are doing, look around their environment, and listen in order to calm themselves into making a more intelligible decision. Also modeling good intelligible decision making will help your child.
Personally, I laughed when I read this article. I envisioned myself calling a parent in for a special meeting and then telling them that I am fearful that their child might develop a possible gambling addiction and that we need to take action now. Yes, I agree that children in Kindergarten are developing and we need to be modeling appropriate behaviors and trying to correct their impulsive behavior now so that it does not become a problem for them in the future but we are not doctors and some kids no matter what we do are going to have attention issues down the road. I don’t believe just because a child can not pay attention and is easily distracted they will be a future gambler. I do believe they might have a more likely chance to dabble in a variety of negative behaviors but not just gambling.
This study presented links between children who showed impulsive behavior in Kindergarten, and then were later checked on in six years later to be found spending time playing cards for money, placing bets on sports, among other things. The study however did not say if the children where participating in any other negative behaviors such as drinking, drugs, sex, or vandalism. The main stressed point was that the five year olds with impulsivity problems had a twenty five percent increased risk of a gambling addiction later in life.
Don’t break down and start panic just yet if your child is making impulsive decisions. You can still save them. The intervention needs to take place before they turn seven when their frontal lobe is growing. The frontal lobe is responsible for cognitive behavior so their future problems need to be fixed now. Researchers suggest teaching your impulsive child the, “Stop, Look, and Listen” routine. This can help your child stop what they are doing, look around their environment, and listen in order to calm themselves into making a more intelligible decision. Also modeling good intelligible decision making will help your child.
Personally, I laughed when I read this article. I envisioned myself calling a parent in for a special meeting and then telling them that I am fearful that their child might develop a possible gambling addiction and that we need to take action now. Yes, I agree that children in Kindergarten are developing and we need to be modeling appropriate behaviors and trying to correct their impulsive behavior now so that it does not become a problem for them in the future but we are not doctors and some kids no matter what we do are going to have attention issues down the road. I don’t believe just because a child can not pay attention and is easily distracted they will be a future gambler. I do believe they might have a more likely chance to dabble in a variety of negative behaviors but not just gambling.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/dailydose/03/03/children.kindergartners.gambling/index.html#cnnSTCText
I read the article, really interesting. It seems to confirm something I have heard my mother say years. Our elementary physical education teacher would also agree. You can tell in elementary school which students are going excel or struggle academically, athletically, and sometimes in life. The early childhood developmental process sets in motion irreparable good or harm.
ReplyDeleteThis year Parade magazine ran an article titled “Can genetics determine your financial future." Researchers suggested that your investing style related to your brain genetics. Other risk taking behaviors were increased by variations in the brain’s serotonin and dopamine centers. Dopamine is the brain’s pleasure producing neurotransmitter. Those that had dopamine and serotonin variability were riskier and safer investing, respectively. A Harvard University study theorized that higher levels of testosterone led to riskier investment strategies. England’s Cambridge University learned that London’s successful stock market brokers had higher levels of early morning testosterone.
I once watched a program called Addiction on HBO. The theory was that those most likely to abuse drugs and alcohol had altered brain structure and chemistry. Addiction further changed the anatomy of their brains. Ultimately, the go parts of the brain were stronger than the stop parts of their brain. The researchers compared it to being helpless on an uncontrollable runaway train. Reason and common sense went out the window.
I am also reading Teaching the male brain by Abigail Norfleet James. She suggests girls rapidly develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. They do so long before boys. Girls have increased executive function in their prefrontal cortex. Boys rely on the amgydala, or the seat of emotion. For quite a while girls exhibit a superior memory. In addition, they are more rational and can weigh the consequences of their actions. Boys eventually catch up. Although, sometimes boys attitudes about reading, learning, and the classroom have already been formed. This is a small insight into a cutting edge subject known as brain-based learning.
What can be done with this research? Brain chemistry and genetics offers the possibility of future behavior. It may or may not be a predictor of the future. Is it humane to predict that impulsive, risky, or any other negative behavior is guaranteed to happen? I think the research is valuable. Studies such as these built a solid foundation of knowledge on the subject. Eventually, enough will be learned about the brain to implement sound educational policy and reform. Until that point, I think it is fascinating to learn how our brains and environment affect us.
Oh, great...yet another thing I have to worry about! I have a very impulsive 3 year old son! What are you doing to me?!?! lol!
ReplyDeleteActually, several things came to mind as I read this. On the face of it I would say this research gets to a very true and serious point - impulsive kids are growing up in a world today with so many things that could be so very destructive and as much as I love and promote technology, we can thank the internet for making all of that destructive material so easily accessable. In two clicks of the mouse (three at most) anyone can be into some pretty serious gambling sites, graphic pornography, extreme violence, and any number different types of material that would have the younger impulsive minds spinning like an overwound clock. So I agree with that part of it. The point of the study is very valid and something we should be very concerned about.
The part I wonder about is making any sort of definative judgments based on the study of children so young. Isn't impulsive behavior part of the vast majority of kindergarteners behavior? I think studying kids slightly older might make this study a bit more solid.
I agree that young kids in general are impulsive. We actually had a gambling problem at our school a few years ago. Ninth graders were rolling dice in the halls between classes and during their free hours for money. It ended when a mom called to say her son lost $80 at school the other day rolling dice. NCAA pools and Master's golf pools run rampant in almost every school. I teach in a High School and have heard many 18yr olds talk about going to the casino and losing money. At some point, we need to teach kids about the dangers of addiction and let them know its not just drugs and alcohol that people get addicted to. Often times, people with addictive personalities just trade one addiction for another.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it is definitely too early to diagnose a child with a gambling problem in kindergarten. However, the study is interesting to see if there is a coalition between children of that age and gambling problems. If it a behavior that can be detected and corrected it might be worth taking a look at. By saying that, is a teacher going to tell a parent that their child has a future gambling problem, probably not. It cannot hurt to know these tendencies, but the method it suggests to fix the problem of “Stop, Look, and Listen” is something that many kindergarten teachers are already doing. Studies are a great way to seeing various tendencies that children have, but these studies should not be used as the be all and end all to what a particular student will grow up to be. Traditional moral teaching can go a long way in bring up children to be responsible adults.
ReplyDeleteWow! What an interesting blog! I have never heard of kids who are not on task and making bad choices as possible gamblers later in life. I agree with you in that I could see them having more negative behaviors but I wouldn’t just say gambling. Why gambling? What even made the researches make a connection of antsy students to gambling? I think that gambling is one of the last problems I would worry about. If a child really sets off a red flag and I am worried about their future, gambling does not normally enter my mind. I worry about criminal problems, drugs, gangs, and so on. Not gambling. Really interesting blog and I’m anxious to see if anything else comes out on this.
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